Capstone Paper Draft

Capstone Paper Draft
History 109 Paper

Intro- Thesis on the reconstruction of Japan after world war two. How Japan turned their momentum from being a strong military power to becoming one of the strongest economies after being bombed by an atomic bomb.

Section One- Explains the ending of world war two, including sources of accounts of the beginning of the reconstruction. This fist section will deal with end of WW2 and the beginning of reconstruction.

Second Section- Covers the time after the beginning of the reconstruction to modern day. Will cover the 1970s economy crash in Japan.

Third Section- Final section to explain the factors that went into this economic miracle and why it was so miraculous.

Summary

My Capstone Paper's Remarkable Rough Outline

Alright, so... Everyone has a lot more done than I do... I'll have to get working on that.

Because the essay I'm using for this assignment wasn't originally a research essay, it's going to be formatted with two distinct sections: the analysis portion, focusing on the chapter I'm supposed to be writing about; and the research portion, which will take an idea from that chapter and expound on it with research from various sources.

Here's the basic outline:

Intro:
- Thesis: Lindvall and Quicke's chapter discusses how Christians can make an impact in the film industry, yet glosses over the reality that more and more religious themes are cropping up in secular films. Do these religious themes in popular secular films such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, and The Matrix have any real value for the Christian community, or are they shallow and empty?

First Section (roughly 500 words):
- I'll be discussing what the book Understanding Evangelical Media says about Christianity and Christian film makers in film, touching on a the main points of the chapter and discussing whether or not I agree with what is being said - mainly that

Second Section (roughly 1000 words):
- This section will focus on secular films like the Harry Potter series, the Star Wars trilogies, and the Matrix trilogy. I will analyze the religious themes and images found within each and critique them, while relating everything back to the film chapter from Understanding Evangelical Media.

Conclusion
- In the conclusion, I will summarize my findings and my analysis.

Just an Really Rough Outline

1. Profile
a. Demographics
Southeast Asia
b. Significant cultural orientations (hofstede, hall, etc.)
i. Collective
ii. Long-term oriented
iii. Masculine vs. feminine
iv. PDI
v. Abstract vs. … thinking
2. The problem
a. Background
i. 20 years in refugee camps
ii. Mistreatment and persecution
iii. Unhealthy living conditions
iv. Immigrating – many to Canada
b. Struggle adapting to life in Canada
i. English language studies
ii. Time orientation – fast pace
iii. technology
c. Demonstrate change (effects of war, poverty, cultural borrowing)
i. Practical solution

a very rough draft

Whether it is an intense action sequence in the latest block buster or the six o’clock news, we often are exposed to some sort of violence almost every day. And yet, many still can not stomach the violence which the southern Catholic author, Flannery O’Conner, portrays. In this paper, I will look at why the violence in two of O’Connor’s stories is horrifying and then compare her view of grace and violence to the Biblical idea.

All of Flannery O’Connor short stories and novels contain a good amount of violence, but for the purpose of this paper I will only deal with two. The first will be her novel The Violent Bear it Away and the second will be her short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. The former follows the story of Mason Tarwater. This boy had grown up with his great uncle who taught Tarwater that he would become a prophet. After his great uncle’s death Tarwater is called to baptize his mentally retarded cousin. However, Tarwater refuses to fulfill his calling to the point where he drowns his cousin in a lake instead of baptizing him. As Tarwater runs from the lake, he is given a ride by a stranger. This man gives Tarwater marijuana and whiskey causing Tarwater to lose consciousness. The man then rapes Tarwater leaving him in the forest. This event marks the start of a change in Tarwater. After re-visiting his uncle’s grave Tarwater finally accepts his calling (Baumgaertner 190). The end of the novel shows how Tarwater’s failure to run from God causes Tarwater to live the life of a prophet (Giannone 11)

