Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor - Book Summary, Analysis, Review

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! Flannery O'Connor's first novel, "Wise Blood", was a 97-page gut punch. We were so impressed with its themes of redemption, religion, and nihilism. I'm sure we all want to know what does the ending of Wise Blood mean? Let's talk about that and more today as we analyze and discuss this masterpiece of literature!
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Books or Stories Mentioned in this Video:
Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor: amzn.to/3pYF3Y5
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Livestream with Lezlie ‪@TheNerdyNarrative‬ : • Wise Blood by Flannery...
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
0:00 Introductions
0:40 Spoiler Free
7:44 Spoiler Discussion
34:39 Wrap Up and Ratings
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====Copyright Info====
Song: Infinite
Artist: Valence
Licensed to KZbin by: AEI (on behalf of NCS); Featherstone Music (publishing), and 1 Music Rights Societies
Free Download/Stream: • Valence - Infinite | F...

[@TheNerdyNarrative]

Man, y’all just made me want to read this one again!! I miss reading about New Jesus

[@TheCodeXCantina]

Not going to lie: me too!

[@JalenZachhM]

Ahhh!! Thank you thank you!!

[@TheCodeXCantina]

Thank you, sir

[@attention5638]

"This book makes the deep end look shallow." Great line! And I actually had no idea she was a cartoonist. Though, that doesn't surprise me at all. The Nihilismobile! Goes from 0 to nothing in no time at all. 😅

[@TheCodeXCantina]

Are nihilists allowed to laugh or do they always feel there’s no point? 😂

[@attention5638]

@@TheCodeXCantina Good point. If there is no meaning, could a true nihilist get the meaning behind any joke? What does it even mean to say there is no meaning in anything? Would answering that not controdict itself? ... where are my nihilist friends at! I have questions! Haha

[@ChadTheAlcoholic]

It’s a very interesting look at holy patterns. And possibly even a critique of American Protestant theology, and the problem with modernity and self centeredness.

[@booknikYT]

Well dang, I guess I better reread this asap...

[@TheCodeXCantina]

:D

[@Starscreamlive]

I love the heck out of this novel, but I still can't give it 5 stars because of the ending. Hazel Motes' story is perfect, but I still feel that Flannery missed something with Enoch at the end. With that said it's probably the BEST four star (4.5) novel I've ever read.

[@TheCodeXCantina]

I can see that! I very rarely have negative feelings for loose ends on the whole.

[@guillermoflores3199]

I felt that Enoch wanted so much to be an animal. He works at the zoo and mocks them because they are unburdened by the pursuit of meaning. He lashes out at them due to jealously. He just goes around latching onto others to try and make connections or find purpose. He tries to convince himself that he had some inherent animal instinct (i.e. wise blood) though he just does random stuff and uses confirmation bias to justify it. When he shakes the "gorilla's" hand he was ready to mock it too but then felt a connection and then feels betrayed when her learns it's a costume. This charlatan is a big star and meeting a bunch of people every night, something he wishes he could do. So he steals the costume (and I interpreted it as him also killing the actor probably in a way comparable to how Haze kills his doppelganger), strips, and puts on his new skin. Thinking he can finally have both true connection and live on instinct he tries to shake the hands of the strangers who flee in terror. In the end he's left just as broken when he achieves the animal form.

[@jamesstout6280]

Flannery pulls no punches

[@TheCodeXCantina]

Indeed

[@shmizzleshmazzle9830]

I don't care for Flannery's short stories, but loved this book. My "wise blood" tells me that she may have been a bitter and mean spirited woman that loved pouring derision on everyone. Do yourself a favor and don't read The Violent Bear It Away.

[@TheCodeXCantina]

Lol, I can agree that she probably loved stirring up a room! What's the reason to avoid The Violent...?

[@shmizzleshmazzle9830]

@@TheCodeXCantina I can't even remember one thing about the book. It wasn't funny like Wise Blood either.

[@ALittleLifeWithDriedTubers]

I doubt that. By my reckoning, Flannery O'Connor was an imperfect person who struggled with the cultural cache she inherited. Her literature is her attempt at overcoming these predispositions. She is overwhelmingly concerned with 'Grace,' and she was keenly aware that her faith in Christ was something that had been reduced to meaninglessness in the wider world. Because, after all, if the same people who enslaved Africans 'believed in Christ,' then what function, exactly, did that belief serve? I believe that O'Connor wanted to make us see the hypocrisy, a hypocrisy which, by the way, she did not consider herself free from.

[@martinezgerard]

Funny, yes. Hysterical… I don’t know about that claim. It’s not exactly knee slapping humor. It’s a very grim humor that is dependent upon rather dark contexts to be fulfilled. I can’t quite label it “hysterical.”

[@TheCodeXCantina]

Couldn’t get there? Oh well.

[@mohammedhanif6780]

i dont know what i just read.

[@thangtrantrung5876]

I had a hard time finishing this novel, because there’s so much strange symbolism 😢

[@TheCodeXCantina]

Yes. O’Connor is very unique on how she delivers!

[@buster9106]

I'm a third of the way through Wise Blood and I'm ready to throw in the towel. I feel like I don't really care what happens to the characters.

[@TheCodeXCantina]

Understandable. Hope your next book works better

[@buster9106]

@@TheCodeXCantina I think I'll try reading the short stories instead.