A Study Of O’Connor’s Wise Blood From The Perspective Of Existentialism

Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964), is considered as another prominent American Southern writer after William Faulkner. Her first novel Wise Blood has always been controversial since its first publication because of its grotesque plot, absurd deaths and gothic terror. As time goes by, more and more researches on her works have appeared and readers come to understand Wise Blood better.The author of this thesis intends to carry out a close reading of Wise Blood from the perspective of existentialism. The novel describes an absurd society, alienated people and their free choices in the Southern America. Firstly, everything in this world is absurd:indifferent nature, violent society, absurd existence and even absurd deaths. Secondly, people are alienated. Most people indulge themselves in the pursuit of fame, money, material interests, power and social status and they lost themselves in this world. Superficially, they are bright and splendid; inwardly, they are lonely figures in an alienated state, alienated from self, from others and from society. They have descended from man to animal, from sane to insane. Enoch’s putting on the ape-suit in the end is the typical representative of the alienation in this absurd world. Thirdly, only through free choices is each individual possible to realize his or her authentic existence. The protagonist Hazel finds his sins through self-discovery and gets redeemed through self-blinding. Finally he regains his faith and spiritual peace and freedom. Mrs. Flood, Hazel’s landlord, gradually turns from a faithless, greedy, secular and mercenary woman into a caring, humane, affectionate and true person under the influence of Hazel Motes. In a word, by describing the absurd society and alienated people, O’Connor attempts to find the real meaning of life and pursue the authentic existence.O’Connor’s works describe the south of America and are full of violence, murder, gloominess and horror. They are the products of her own life experiences and at the same time the products of the social and cultural reality. After the Second World War, America prospered, but many social problems arose, such as moral degeneration, loss of faith, and hedonism. Moreover, she herself was suffering from serious disease during her whole lifetime. Therefore, she tried her best to find a way to solve all the above predicaments and pursue a meaningful and authentic existence in her works.To conclude, O’Connor tells us in the Wise Blood that in an absurd and alienated world, people can still pursue a meaningful and authentic existence through self-discovery, free choices with responsibility and regaining their faith, such as Buddhism, Christianity, and dream, etc.