Whose Deformity is the Most Serious
Flannery O' Connor's noted religious work Wise Blood is the tale of the perplexing and
trying theological journey of one of its principal characters, Hazel Motes, and the
constant
struggles of another chief personality, Enoch Emery, to gain acceptance into the local
social
structure. The theme of physical and mental disfigurements in its main characters is
utilized to
create an interesting plot. Despite the fact that Hazel's malformations are far more
serious than
Enoch's, both characters posses significant deformities in their outer appearance and
emotional
stability. Enoch's disfigurements are critical due to their unorthodox and child-like
nature, but
Hazel's are greater in number and more relative to his existence.
Enoch Emery's emotional severe mental disfigurements lead to his rather odd physical
deformities. Enoch is driven by two distinct elements: his instincts and his desire to
be accepted
into civilization. These two factors attribute most to his defects. His intuition
causes him to
believe that his blood is wise and can lead his life. By bestowing his trust in his
blood, he often
takes things too literally. For instance, Hazel Motes preaches that his religion
desperately needs
a new Jesus, and Enoch, perceiving this Jesus to be an actual being, follows his
instincts and
brings Hazel a three-foot shrunken man whom he honestly believes to be the savior.
Before
actually donating the messiah to Hazel, Enoch's blood directs him to clean his room in
order to
house Jesus. This particular misconception may cause many readers to regard Enoch as
rather
insane, but his actions but his most prominent deformity is his admiration for and
eventual
metamorphoses into a gorilla. Consequently, his attraction to the gorilla stems directly
from his
aspiration to be received in a welcoming manner by society. He sees an assemblage of
people
waiting in a long line to shake hands with a man dressed in the costume of a noted
primate from
films, Gonga. Not surprisingly, Enoch stands in the line to shake the apes hand. The
gorilla
shaking Enoch's hand is the first inviting gesture anyone or thing has demonstrated to
him since
he arrived in Taulkinham. After this encounter Enoch is in awe of the primates ability
to be
revered, and he desires to be a gorilla in order to gain acceptance. At the completion
of the story
Enoch accomplishes his goal when he steals a gorilla outfit from the man made up as
Gonga.
Enoch hurries to the nearest woods and strips down to his skin. Next, he buries the
clothes,
which he perceives to be at the root of his lack of friends, and recovers his body with
the ape
costume. Following this transformation the narrator describes Enoch with this statement,
" No
gorilla in existence, whether in the jungles of Africa or California, or in New York City
in the
finest apartment in the world, was happier at that moment than this one, whose god had
finally
rewarded it. " Perhaps the narrator is correct by saying that its gad had finally
rewarded it
because as deformed and distorted as Enoch appears in the end he finds happiness.
Hazel Mote's character contains numerous presentation flaws that stem from his
contradictory religious ideology. Hazel arrives in Taulkinham prepared to preach his
new
religion, The Church without Christ. The basis behind the church is that Jesus did not
readily die
for the sins of the world, and therefore, sin and deliverance do not exist. Although
Hazel
believes in a religion lacking preachers, he wears the garments of a pastor, a white
suit and a
large Panama hat. This deformity is the first displayed by Hazel. and also the most
noticeable.
In addition, the preacher's hat becomes distorted . During Hazel's sexual exploits with
the local
prostitute, Mrs. Leora Watts; she cuts obscene shapes into Hazel' beloved hat. At the
conclusion
of the story he undergoes a religious transformation and accepts the Christian faith to
which he
previously subscribed. In doing so, he carries out several drastic pain inflicting and
handicap
causing measures in order to save his once lost soul. Some of his drastic actions
include blinding
himself by soaking his eyes in lime, wrapping barbed wire around his chest, and walking
several
blocks daily in shoes filled with jagged rocks. As a result of his extreme response,
Hazel is left
with various handicaps: he cannot see, he has a conspicuous limp, and he chest is scared
from
the sharp barbed wire. Furthermore, Hazel develops an added flaw. He discards all
excess
money. He maintains that he has no need for excess money. This deformity is also
connected to
his strong intent to redeem his sins.
Hazel Motes also demonstrates several mental disfigurements. The most prevalent
distortion in Hazel's mental configuration is that he is a Christian in spite of himself.
He
constantly bashes Jesus and Christianity, but in actuality, he is condemning the religion
he loves.
This fact is best evidenced by his preaching of the Church Without Christ, and his later
intense
endeavors to redeem his sins as mentioned earlier. Also, he believes his Essex vehicle
to be a
beautiful piece of perfection when in fact, it is a cheaply built, troublesome, and
unsightly car.
He trusts his vehicle to be the means by which he conveys his religious message. This
misconception is made clear when his car is tipped over a ledge by a undignified police
officer.
Following this event, Hazel gives up all faith in his church and performs the soul-saving
tactics
mentioned previously.
The use of disfigurements in the chief roles of Flannery O' Connor's Wise Blood
contributes immensely to the plot as well as develop an interesting theme to add to the
aura of the
story. Hazel's and Enoch's deformities are not comparable in severity. Enoch's flaws
are mostly
due to his intuitive personality and his aspirations of becoming a fixed member of
civilization,
and as the story ends he is content with himself and life. On the other hand, Enoch's
physical and
mental distortions are considerably more vital to his survival. His flaws cause him
physical pain
compounded with mental anguish, and at the conclusion of this novel he is dead. Thus, it
can be
concluded that Hazel's disfigurement is the most serious.
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