Flannery O'Connor

Francis, an orphan who lives with his great-uncle in Powderhead, Tennessee, is called by God to be a prophet. This is against his will and causes much inner conflict.

The Violent Bear it Away

First published in 1955, The Violent Bear It Away is now a landmark in American literature. It is a dark and absorbing example of the Gothic sensibility and bracing satirical voice that are united in Flannery O'Conner's work. In it, the orphaned Francis Marion Tarwater and his cousins, the schoolteacher Rayber, defy the prophecy of their dead uncle--that Tarwater will become a prophet and will baptize Rayber's young son, Bishop. A series of struggles ensues: Tarwater fights an internal battle against his innate faith and the voices calling him to be a prophet while Rayber tries to draw Tarwater into a more "reasonable" modern world. Both wrestle with the legacy of their dead relatives and lay claim to Bishop's soul. O'Connor observes all this with an astonishing combination of irony and compassion, humor and pathos. The result is a novel whose range and depth reveal a brilliant and innovative writers acutely alert to where the sacred lives and to where it does not.

A Novel

The Violent Bear It Away

Shelby Doherty

2.5 Stars

Likes:
- I really felt the tension building right before and during the third section. I really wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen to Tarwater.

Dislikes:
- Not a book for me. I feel that a lot of it went over my head due to it being so closely tied to religiosity. Also, there was a lot of emotional distance throughout the book which is something I tend to not enjoy much in the books I read.
- This was a slough to get through until the end. I ended up picking up the audiobook version to help me get through this paperback.
- For me, I felt like this book had no real point in the grand scheme of things

The Violent Bear it Away

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