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” is the story of a family and their grandmother traveling to Florida. The story focuses on the grandmother. The grandmother makes it clear to her son that she would rather go to Tennessee then to Florida claiming that she is merely thinking of their safety as there is a serial killer called the misfit on the lose. She brings the cat along ignoring the fact that her son had insisted the cat stay home. She makes sure she is well dressed for the road trip for if they got in accident she would want everyone to know that she was a lady. Finally, when a side street reminds her of a plantation she knew she was younger she insists on turning and seeing it there. However, she soon remembers that the street was the wrong one after all. The realization causes her to upset the cat. This causes a train of event which end up with the family stranded on the road with their car wrecked. It is then that the serial killer the Misfit comes on the scene. One by one he has the entire family killed leaving the grandmother behind. As the Misfit is about to kill the grandmother, she cries out that the Misfit is her child. Ignoring her pleas to be spared, the Misfit kills the grandmother

The first horrifying aspect of the violence in these two stories is the victims. In the first story we see a boy being raped by a homosexual while in the second we see a proper elderly lady being killed by a serial killer. It is not just that these horrible things happened to these vulnerable people, but that O’Connor actually has these characters find grace in these events.

Just before the Misfit kills the grandmother, the grandmother says that the misfit is her child. In this act the grandmother is receiving grace through the misfit because she admits that they are apart of the same family and are responsible for each other (Keil). Similarly, Tarwater finds grace in his rape as this starts him turning towards his call. However, this does not sit well with many. These bad things should not happen to these types of people. If the misfit or homosexual rapist underwent a violent encounter that would be fine.

O’Connor using these people in this way, however, is just following Jesus. Jesus would eat dinner with tax collectors and prostitutes, He had ready forgiveness for the murders and thieves, but the middle class Pharisees he pronounces judgment on (Wilson) and he chases the money lenders from the temple. Those who have the outward appearance of goodness often under go the most horrifying violence in order to receive God’s grace.

Another disturbing element about the violence in these two stories is the fact that O’Connor uses evil men to bring the grace. We expect nice ministers or even shining angels to bring grace to those in need. Instead O’Connor uses a murderer and a rapist. Although God does use the ministers and the angel, we must never underestimate his use of the darkness. He does this continually throughout the Bible. Whether it be a terrible flood in Noah’s case, a command to execute his own son in Abraham’s case, or a deep pit in Joseph’s case, God has been bringing grace through the dark things in this world (Wilson).

Not that this grace by violence is an easy thing to endure. The grandmother was killed and Tarwater went through a great amount of anguish. “Grace cuts. It hurts; it slices; it makes us bleed” (Wilson) Not that the entire Christian faith is about this horrible violence, but it is that aspect that O’Connor chose to explore in her writing. There are many blessings of the cross, but O’Connor explores the suffering of what it means to follow Christ and take up our own cross (Shloss 100).

The violence and grace in O’Connor’s stories is especially horrifying since it is the vulnerable who are violated and killed, and it is those who victimize the vulnerable that bring about God’s grace.

capstone: draft

The social penetration theory and the social information processing theory can enlighten and clarify the communication that takes place or has taken place between William and I as our friendship has developed over the internet. I have always been skeptical of making online friends and even with the numbers of internet friendships increasing in the age of information, I never felt left out. Nevertheless, I am part of this growing trend among young people. I met William, on a non-Christian forum. A high school friend literally forced me to join the website and so I was relatively new to it. While browsing the forums on the site, I was looking for Christians and people with similar music tastes. Then I saw a post by a website member talking about the Christian band, Showbread, one of my favourite bands at the time and I decided to message him. I never knew that a strong friendship was going to form with one click of the “send” button on a lame website.

