Spiritual grace always seems to have a way into the lives that need it, or to those who appear to reject it the most. It comes in many different forms, whether it is mysterious, utterly captivating, or even through suffering, it has a way of coming into those lies who least expect it. Flannery O’Connor draws on these many forms of spiritual guidance for O.E Parker’s journey in Parker’s Back. Parker who seems to have no sense of direction whether it be in his life, or spiritual and seems to reject even the slightest thought of a divine power and is confronted with many situations that lead him to believe other wise, these circumstances is what leads him down a path to spiritual truth.
“Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of …show more content…
He only wants to please her. Finally wanting to give her the best of what he has to give, his last remaining canvass, his back. Parker is faced with adversities, which lead him to decide to get a tattoo on his back. While at work, he crashes into a tree and is tossed from his tractor. It, along with his shoes, burst into flames. Up until now, Parker’s struggles in life had never led him to peace. Any relief he received was brief, each tattoo leaving a temporary feeling of completeness, but after a short period of time, that feeling would leave and emptiness would again set in. It’s through this event in which God leads Parker to understand his calling. Parker chooses to immortalize God’s image by getting his face tattooed on his back, with the belief that it will finally please his wife and bring him salvation in her eyes.
It is made clearer that Sarah Ruth has begun to drive parker toward spiritual truth. He believes that, “she married him because she meant to save him” (Parker’s Back 311). This opens the door, or so to speak, of how she is going to further lead parker toward spiritual truth. Even though she is directing her religious devotion against all bodily forms of religion and Christ, she makes a point to emphasize her …show more content…
The first experience he has with this sense of wondering occurs when he encounters the tattooed man at the fair. O’Connor writes about this freak which she eludes to be a “whole” man and yet her overall goal is to present his image as spiritual, this freak image recounts back to her writings in “Some aspects of the Grotesque in Southern Fiction”. Until this moment, “Parker had never before felt the least motion of wonder in himself. Until he saw the man at the fair, it did not enter his head that there was anything out of the ordinary about the fact that he existed. Even then it did not enter his head, but a peculiar unease settled in him. It was as if a blind boy had been turned so gently in a different direction that he did not know his destination had been changed.”(Parker’s Back 313). This has awakened Parker in a way that is very mysterious to him. Parker’s life has now seen such a subtle change of direction that he is not able to sense yet, but this delicate change will cause a significant transformation in his life later down the road. It is not till he meets Sarah Ruth that we see the work of the divine yet again in the sense that Parker has no idea why he is drawn to this “giant, hawk-eyed angel” who has, “icepick eyes ere the only comfort he could bring to mind” (Parker’s Back 312, 323). Parker is constantly reminding the reader that he has no
“Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of …show more content…
He only wants to please her. Finally wanting to give her the best of what he has to give, his last remaining canvass, his back. Parker is faced with adversities, which lead him to decide to get a tattoo on his back. While at work, he crashes into a tree and is tossed from his tractor. It, along with his shoes, burst into flames. Up until now, Parker’s struggles in life had never led him to peace. Any relief he received was brief, each tattoo leaving a temporary feeling of completeness, but after a short period of time, that feeling would leave and emptiness would again set in. It’s through this event in which God leads Parker to understand his calling. Parker chooses to immortalize God’s image by getting his face tattooed on his back, with the belief that it will finally please his wife and bring him salvation in her eyes.
It is made clearer that Sarah Ruth has begun to drive parker toward spiritual truth. He believes that, “she married him because she meant to save him” (Parker’s Back 311). This opens the door, or so to speak, of how she is going to further lead parker toward spiritual truth. Even though she is directing her religious devotion against all bodily forms of religion and Christ, she makes a point to emphasize her …show more content…
The first experience he has with this sense of wondering occurs when he encounters the tattooed man at the fair. O’Connor writes about this freak which she eludes to be a “whole” man and yet her overall goal is to present his image as spiritual, this freak image recounts back to her writings in “Some aspects of the Grotesque in Southern Fiction”. Until this moment, “Parker had never before felt the least motion of wonder in himself. Until he saw the man at the fair, it did not enter his head that there was anything out of the ordinary about the fact that he existed. Even then it did not enter his head, but a peculiar unease settled in him. It was as if a blind boy had been turned so gently in a different direction that he did not know his destination had been changed.”(Parker’s Back 313). This has awakened Parker in a way that is very mysterious to him. Parker’s life has now seen such a subtle change of direction that he is not able to sense yet, but this delicate change will cause a significant transformation in his life later down the road. It is not till he meets Sarah Ruth that we see the work of the divine yet again in the sense that Parker has no idea why he is drawn to this “giant, hawk-eyed angel” who has, “icepick eyes ere the only comfort he could bring to mind” (Parker’s Back 312, 323). Parker is constantly reminding the reader that he has no