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Essay / Creation of images of the “ugly” Mrs. Turpin and the “blind” narrator
Mrs. Turpin in Flannery O'Conner's Apocalypse and the narrator of Raymond Craver's Cathedral have prejudiced worldviews. However, Mrs. Turpin is religious and openly expresses her contented thoughts, while the narrator rejects others because he believes in nothing. Both characters must be saved by revelations, but their distinct natures shape how each character experiences that revelation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayMrs. Turpin judges people according to stereotypes of class, race, and disposition in order to increase his self-righteousness. As soon as she enters the waiting room, she immediately categorizes others based on their appearance: the "well-dressed lady" (150) is the "pleasant lady", the "slender-faced woman" (150) is the “white woman”. trashy mother”, and the girl with the “acne blue” face (150) is the “ugly girl”. In fact, Ms. Turpin is so obsessed with these stereotypical classifications that “sometimes Ms. Turpin was busy at night naming classes of people. At the bottom of the pile were most of the colored people...then next to them...was the white trash; then above them were the owners, and above them the owners of houses and lands, to which she and Claude belonged” (151). Ms. Turpin uses these stereotypes to justify her condescending ways toward others. She examines how the "trashy white mother" wears slippers that are "exactly what one would expect her to wear" (151), thus confirming Mrs. Turpin's prediction that she is "trash." As Mrs. Turpin engages in conversation with the “pleasant lady,” she gives the “white-trash mother” “the least of her attention” (152) because she does not deserve her attention. Ms. Turpin thrives on self-satisfaction because she judges herself better than all the “niggers,” “white trash,” and “ugly people.” Additionally, although Ms. Turpin claims to be a devout believer in Christ, her belief system is superficial. Mrs. Turpin still attends church and “never spared herself when she found someone in need, whether white or black, trashy or honest” (155). Yet the fact that she is so proud to give to less fortunate people suggests that she only does so to increase her satisfaction at being superior to those people. Throughout the story, she constantly praises Jesus for giving her a little bit of everything: "When I think of all the things I could have been besides myself...I just want to scream: “Thank you, Jesus, for making everything as it is. !'” (156) Although Mrs. Turpin expresses gratitude to God, she also condemns everyone else she could have been if she had not been herself. She claims to have it all, but lacks sincerity in her beliefs. With her self-satisfaction and superficiality, Mrs. Turpin wrongly considers herself superior to Mary Grace, the "ugly girl": "Mrs. Turpin thought how pitiful it was to have a face like that at that age... Mrs. Turpin she -even was fat but she had always had beautiful skin” (150). She clearly disapproves of the girl's crude manners, as the girl "looked directly at Mrs. Turpin and smiled" (151). Yet Mrs. Turpin fails to see that the girl's crude manners are a mirror of her own prejudices and judgments toward people she does not know: "It was the ugliest face Mrs. Turpin had ever seen." .. She looked at her. as if she had known and hated her all her life... Well, my daughter, I don't even know you, said Mrs. Turpin silently. »(154). Mrs Turpinignores that her ugly thoughts do not make her more beautiful than the “ugly girl”. Much like Mrs. Turpin, the narrator relies heavily on rigid stereotypes to judge people. Although he had never personally known a blind person, the fact that Robert was “blind” bothered him. His idea of blindness comes from cinema. In the movies, blind people moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by guide dogs” (732). The narrator clearly expresses his discomfort at having Robert in his home simply because of the stereotypes of blind people he knows. However, unlike Mrs. Turpin who believes in divine power, the narrator does not believe in anything beyond his concrete, physical perspective. The narrator devalues the bonds and attachments that his wife may have with Robert through recorded conversations on insignificant subjects of daily life. Instead, he is upset by even the slightest physical act when Robert touches his wife's face, even though to his wife the physical action itself doesn't matter at all, compared to the feeling involved in memories. The narrator laments the way the blind man “touched every part of his face, his nose, even his neck with his fingers!” ” (732), ignoring the poem his wife writes about “how she felt at the time about what had happened.” in his mind when the blind man touched his nose and lips” (732). Because he does not care to engage in other experiences outside of his own perspective, the narrator fails to connect to his wife and Robert. Therefore, the narrator retreats into his own world, smoking drugs and watching television while rejecting others. Rather than expressing self-satisfied thoughts like Mrs. Turpin, the narrator implies his self-centered and limited nature by ignoring the viewpoints of others: "But she was in