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Temple Of The Holy Ghost By Flannery O Connor

920 Words4 Pages

In Flannery O’Connor's short story, “The Temple of the Holy Ghost,” the main character, a young girl referred to only as “the child,” comes to a realization about herself by the story's end. Throughout the story, the child is fascinated by the carnival freaks, particularly the two-headed boy and the hermaphrodite. She views them as extraordinary and even admires their unique physical characteristics. However, as the story progresses and the child is confronted with the reality of their existence, she begins to understand the beauty and value of her own body. This realization is related to the sacrament of the Eucharist, which represents the body and blood of Christ.
At the beginning of the story, the child is captivated by the carnival and …show more content…

The Eucharist represents the body and blood of Christ, which are considered holy and sacred. Through the Eucharist, Catholics are reminded of the sanctity of their own bodies, which are temples of the Holy Spirit. In the story, the child's realization about the value of her own body mirrors the Catholic belief in the sanctity of the body.In the story O’connor states "It was hard to believe that she had a soul to save, and easy to see that she had a body that could put on weight(O’connor)." This quote touches on the idea that the body is temporary and that the soul is what is truly important. This is a central idea of the Christian faith and is related to the idea of receiving the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist.The child's new respect for her body is a realization that her body is not something to be ashamed of or to envy, but rather something to be cherished and respected. O’connor states "She had always thought a body was a terrible burden anyway, subject to sickness and death and deformity(O’connor)." This quote shows the Christian idea that the body is imperfect and temporary, and that the soul is what truly matters. The Eucharist is seen as a way of transcending the limitations of the body and connecting with the …show more content…

Throughout the story, the child undergoes a transformation from a naive and curious girl to a more mature and self-aware individual. At the beginning of the story, the child is fascinated by the carnival performers and their unique physical characteristics. She is curious and eager to see more in the text it states "Her curiosity had always been too much for her (O’connor)." This quote suggests that the narrator has always had a strong sense of curiosity that has led her to explore new ideas and experiences. However, as the story progresses, she begins to see the reality of their existence and recognizes the pain and suffering that they endure. This realization leads to her own transformation, as she begins to see the beauty and value of her own body. In the text it states "She had never thought of herself as like one of these creatures but now she saw that she was, that they were all trapped, as she was, in the gray light of whatever they thought they knew(O’Connor)." in this quote she comes to realize that she is no different from them. Despite their physical deformities and abnormalities, they are all trapped by their limited knowledge and understanding of the world. The "gray light" represents a sense of confusion or uncertainty, and suggests that the characters in the story are all searching for meaning and purpose in a world that can seem dark and confusing at

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