By using the social penetration theory, I can explain the formation of my friendship with William, 19, from Arkansas. At first, our friendship started with the exchange of our favourite songs by the band Showbread. The onion model of the social penetration theory can give details about the development of our friendship. We started out by sharing little, superficial things about ourselves. We shared similar music and movie tastes. The breadth of our relationship was wide even at the beginning; we always had much to talk about. Eventually, our level of communication went deeper. We started to talk more about religion, hopes, dreams, values and ourselves. Sometimes we even talked about our love for God. The more we talked, the more we shared about ourselves. “Disclosures are often risky” (Trenholm & Jenson, 2000), and a lot of the time there are great risks involved in self-disclosing information. “Once you disclose something to someone, that person can now share the information with others…” (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2002); therefore, it takes a lot of courage to trust someone at that level. When I was a victim of bullying in high school, I would come home and talk to William. I looked forward to it as well. It was easy to trust him because he did not live near me and he did not know my friends. The risks were minimal in sharing with him and it was easy for me to open up and talk to him about my social issues at school. I trusted him and saw him as a safe person.

Generally, “when people share information about themselves, they expect the other person to share similar information her- or himself” (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2002) and this rule was maintained throughout our friendship. I was not going to put any time into an online friendship if this other person was not going to reciprocate and find information about me. A “line of communication…is one of the best ways to preserve the relationship” (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2002) and as long as we had things to talk about (breadth), that line would remain open. Both of these factors nurtured our friendship and gave it time to grow. Now, we have no problem talking to each other about life and we often pray for each other, talk about God, and offer encouragement. There was a lot of risk involved in getting to that place of friendship. I was willing to share information about myself with someone I had never seen before. However, what made it safe for me was that “…another aspect about Internet relationships is that a person can simply disappear…” (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2002). That certainty ensured my way out of the online “friendship” if I needed it. Being doubtful, I assumed that this online friendsip would not last. However, because of the depth and breadth that our friendship was able to form, I consider William to be one of my best friends to this day.

The social information processing theory analysis of the development of my online friendship with William can explain the foundation of our friendship quite clearly. My face-to-face friendships have always developed at a slow pace, with many hesitations. However, my friendship with William formed through computer-mediated communication, or CMC. We only instant messaged each other after school and I would look forward to talking to him. The anticipated future interaction explains that the “likelihood of future interaction motivates CMC users to develop a relationship” (Griffin, 2009 p 143). Due to a time delay in responses, “…there is less information to process” (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2002). Typing allowed me to premeditate on how I was going to respond and how much information I was going to disclose. This gave a sense of stability and routine to our friendship and it helped our relationship form at a steady pace, rather than too fast or too slow. Personally, I do not think that we would have the same friendship that we have today if we had met face-to-face in the first place.

When sharing information I definitely used selective self-presentation (Griffin, 2009 p. 144-45 ) to create a positive aura of myself At first I would only tell William my likes and dislikes in music. I held back information and presented that which was favourable and gave me a likeable impression. Selective self-presentation gives people a chance to “…write about their most attractive traits, accomplishments, thoughts, and actions without fear of contradiction from their physical appearance, their inconsistent actions, or the objection of third parties who know their dark side” (Griffin, 2009 p 144). In a sense, I realized this and I knew that I could not be judged based on my looks, my vices or bad habits, or even my negative feelings. I created a likeable, friendly, and interesting persona; I was an individual making a friend with her best foot forward. This was helpful in maintaining and developing my friendship because “self-disclosing inappropriate information or self-disclosing at the wrong time can inhibit relationship development” (Gudykunst, Ting-Toomey, Sudweeks, & Stewart, 1995). Of course, as time went on, we shared the negative aspects and happenings in our lives as well in attempt to help each other out in whatever situation with which we were struggling.

