Ironizing Nihilism in Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away

Abstract

This research on the two novels,Wise Blood(1952) and The Violent Bear It Away(1960) examines how O'Connor ironically exposes the twentieth-century nihilistic attitude in the face of growing materialism. The heroes of the two novels reject the principles of Christianity in the earlier parts of the novel, but they finally end up embracing faith in God. The heroes in the novels who rebel against the dogmatic notions of religion in the earlier part of novels finally realize and surrender to the religion.O'Connor ironizes the twentieth–century nihilism and posits belief in God.