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Wise Blood Flannery O Connor Analysis

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Flannery O’Connor’s Interpretations of Life Mirrors are capable of showing an individual’s outer appearance, but nothing beyond that. Not even a mirror the size of a door can reveal a person’s intentions, perspectives, or values. Only actions, words, experiences, and ideas could possibly represent and contribute to one’s personal beliefs. Every individual has a different opinion regarding what is considered right or wrong. For example, one individual may believe that stealing medicine in order to help save a sick person’s life is morally right, while the other may strongly disagree and believe that the shoplifter should be incarcerated. Famous Southern gothic writer, Flannery O’Connor, is confident that religion determines whether a person …show more content…

This philosopher is Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche. Nietzsche is German philosopher who embraced nihilism, which is the absence of any meaning or purpose to the world and human existence. This means that he believed in “nothing,” he was not affiliated with any religion or even the survival of the fittest and evolution theory. Some of Nietzsche’s major beliefs include atheism and philosophy that reflect moral relativism and a rejection of either good or evil. It turns out that Nietzsche was seeking a replacement for God and his father. However, this actually made him feel lonely and dissatisfied. This resulted in Nietzsche being sent to an insane asylum and suffering from insanity, soon reaching his downfall. O’Connor found Nietzsche to be the perfect paradigm for her character, Hazel Motes. Hazel Motes, the main protagonist of Wise Blood, and Nietzsche share similar lifestyles and beliefs. Both men were isolated and had faith in “nothing.” Nonetheless, both Nietzsche and Motes were not able to live a joyful, normal life by believing in nihilism. O’Connor conveys the idea that individuals are not able to live a satisfying life if they do not have faith it anything; a faith in religion and God will make the individuals feel spiritually and mentally

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