Christianity vs. Entrapment in OConnor Wise Blood Essay -- OConnor W

Christianity vs. Entrapment in OConnors smart Blood In The Cage of Matter The World as menagerie in Flannery OConnors Wise Blood, William Rodney Allen addresses the reverse evolution of Enoch Emery and the inverted quest for salvation of Hazel Motes, suggesting a parallel between the two main characters of OConnors myth which reinforces its theme of the utter hopelessness of those who reject or mock Christ. Allen shows that OConnor describes the spiritually devoid characters in her book in animal-like terms, equating faithless valet de chambre with soulless animals. The essay further asserts that OConnor uses the zoo as a allegory for a physical world that entraps those without spirituality. Indeed, the novel shows a world of madness, patently empty of values and without meaning, which becomes a prison for those who can find no enlightenment. However, OConnor herself once stated that Wise Blood is a very undimmed book. This statement, along with the fact of her devout Catholi cism, illuminates OConnors theme of Christianity as a demand for enlightenment and deli...