An idea called hyperpersonal perspective (Griffin, 2009 p. 144 ) also played a role in the construction of my ever-advancing friendship. For the longest time, I did not know what William looked like and he did not know what I looked like. Moreover, neither of us asked the other about it. The hyperpersonal perspective rests on the fact that the visual representation of each person is absent and, therefore, the perspective relies heavily on self-disclosed information. The interpersonal interaction between online friends can be amplified if only the participants “…resist the temptation or pressure to exchange photographs with each other” (Griffin, 2009 p. 145). It was not until a few months into our friendship when we exchanged pictures. By then, our friendship was very strong. I have not met my friend face-to-face yet; however, there is pressure to keep up with my persona even though he knows more of my real, imperfect self. This pressure also transfers into my face-to-face relationships and acts as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Often, people do not understand my friendship with William. However, since research has shown that “…online relationships vary considerably, much like other relationships” (Wallace, 1999), I consider my friendship to be lasting and genuine. Because “…CMC allows you to meet two interpersonal goals: to make contact with strangers and thus initiate and develop new relationships; and to maintain existing ones” (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2002). Sometimes; however, I thought our friendship was too perfect far too soon. Early on, I was over attributing similarities between us. These similarities (or over assumption of similarities), however, only created a sense of connectedness and belonging for both of us. Thus, my friendship is built on the fact that we have both shared information (similarities and differences alike) with each other in a nonthreatening and stress free environment.

According to the social information processing theory, my friendship with William grew from pieces of information that he had chosen to share with me. By doing so, he helped me form an opinion of him. As a rule unique to CMC, “the kind of information you provide and acquire through CMC has a direct impact on impression formation and relational attraction” (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2002). The sip versus gulp analogy is true in my friendship with William. I was able to take little pieces from his life and dwell on each piece, rather than having to process body language, eye contact, facial expressions, tone of voice, etc. which face-to-face friendships encounter. My friendship has “the same quantity and quality of interpersonal knowledge, but it accumulate[d] at a slower rate” (Griffin, 2009 p. 140). It has taken many years for our friendship to build up to what it is now. In comparison with other face-to-face relationships, this friendship, in particular, took me much longer to establish us as more than mere acquaintances, but rather as friends.

The resourceful and descriptive theories of social penetration and social information processing, help explain the communication that has occurred during the development and establishment of my friendship with my friend William. The social penetration theory described the interpersonal communication that was taking place through computer-mediated communication. We were able to share deeper ideas and events in our life as well as our own struggles as young Christians in a large world. The social information processing theory, along with computer-mediated communication, accounts for the reasons behind the ease of becoming instant messaging friends. The issue of time and the lack of physical presence, contributed to the building up of our friendship rather than hindering it. I was cynical then and I am still cynical about making friends with strangers online. I never go on the website anymore, I do not regret logging on that one day and making a lifelong friendship with an irreplaceable individual.


Works Cited
Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2002). Interpersonal Communication:
Relating to Others. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Griffin, E. (2009). A First Look at Communication Theory. New York: McGraw-Hill
Higher Education.
Gudykunst, W. B., Ting-Toomey, S., Sudweeks, S., & Stewart, L. P. (1995). Building
Bridges: Interpersonal Skills for a Changing World. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Trenholm, S., & Jenson, A. (2000). Interpersonal Communication. California:
Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Wallace, P. (1999). The Psychology of the Internet. New York: Cambridge University
Press.

Predictor of Life Happiness

Mary and Theresa are both distinguished reporters who work in the same work environment and have similar responsibilities. While Mary loves writing articles and feeling fulfilled with her work, Theresa suffers from the stress of deadlines and longing for retirement. Because they receive happiness at work differently, Mary and Theresa have very different views of their life satisfaction. From a psychological perspective, despite the fact that people receive happiness at work differently, happy workers share common determinates such as following interests and having a positive attitude toward challenges. Though work environment might affect happiness temporarily, people’s internal choices create ultimate happiness in both smooth and rough times.

Most people might agree that, in general, certain personalities tend to experience happiness more than others. But rather than depending on innate characteristics and abilities, happiness should be an enduring feeling that can be maintained regardless of our situation. By interviewing different happy people around the world, Forster and Hick in their book How We Choose To Be Happy suggest that we could gain happiness through people’s internal choices (9). Rather than letting external factors decide whether a person will be happy or not, happiness can be something that people can take control of.

