Symbolism In Wise Blood By Flannery O Connor

Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood follows Hazel Motes’ attempt to abandon his religious beliefs and establish a “Church Without Christ”. Hazel Motes and many of the characters in Wise Blood seek material prosperity but utilize religion as a means to reach such a goal. This perversion of Christianity for materialistic objectives prevents the characters’ redemption from Christ. Specifically in the case of Motes, it is not until he has lost everything material that he finally accepts Jesus’ divine grace. The grotesque characters exist to display the distortion of moral purpose that materialism brings. The symbols in Wise Blood focus solely on materialistic desires, this symbolism effectively displays how much the characters rely on materialism in

Shoats is a businessman who “sees this [religion’s] panacean approach to spiritual problems as a money-making ‘gimmick’” (Littlefield 340). Shoats, in an attempt retain a crowd during Motes’ preaching, steps up and begins talking about how the Church Without Christ had saved him. He follows the common business tactics of selling himself, putting faith in his product, then selling the product. This product, of course, is the Church and Motes. After he had finished preaching, Shoats began inquiring for a partnership between he and Motes, seeing the potential profit of the Church. However, Motes’ denial of the partnership was solidified by him slamming the car door on Shoats’ thumb. Shoats, in an outrage says, “I'm going to run you out of business. I can get my own new jesus and I can get Prophets for peanuts" (O’Connor 159). This statement and Shoat’s actions show how materialism affects people's’ lives. One man is willing to exploit an idea he knows nothing about just because he sees the potential profit it can bring. Shoat’s attempt to commercialize religion is yet another display of a distorted moral and spiritual purpose. While many of the characters in Wise Blood display grotesque qualities, Shoats and Hawks are among the most prominent figures who distort their views in the name of materialism. This perversion of religion as a means to to achieve material prosperity is why all but

Upon arriving in Taulkinham, O’Connor does not acknowledge what the city looks like or what surrounds Motes. The initial description of the city is only when “he began to see signs and lights. PEANUTS, WESTERN UNION, AJAX, TAXI, HOTEL, CANDY. Most of them were electric and moved up and down or blinked frantically” (O’Connor 25). The first things that O’Connor focuses on are the various advertisements and signs that Motes notices. In another description, O’Connor vaguely references the surroundings of the City Forest Park. However, when it comes to describing the Frosty Bottle, she describes it in vivid detail. It was “a hotdog stand in the shape of an Orange Crush with frost painted blue around the top of it” (O’Connor 78) and then she describes the interior by writing, “there was a large advertisement for ice cream, showing a cow dressed up like a housewife” (O’Connor 84). In each of the settings, the surrounding areas were portrayed in vague detail for example, “they were in a dark room with a counter across the back of it” (O’Connor 84). However, when it comes to describing advertisement and other signs, O’Connor does not hold back on any details. This is done intentionally to show just how much modern society focuses on materialistic objects. The surroundings in Wise Blood are almost black and white in