love with the guy, and he was in love with her, etc. » (732). The informal narrative technique and use of “etc.” suggest that he doesn't care about his wife's relationship with her ex-husband. Similarly, when the narrator's wife tells him about Beulah "in more detail than he cared to know" (734), he disdainfully comments on Robert's love for Beulah as "pathetic." Thus, the narrator reveals that "a blind man in [his] house is not something [he] looked forward to" (732) because he does not expect that a blind man would interest him . In doing so, the narrator prevents himself from the possibility of exploring different perspectives that others might have. Rather than getting to know Robert as he is, the narrator is forced to see Robert through the prism of his stereotypes. The narrator secretly ridicules Robert because he has a full beard: “A beard on a blind man! Too much, I say.”(734). Furthermore, the narrator is surprised to learn that Robert does not use a cane and does not wear dark glasses: “I always thought that dark glasses were essential for the blind” (735). Because Robert seems to fit the narrator's stereotype of blind people, the narrator dismisses these qualities as "scary" rather than appreciating Robert's autonomy. Both characters experience revelations that challenge their view of the world. Additionally, they are able to do this by helping those they initially despise. Nonetheless, each character's unique nature shapes how they receive help with their epiphanies. Mrs. Turpin is forced to confront her “ugly” thoughts through the ugly action of the ugly girl, while the narrator is gradually able to “see” through the guidance of the blind man. It is thanks to the crude action of the ugly girl that Mrs. Turpin isable to become aware of his faults. Because Ms. Turpin persistently expresses her self-satisfied attitude, the "ugly girl" finally reaches her limits and throws the book symbolically titled "Human Development" right into Ms. Turpin's eyes. With such direct and forceful action, Ms. Turpin finally shows the potential to achieve the epiphany she dreams of. Despite her upset, Mrs. Turpin accepts the possibility that the girl “knew her in an intense and personal way, beyond time, place, and conditions” (157) and is sending a message from God. However, a message addressed to such a self-satisfied and pretentious character like Mrs. Turpin cannot be sweet and beautiful. Holding her breath, “waiting, like a revelation” (157), Mrs. Turpin is told: “Go back to hell where you came from, old warthog” (157). This is particularly shocking to Ms. Turpin given that she has always considered herself (far from being compared to a pig) to be superior to anyone else. The trigger is sudden and unpleasant, but due to Mrs. Turpin's openly self-satisfied nature, an overt incident is also necessary for her to recognize her faults. Turpin's religious beliefs, although superficial, ultimately save her. Although Mrs. Turpin did not want to believe that she was being called an “old warthog,” Mrs. Turpin’s “denial had no force” (158). She cannot neglect this message given by God and is very troubled by it. So, she finally confronts God: “Why are you sending me such a message?... How am I a pig and me two? How am I saved and from hell too? »(161). It is when Mrs. Turpin admits her image as a pig and challenges God to tell her why, that Mrs. Turpin experiences a divine vision: “A vast horde of souls roared toward the sky. There were whole companies of white trash, clean for the first time in their lives, and bands of black negroes in white robes, and battalions of monsters and madmen... And at the end of the procession was a tribe of people. ...like her and Claude...even their virtues were burned. (162)Mrs. Turpin is struck by a terrifying divine vision that challenges her self-righteousness. The images of “bands of black negroes” and “battalions of monsters and madmen” convey the torment that Ms. Turpin experiences in her vision. She is paralyzed between her old prejudices and this horrible celebration. She tries to express her view that everyone is equally blessed, but she lacks the vocabulary to express it, as she ends up labeling groups as "white trash," "niggers," or "crazy." Nevertheless, Mrs. Turpin is forced to surrender to this terrifying yet beautiful vision and feels safe at the same time. There is the most beautiful life that awaits him up there, but this beautiful life also awaits everyone, black or white, honest or trashy, all the same. Unlike Mrs. Turpin who is hit with force and must fight back with force in order to When he reaches his epiphany, the narrator smoothly integrates into his epiphany. Robert constantly surprises the narrator with his autonomy and open-mindedness. Therefore, the narrator eventually stops ridiculing these characteristics inconsistent with his stereotypes and begins to appreciate them. As the narrator “watches in awe as [Robert] uses his knife and fork on the meat” (736), he slowly and gradually dissolves his initial stereotypes. Additionally, the narrator is impressed by how Robert is not only able to smoke drugs for the first time "as if he had been doing it since he was nine" (738), but he is also open to try new things. Through Robert's persistent attempts to show the narrator how "there is a.