People who try to gain happiness by changing their environment, such as the workplace, later find happiness to be transient. Due to changeable conditions in the workplace, it could only create happiness on a temporary basis. Without the intention to be happy, happiness will easily wither once these positive conditions change. Therefore, the workplace is only a single factor in happiness and is always dependent on internal choices.

While organizations try hard to improve their work conditions in order to appeal to employees, there is no single job that could provide happiness to everyone. Each person has his or her own standard of fulfillment and happiness (Scott). Since everyone has a different personality and different expectations for their career, each individual must find his or her own way to receive happiness at work. One might feel happiness at work because it provides a high income; others might feel satisfied at work for the status. Some people may find responsibility as stress while others see responsibility as a form of self-achievement (Cranny, Smith and Stone 150). Depending on the priorities people have for work, satisfaction might be found in different ways for different individuals. With dissimilar expectations, Mary and Theresa feel extremely different under the same conditions. Although individual differences make people receive happiness differently, happy workers share several characteristics.

The secret that makes people like Mary feel fulfilled at work is following their passion. Each person has his or her own interests that excite and motivate them. Despite people’s different approaches to work, working at a passion makes the job itself enjoyable and therefore results in happiness. In Henderson’s research, the majority of the interviewees who receive happiness at work have followed their interests and enjoy what they are doing (Henderson 305). Despite each interviewer’s different preferences and focuses, following their interests has enabled them to fully engage in their work. By enjoying their jobs, workers are more likely to have a positive attitude when facing unexpected changes. Consider Lena, a teacher who was diagnosed with a rare bone disease. With the passion she had for her work, Lena did not complain about her physical illness and decided to continue teaching. “The pain is a reality that I have to deal with during every waking hour. It can be horrible. But I know that it would be worse if I give up what I love and spend all my time nursing myself” (Foster and Hicks 102). A passionate worker like Lena does not give up happiness during rough times, but instead finds happiness in the job she loves.

People are yearning for stable and secure environments and yet always fail to find it in reality (Forster and Hicks 98). Life is full of challenges and changes, and having a career is no exception. Even passionate workers face difficulties. But unlike people who work for money or other external reasons, passionate workers acknowledge the problems and have a positive attitude when challenges come. After researching and interviewing several happy workers, Henderson asserts, “What is most illustrative is the participants’ refusal to remain unhappy” (8). Their reaction towards challenges makes the difference. Happy workers understand well that no matter how well they plan, unexpected changes occur in every career.

Because unpredictable changes always happen, external factors would not be able to maintain happiness. Several studies from different scholars have shown that people with positive attitudes are more likely to cope well with changes (Judge, Erez and Bono 167). The common attributes among happy workers are that they accept the unstable reality and do what they can to make their situation better. One Chinese proverb says, “If the mountain would not move, build a road around it; if the road would not turn, change your path.” In times when we cannot change reality, we can still change our minds. Happiness comes from inside and lasts in both smooth and rough times. Sally is a woman who faced a layoff crisis in her mid-fifties. Instead of letting fear take over her life, she decided to view this crisis as an opportunity of new exploration. By having a positive attitude, Sally enjoyed in her exploration and it improved her performance during this tough time. Sally eventually survived the layoff and got a better position in her organization (Foster and Hicks 116).

When trying to define the best workplace, we often tend to focus on external circumstances. “Fat salary, less responsibility, and no commute” is an old Chinese saying that describes most people’s ideal workplace. But does high salary really bring job satisfaction? Many people do not feel happy at work due to false expectations of what money can bring. Living in a consumer-oriented world, the media proclaim that the more people buy, the happier they will be. Misled by media’s false impressions, people start to work overtime or work in a job they do not enjoy in order to have a higher income and to maintain an idealized lifestyle. Antonides shows a different point of view concerning this common thought about how financial situations will affect people’s happiness. He argues that “happiness in a wider sense was not significantly affected by the level of income.” Even when one’s income declines, happiness is not likely to follow the decline (Antonides 467-484). It is clear that increasing one’s income cannot buy happiness.

