Summary
After leaving the army, Hazel Motes takes a train south, where he evangelizes for his own crude take on religion – the Church Without Christ – from the hood of a broken-down Essex. While he doesn’t find many converts, he does draw the unwanted attentions of a few locals. In spite of himself, he must find a way to juggle them.
Meanwhile, he develops an obsession with an old-time preacher who once staked his reputation on publicly blinding himself to prove his faith in Jesus. When Hazel discovers the preacher’s secret and when competition threatens to turn Hazel’s “church” into a money-making scheme, he decides to leave town to start anew. But the Essex only takes him so far and he is forced to turn back and look himself in the eye, a feat that proves unbearable.
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Critique
Although a bit rough around the edges, Flannery O’Connor’s first novel is a remarkable achievement of brevity and gravity, a masterful balance of comedy and action, and not without surprises. A prime example of Southern Gothic literature, Wise Blood should satisfy any reader who likes their characters creepy and their themes nestled in some seriously dark humor.
O’Connor is a matter-of-fact writer, but her excellently rendered dialects and well-conceived plots are sometimes shocking in their outrageousness and poignancy. This book is deeply committed to the question of religious faith and like all worthy titles, it leaves the reader wanting more. Luckily for you, there exists an acclaimed film adaptation of the novel.
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