Questions About The Violent Bear It Away

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I'm curious what others make of the chapter near the end in which Tarwater, after leaving the truck driver, gets in to the car with a stranger who turns out to be some sort of vampire-like pedophile. It seems that the implication is that this is his "friend" who's been driving him away from his great uncle's attempts at making him a prophet, but I'm still not exactly sure what to make of it. Ideas?

Kyle Peters According to most literary critics and O'Connor herself, the stranger is the Devil. …moreAccording to most literary critics and O'Connor herself, the stranger is the Devil. (less)

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I can't find a list of all the Old Testament prophets listed in this book. The Old Man talks about Elijah and Elisha quite a bit (Kings). Azahiah gets mentioned (Chronicles). Who knows more? I think reading about the lives of some Old Testament prophets would clear up a lot of confusion about the 'unpleasant' personalities in this book.

jodie The religious figures talked about in this book other than those that you have already mentioned are Jonah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Moses. Jonah is talke…moreThe religious figures talked about in this book other than those that you have already mentioned are Jonah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Moses. Jonah is talked about twice (I think?) towards the end, and Moses once. A Leviathan is also mentioned during the lake scene, however I don't know if that has any symbolism towards the novel as a whole. There is a lot of talk about the lion's den which connects to Daniel, as I think that's mentioned in the novel around 2-3 times?(less)

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It's been quite a while (say ten years) since I read both of O'Connor's novels in a single volume, but I plan to revisit them in the future. Lame question, maybe, but which of the two would you say is the better book? I remember both as being excellent, but 'Wise Blood' perhaps *slightly* better.

Willie Krischke Disagree - while I enjoy both (if that's the right word for what O'Connor does to my poor brain,) I think "The Violent Bear It Away" is a far better a…moreDisagree - while I enjoy both (if that's the right word for what O'Connor does to my poor brain,) I think "The Violent Bear It Away" is a far better and more artful execution of O'Connor's core ideas about faith and calling. As it makes sense it would be: Wise Blood was her Master's thesis, and Violent Bear It Away was her final published work. (less)

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