Not only will it not bring happiness, but trying to increase income creates a busy lifestyle, drawing people further from happiness. Created by the want of financial securities, a busy lifestyle becomes a happiness killer. Barbara and Paul lived the Hollywood life where money was never an issue, and yet they were not happy. In order to maintain their lifestyle, Paul was always working and under tremendous pressure. By deciding to give up such luxurious lives and follow their dreams, Barbara and Paul finally received happiness. Barbara said, “I’ll never be sucked back into that world again. I’m going to do the things that make me happy; and I’m going to turn down offers that won’t make me happy” (Foster and Hicks 95). Having the right notion of pursuing happiness is crucial. More and more people like Barbara have abandoned the idea of pursuing money only and draw more attention to their internal needs. A report from The Boston Globe points out, “In the past five years, 48 percent of Americans have voluntarily opted to make less money so they could have more time and a less stressful life” (Gerencher). The earlier we realize happiness come from inside of us, the earlier we can break away from the false hope of money.

While we discuss the significance of how inward attitudes affect our perception of happiness at work, some environmental conditions may make people perceive happiness more easily. According to a Canadian Business report, the best workplace gives employees a sense of trust. With trusting relationships between managers and workers, employees in return would spontaneously give full commitment to their job (Wahl). In other words, people feel fulfilled by receiving trust from others, and the happiness they receive motivates them to perform well. Working under certain conditions may create positive affects on workers’ happiness and performance. In his research, Cranny suggests that rewards, high job involvement, and clear, challenging goals create both job satisfaction and high performance (214). In other words, some conditions help people receive happiness more easily than others. On the other hand, no studies indicate that positive conditions maintain happiness in the long run.

Despite the clear connection between environmental conditions and job satisfaction, it is, however, not decisive. Because environmental conditions are highly capricious, once the conditions change, the positive connection between environmental conditions and job satisfaction break. Bruno and Alois in their book Happiness and Economics argue that insecurity occurs during economic crisis and creates unhappiness among workers (37). People whose happiness depend on their income may suffer greatly during times of economic downturn. Bewley suggests that pay cuts create dissatisfaction at work and negatively affect people’s well-being (Bewley 35). It is clear that relying on environmental conditions for happiness at work can be dangerous. Rather than intending to be happy, people become passive and let environmental factors determine their happiness. As we are looking for enduring determinants which enable us to feel happy, environmental conditions alone are not enough.

Because people spend most of their time working, satisfaction at work greatly affects overall happiness. Receiving happiness at work would also mean receiving happiness in most of our daily lives. Because our careers have occupy a large part of our lifetime, job satisfaction is therefore a good predictor for life satisfaction (Bryner). In recent years, scholars from different fields have gradually agreed that the relationship between the two is too complex to explain (Rode 40). One thing we can be sure of is that the most crucial element for happiness comes from internal factors rather than work conditions.

Mary faces challenges and difficulties in her career life just like everyone else. One thing that allows her to remain happy is her choice to be positive and to find joy in the job she loves. Regardless of the wide rage of working conditions and numerous changes happening throughout career life, people’s internal choice could make happiness present in both wonderful and tragic moments in life.

Paper.....

The Voice of the Tempter

The presence of a voice is all you need to identify a speaker. This assumption is the case in the well-known novel authored by Flannery O’Connor: The Violent Bear It Away. In the novel “the stranger” is one of the main characters who is sent to tempt and disorient a young boy named Tartwater. Moreover, the stranger’s character is juxtaposed to Satan’s character as he is portrayed in The Bible, and specifically in Matthew chapter 4 where he tempts Jesus in the desert. Both these characters, in these stories, possess detrimental qualities that seek to “kill, steal, and destroy” all who cross their paths (John 10:10). A question that comes to mind, in light of these sources is, what similar tactics do the stranger and the Devil employ as they interact with their adversaries namely, Tartwater and Jesus?

