A journey is considered to be a period of travel from one place to another. The embarkment of a literary journey can consume most of the work, starting from the beginning and usually ending when the work becomes resolute. Flannery OConnor uses journeys in many of her works; these journeys correlate with the symbols used to portray what the character(s) faces through his or her expedition. In The Violent Bear It Away, Flannery OConnor writes of how Francis Marion Tarwater experiences a spiritual, religious journey that begins and ends with many symbols that affect his life and the lives around him.
An account of a journey is not just the roads traveled, but the people met who influenced the journey mans life. Francis Marion Tarwater encounters many different obstacles and people that affect his spiritual journey. Tarwaters circumstances start out rough when he sets fire, a spiritual cleanser, to the shack that he and Mason Tarwater, Old Tarwater, lived in. Tarwater then caught a ride with a salesman who was a manufacturers representative (OConnor p. 153) by the name of Meeks who takes him into an unknown town. The act of kindness offered by Meeks sets up the beginning of Tarwaters journey, propelling him into the knowledge of city life, which burns like fire when Tarwater says, Thats the same fire we came from! (p. 153), when in actuality, Meeks and Tarwater are traveling into a city foreign to Tarwater. Meeks begins to try to sway Tarwater in a different direction that Old Tarwater had previously taught Tarwater. Meeks actions portrays himself as the devil to Tarwater when Meeks shouts, Ignore the Lord Jesus as long as you can! Spit out the bread of life and sicken on honey (p. 159). Meeks again tries to influence Tarwaters uncles teaching when he argues with Tarwater on page 170 about what will happen on the Day of Judgment. Meeks words affect Tarwater in the middle of his journey because Tarwater does not know whether to believe he is a prophet and to fulfill Old Tarwaters legacy or to follow his biological uncles teachings who does not believe in the Lord God.
As all literary journeys have a twist, Tarwaters journey has no exception. Following the truck ride with Meeks, Tarwater chooses to return to his biological uncles house. Rayber must look after his mentally handicapped son, Bishop, in that Rayber knows that Old Tarwaters plan to baptize Bishop will now be undertaken by Tarwater who now lives with Rayber and Bishop alike. The spiritual journey of Tarwater continues when Tarwater sneaks out of the house, which alarms Rayber who then follows, and goes down a street of dilapidated stores (p. 197) where he stops at a bakery, to look into an empty window where there is nothing, except for a loaf of bread (p. 198). The loaf of bread that Tarwater views represents a spiritual symbol of life, leading Tarwater and the following Rayber to a spiritual gathering. As Rayber arrives behind Tarwater, Rayber reads a sign saying, UNLESS YE BE BORN AGAIN (p. 198). Becoming born again in a spiritual sense means being baptized, leading Rayber to conclude that Tarwaters motives for coming to this gathering means that he will try to fulfill the prophecy set forth to him by Old Tarwater. The insight Rayber has gained about Tarwater gives Rayber more reason to influence his nephew in a negatively spiritual way.
Raybers actions affect Tarwater directly throughout the middle section of the novel and create more chaos in Tarwaters head. This confusion does not help Tarwaters baptismal prophecy circumstances throughout the rest of his journey. In his efforts, Rayber tries to teach Tarwater about history and science, a different subject other than God, by taking Tarwater and his son Bishop to a history museum where Tarwater nearly baptizes Bishop. The saturated fountain that Bishop is in right before Rayber snatches Bishop out contains water, the conventional source of baptizing someone (chapter 6). When Rayber saw no way of curing him except perhaps through some shock (p. 211), he chooses to take Tarwater and Bishop to Cherokee Lodge and then back to Powerhead where Rayber will some how shock Tarwater into facing his past and letting Rayber get through to him. Rayber is Tarwaters challenge and now the only thing stopping him from becoming a prophet and fulfilling Old Tarwaters prophecy. Through the travel in the country side, Tarwater faces more circumstances that affect his final spiritual journey.
The final sections of a journey are remembered most vividly by the reader. The final part of Tarwaters journey starts with the drowning of Bishop, a violent act that fulfills his prior devilish actions. Before Bishop dies, Tarwater completes Old Tarwaters legacy when he baptized the child even as he drowned him (p. 243). Because Tarwater drowns Bishop, he becomes one step closer to becoming a prophet, but his journey has not yet come to an end. Tarwater becomes completely cleansed in a sense of diminishing all previous sins. After leaving Rayber, Tarwater hitchhikes back to Powerhead where he is picked up by a truck driver who kicks Tarwater out because he baptizes rather than only killing the idiot kid. Tarwater gets picked up again and rides with a man in a lavender car. Both strange men symbolize another devil that negatively influences Tarwaters own thoughts and actions. This mysterious man gives Tarwater alcohol and then marijuana which causes Tarwater to pass out waking up in a field naked with his clothes beside him. Because Tarwater wakes up naked, he has become spiritually cleansed causing him to set fire, a symbol of cleansing and renewal, to the field he wakes up in. The spiritual cleansing leads Tarwater to return to the city and start a new journey of preaching the Word to the children of God (p. 267). Tarwaters journey becomes resolute, leading him to full knowledge that he will become a prophet under Old Tarwaters teachings.
The outcome of Tarwaters journey proves that man can resist the evils of the world even when not trying. Tarwaters internal conflict of his friend speaking to him as the devil tries to convince him to do worse things than he should (chapters 1 and 8). Along with the internal conflict, Tarwater struggles with Raybers teachings and influences trying to affect Tarwaters foretelling. The conflicts faced throughout Tarwaters journey made the embarkment challenging as well as having an influence on Tarwater and Raybers life. Tarwater sums up mankind because he has overcome great obstacles to under go a spiritual awakening and great self-realization.
The symbols OConnor uses throughout Tarwaters journey helps in the construction of his journey. The reoccurring symbols of fire and water by baptism, strangers as the devil, and bread are all intertwined throughout Tarwaters spiritual journey. These symbols, all religious in nature, take on multiple forms to enhance the importance of Tarwaters journey. Just as many people go through life dealing with struggles and then helped along by God, Tarwater is helped by God to fulfill his legacy of a prophet and will eventually help people realize Gods Will. As all people goes through life, a journey ends and another begins. The new journey is affected by all previous experiences, advancing that person with greater knowledge on previous areas of life.
Works Cited
OConnor, Flannery. Three: The Violent Bear It Away. New York: Signet Classic, 1955
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