1. A Temple of The Holy Ghost, by Flannery O’Connor, is a short story told in the point of view of a unnamed 12 year old girl. Her second cousins, Susan and Joanne, come visit from their Catholic convent, Mt. Scholastica, for the weekend. The girls are both fourteen years old, two years older than the child, and boy crazy. The child’s mother is at a loss of what to do with them so asked her child for help. The child suggested the two, Church of God farm boys, Wendell and Cory, to entertain the girls. The boys come over for dinner and sing to the girls and old hymn in response the girls then begin singing a song in Latin for them. Since the boys were not Catholic they did not recognize the Latin and conclude that it “must be a Jew singing.” After the four children eat dinner, they go to the fair and the child daydreams about becoming a saint or a martyr. The child then lays down for bed and says her prayers. Before falling asleep she thanks God she is not in The Church of God. The child is awoken by the return of Susan and Joanne, and she asks them about what they saw at the fair. They tell her that some things they can't explain to her because she is too young, but she eventually convinces them to tell her. They begin to tell he about the “freak” in the tent and how the tent was separated down the middle, men and women on different sides. The “freak” showed them its body by lifting up its skirt, saying, "God made me thisaway... and I ain't disputing His way." The child doesn't understand exactly what the freak showed the crowd, but she falls asleep imagining the freak repeating, "I am a temple of the Holy Ghost, Amen." The next morning the child and her mother take the girls back to the convent and stay for the chapel service. While the child enters in an ugly mood she soon realizes she was in the presence of God and repents, asking God to help her not to be so mean and sassy. After she let her mind get quiet she began to think about the tent at the fair that had the freak in it. “The freak was saying, ‘ I don’t dispute hit. This is the way He wanted me to be.” On their way back home, Alonzo informs them that some of the preachers from town had gone up to the fair and shut it down.
2. I chose this story because I feel like it is “deceptively simple”. I feel like O’ Connor has hidden a deeper meaning within the story and intended for the reader to understand.
3. A Temple Of The Holy Ghost by Flannery O’ Connor is a short story about a little girl full of pride, sass, and arrogance on her way to discovering the true meaning of being a Temple of The Holy Spirit. This story is about the acceptance of God’s will for us and our lives. It is about not questioning but, accepting the life that God has given us and trying to touch others with our story.
4. Flannery O’Connor was born with Lupus, which not only paralyzed her and was the cause of her death. Having Lupus made her somewhat of a “freak” herself. Flannery O’ Connor was also a Catholic woman which gives her first hand experience on the faith and on what the life of a “freak” would be like. First, we can tell that this story is going to have an emphasis on the body by just looking at the title, A Temple of The Holy Ghost. Then throughout the story the child points an emphasis of describing everyone’s appearance. Throughout the story we see many examples of the child’s pride and arrogance “The child decided, after observing them for a few hours, that they were practically morons and she was glad to think that they were only second cousins”, because her cousins were obsessed with looks and boys she found them to be lower than her.
Although the child is prideful she has a lot of profound thoughts within the story. The first was when the girls were explaining what Sister Perpetua had told them to say to boys if they tried anything. The child thought to herself that she was a Temple of the Holy Ghost and it pleased her because she thought that someone had given her a gift. The child recognized in that moment that her body was gift and was happy.
I noticed that when the child talks about the two Wilkinses boys she refers to them as numerous animals and I have come to the conclusion that she doesn’t like them or the Church of God very much. She says that they are just farm boys who want to be Church of God preachers because you don’t have to know anything to be one. But, she also describes them as monkeys sitting on the banister, giving a dog-like look towards the girls, and screams “You big dumb ox” at them. I am not quite sure why she has such negative feelings towards the Church of God. But the child even thanks God for not having her in The Church of God. Perhaps, O’Connor had negative feelings towards the Church of God. She brings in quite the contrast in her story with the Church of God and Catholic faiths.
The part that sticks out to me the most is the part with the “freak”. This part is prominent because it brings the whole meaning of the story together. The hermaphrodite has completely accepted the body and life God has given them. “God done this to me and I praise Him.” The child imagines him saying “Raise yourself up. A temple of the Holy Ghost. You! You are God’s temple, don’t you now? Don’t you know? God’s Spirit has a dwelling in you, don’t you know?” The person in the tent has put such an impact on the child and her way of thinking.
When they go to the chapel service at the convent the next day she has a revelation of faith, acceptance of love, and repentance. She realizes through her ugly thoughts that she was in the presence of God. While her thoughts go quiet she beings to think of the freak saying, “I don’t dispute hit. This is the way He wanted me to be.” God made him that way and still praised him. It is almost like a very weird and deep sermon.
At the very end of the story when she imagines the Host drenched in blood, O’Connor could have been trying to symbolize Jesus’ body, which is what the Host is a religious symbol of.
5. I think that the interpretation of this story is a very important thing. Flannery O’Connor, throughout this story, wanted the readers to open their hearts and minds and begin to except and love the freak. Perhaps, not only the freak of this story but to take this story out into the world and to love people who may be different from us. To extend God’s loving grace unto everyone.
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