The stranger and the Devil seek to conceal their identities and therefore remain non-existent to their adversaries. This deceptive trait of non-existence is explicitly seen in The Violent Bear It Away as the stranger ridicules Tartwater’s belief in Jesus. He says, "Jesus. Jesus this and Jesus that. Ain’t you in all your fourteen years of supporting his foolishness fed up and sick to the roof of your mouth with Jesus? My Lord and Saviour…I am if you ain’t … there ain’t no such thing as a devil. I can tell you from my own self-experience. I know that for a fact "(Flannery O’Connor, 39).

In this scenario the stranger is deliberately trying to confuse Tartwater. His goal is to convince him that Jesus is a waste of time and that the Devil does not exist. David Eggenschwiler, author of The Christian Humanism Of Flannery O’Connor comments that it is the strangers hope, as he preys upon Tartwater’s inner conflict, that he would choose the “self sufficiency of estrangement” rather than Jesus (David Eggenschwiler, 125).

Furthermore, in relation to the stranger’s character we see similar traits in Satan’s character as he tests Jesus in the wilderness. During their engagement with each other, Satan plots to conceal himself as a threat by pertaining to Jesus’ specific need for food. Namely, by requesting Jesus to turn stone into bread (Mt. 4:3). In addition, Davis K. Joseph notes that Satan “occurs variously as the tempter, the accuser, and the infernal evil one…he can assume diverse, multiple roles, as the absolute master of disguise”…(Studies in Literary Imagination, 126). Joseph also states that being a “master of disguise” is similarly seen as the Devil’s greatest trick, to blind the minds of man by “convincing them that he does not exist” (Studies in Literary Imagination, 126-127). Moreover, striving to be non-existent is a similar tactic that both the stranger and the Devil employ to deceive their enemies.

Secondly, the stranger and the Devil both wield together discouragement and doubt to pierce the hearts of their adversaries. For instance, at the time of Old Mason’s death, Tartwater’s uncle and caregiver, the stranger coincidentally appears to Tartwater with a number of discouraging words. Concerning Tartwater’s relationship with Old Mason the stranger says, “you weren’t anything to him but something that would be big enough to bury him when the time came”…(O’Connor, 44). Susan Srigley author of Flannery O’Connor’s Sacramental Art comments that the stranger cruelly aims to target Tartwater’s “isolation” by creating a despairing reality that God has utterly forsaken him so he therefore stands as one “independent” of God (Srigley, 118). The stranger continues to emphasise Tartwater’s isolation in whispering, “you’re left by yourself in this place. Forever by yourself in this empty place… you don’t mean a thing to a soul as far as I can see” (Flannery O’Connor, 36).

Proceeding the stranger’s tool of discouragement, he then moves to his next arrow of attack: doubt. Tartwater strives to muffle the voice of the stranger because, he knows if he lets the words sink they will go straight to the pit of his soul. It is with this goal in mind that the stranger hisses, “[the] Lord ain’t studying about you, don’t know you exist, and wouldn’t do a thing about it if He did” (166). Knocking at the gateway of Tartwater’s soul he continues to hiss, “what did you expect to hear? The Lord speaks to prophets personally and He’s never spoke to you, never lifted a finger, never dropped a gesture… where is the voice of the Lord? I haven’t heard it. Who’s called you this morning? Or any morning?”(161 + 42)

