First published in 1955, “The Violent Bear It Away” is now a landmark in American literature. 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.
Read an article about the author, Flannery O’Connor, in the Virginia Quarterly Review.
Read more about Flannery O’Connor, her writings, and her life.