In addition to the stranger’s malicious ridicule, he also seeks to destroy Tartwater’s hope: That God would call him to be a prophet. This hope, to be called a prophet, rests on Tartwater’s knowledge and teaching of The Bible that he received from Old Mason. However, the stranger explains that in order for Tartwater to be a prophet sent by God; he must experience supernatural signs from God, just like Elijah, Moses and Jonah (161-162). Similarly, the Devil also uses what Jesus knows to be truth, The Bible, to sow seeds of doubt and deception. As the stranger alludes to biblical prophets and proceeds to point out that this is not Tartwater’s experience, so the Devil uses scripture to twist a lie. He challenges Jesus to throw himself down because in scripture “it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone” (Mt.4: 6). Therefore, the same tactics are hurled at both Tartwater and Jesus from their opponents- the twisting of scripture to produce a deceptive lie. The conniving antagonists of both stories aim to throw what their victims hold to be true against them.

Thirdly, the stranger and the Devil both appeal to the flesh in order to tempt their adversaries. The stranger weaves and presents a different web of temptations to Tartwater with each encounter. One of the first temptations the stranger appeals to is a suggestive interest in whores (Flannery O’Connor, 40). Moments later he attacks again in the area of self-control only with a different arrow: Alcohol. The stranger jumps at the opportunity and in a “soft tone” says to Tartwater, “well, a little won’t interfere. Moderation never hurt no one”, and once Tartwater has had a couple of sips the stranger continues in saying … “you might as well drink all that liquor since you’ve already drunk so much. Once you pass the moderation mark, your passed it”…(O’Connor, 44+46). Moreover, the stranger’s lure to the flesh succeeds in this instance and Tartwater drinks until he is unconscious.

In addition to the temptations of sexual immorality and drunkenness the stranger turns to another evil: the murder of an innocent child named “Bishop”. During the birth of this temptation Tartwater is struggling with his destiny appointed by Old Mason: to baptise Bishop and so fulfill his duty as a prophet. Therefore this is Tartwater’s most intimate struggle with the Lord because, it involves either accepting Jesus Christ and his prophetic mission, or denying Jesus Christ and his prophetic mission. The stranger, knowing Tartwater’s inner conflict seeks to further his turmoil and distance from Christ by tempting Him with the murder of the “dim-witted” child to prove that he doesn’t have to be a prophet (215). In strategy the stranger speaks, “[but] remember: water is made for more than one thing. Hasn’t the time come? Don’t you have to do something at last, one thing to prove you ain’t going to do another?” (167). He continues to harass Tartwater with immeasurable pressure, “[make] haste…[be] a man…[its] only one dimwit you have to drown….[there] is no time to dawdle…[once]its done, its done forever”(O’Connor, 214+215). Moreover, just as the temptations thrown at Tartwater are plural in number so are the temptations presented to Jesus. Three times the Devil approaches Jesus with the motivation to ensnare him in a sin: To defame his honour, glory and power.

In conclusion, it is remarkably noted that the stranger’s interactions with Tartwater accurately personify and portray the interactions of the Devil with Jesus. The tools and tactics commonly used by these characters are deception, discouragement, doubt and temptation. The ultimate goal is power over another soul and sin to keep the captive chained. As the novel draws to a close, O’Connor moulds an ending that is most catastrophic and intrusive in the truest sense, but also implies hope for a fresh future as well. In the article “Time and the Demonic” O’Connor makes reference to this hope as she says… “the demonic which may seem to triumph in the here and now, will in the end be overcome” (Studies in Literary Imagination, 143).

In addition, writer Marilyn McEntrye comments on The Violent Bear It Away and concludes that “behind the most horrific moments of violence, pain, and defeat in [O’Connor’s] stories is the good news of mercy and grace” (Marilyn McEntrye, 37). Hope is portrayed from these authors, however; the corruptible nature of the stranger can not be denied. The Devil’s character is also corrupt as he mirrors the representation of the stranger. The deceptions that they strive to mask themselves into serve to reveal their true character. These tactics the stranger and the Devil employ give manifestation and light to who they are: a spiritual embodiment of lies.

Word Count: 1550