Iris Chicas
Flannery O’Connor Essay
19 April 2013
Gray is more Black than White
An analysis of evil and the anti-Christ figure of Mr. Paradise in “The River”
In Flannery O’Connor’s story “The River”, the color gray is associated with the idea of evil. This evil is represented in the character of Mr. Paradise, who appears as the anti-Christ figure at the end when the protagonist reaches his epiphany and ironically drowns himself in the “River of Life”. O’ Connor associates much of her descriptions of Mr. Paradise with the color gray.
For example, in the book, she introduces Mr. Paradise as a huge old man who sat like a humped stone on the bumper of a long ancient gray automobile. He wore a gray hat that was turned down over one ear and up over the other to expose a purple bulge on his left temple” (38). This description highlights how both Mr. Paradise’s automobile and hat are gray in color, with the latter covering his cancerous ear. The element of gray also appears later in the story to describe various aspects such as the Connin children’s eyes, pigs, glass, and even some scenery.
O’Connor’s first use of the color gray in the story is when she describes the morning. In the early part of the story, O’Connor writes that [o]utside, the gray morning was blocked off on either side by unlit empty buildings” (27). This is the same morning when Mrs. Connin comes to take Bevel with her to a healing at the river. It’s on this day that Bevel learns about his origins from Mrs. Connin. O’Connor writes, “[y]ou found out more when you left where you lived. He had already learned this morning that he was made by a carpenter named Jesus Christ.”
Before, Bevel had thought the doctor who gave him shots and called him Herbert was named Sladewall, but he now realizes it must have been a joke. There was a lot of joking where he lived (33). Bevel’s parents did not teach him much, nor were they religious people. As a result, Bevel is ignorant of any religious ideas. On this gray morning, Bevel feels empty inside – just like the emptiness he experiences in almost every aspect of his life due to his lack of belief. This conflict within Bevel appears to be the central conflict of the story. It is clear that Mrs.
Connin Bevel had little knowledge of anything meaningful due to his parents. The only time Bevel hears about Christ or God in his home is with expressions such as, “Well then, for Christ’s sake, fix him” (25) or “My God! What a name” (42). Thus, he is used to associating Christ with “‘Oh’ or ‘damn’ or ‘God’” (33) in statements that do not reference or praise God. Neglect is a recurring theme throughout the story as Bevel’s parents neglect his religious education and usually send him off with sitters.
O’Connor mentions, Once he had been beaten up in the park by some strange boys when his sitter forgot him, but he hadn’t known anything was going to happen that time until it was over” (31). This illustrates Bevel’s innocence. Yet, despite his young age, he has already witnessed a lot of careless and irresponsible behavior and encountered many bad and evil deeds from others. In fact, it seems that more evil is present in Bevel’s life than good – just as more evil is depicted in O’Connor’s story. However, at the end of the story, both the ideas of good and evil come into conflict.
There are other instances of the color gray that O’Connor integrates into the story. Another example of her use of gray is to show the juxtaposition of good and evil through her description of the clouds. The clouds relate to evil but pertain to good. O’Connor metaphorically describes the clouds as gray and the sun as white. She writes, “[t]he white Sunday sun followed at a distance, climbing fast through the sum of gray clouds as if it meant to overtake them” (33). The sun being described is an image of God, which is good. Therefore, the white sun overtakes the sky while the evil gray clouds disintegrate.
The sun, which is often described as white,” can also be associated with the purity and innocence of Bevel’s childhood. The use of O’Connor’s third-person narrative fits the story very well, as it allows the reader to know what is happening within and around the characters. Her detailed descriptions of both their appearances and actions are best served by this narration style. Gray appears in the description of the Connin children’s eyes, with O’Connor stating that “[t]heir speckles were pale and their eyes were still and gray as glass” (31).
Ironically, glass is not gray. Glass is clear, and although it’s nothing more than a barrier that one can see through, it has no distinct color. The expressions of the Connin children are empty; the only thing noticeable is the gray tint of evil in their eyes. This echoes the grayness and emptiness of that morning. As O’Connor writes, The Connin children watched from where they were. The one sitting on the pen held the loose board back with his dangling foot. Their stern faces didn’t brighten any but they seemed to become less taut, as if some great need had been partly satisfied” (32).
Although the children tried to offer their kindness” to Bevel, it was not a kind gesture at all. The children seemed to take pleasure in seeing Bevel hurt, which was dark and evil. The pig that attacked Bevel on the farm was described as gray and wet, with a sour face that pushed into him and knocked him down. This pig was also associated with Mr. Paradise, as O’Connor notes that it favors him who owns the gas station.
Paradise, in connection to gray, shows that the pig itself is evil, as is the character of Mr. Paradise. On this gray day, Bevel is exposed to evil through his experiences with the Connin children as well as the pig. O’Connor incorporates a Bible story about pigs into her own story. The book that Bevel steals from Mrs. Connin was full of pictures, one of the carpenter driving a crowd of pigs out of a man. They were real pigs – gray and sour-looking – and Mrs. Connin said Jesus had driven them all out of this one man” (34). This Bible story describes Jesus “curing” these possessed people from the demons inside them.
Jesus takes the demons out of their physical bodies and puts them into the bodies of pigs. He then leads the herd down to the river to drown them. Bevel, who had never seen a real pig before today, used to think that they looked like small fat pink animals with curly tails and round grinning faces and bow ties” (32). This illustrates Bevel’s childlike naivety, as the pigs he envisions resemble something fictional from a child’s storybook. The element of gray describing both the pigs at the farm and those in the Bible story ties back to Mr.
Paradise is portrayed as a pig” at the end of the story by O’Connor. Bevel’s epiphany is triggered when he sees the river and gets baptized in it. The first time Bevel lays eyes on the river, O’Connor describes it as follows: “At the bottom of the hill, the woods opened suddenly onto a pasture dotted here and there with black and white cows and sloping down, tier after tier, to a broad orange stream where the reflection of the sun was set like a diamond” (35). The river itself appears orange due to red and orange hues produced by…
The river is ironically named the River of Life,” yet it appears as a stream of blood with the reflection of the “diamond sun.” The red hue takes on an orange tint. This scenery embodies both good and evil, as seen in the pasture dotted with black and white cows. Bevel finds himself at God’s “River of Life,” but he is still surrounded by evil. When Bevel returns to the river, Mr. Paradise is the last person to see him before he attempts to save him from drowning. Here, O’Connor metaphorically compares Mr.
Paradise is like the demon pigs in the Bible story. When Bevel walks into the water, the waiting current catches him like a long gentle hand and pulls him swiftly forward and down. For an instant he is overcome with surprise; then, since he is moving quickly and knows he is getting somewhere, all his fury and fear leave him” (49). The river ultimately saves Bevel not only from himself but also from the evil in the world represented by Mr. Paradise. The gray or evil that exists throughout the story ultimately loses to God’s goodness and saving grace.
God is present in all things and is the embodiment of light. In Mr. Paradise, the concept of anti-Christ is represented by the color gray, which always lurks to encourage bad deeds or discourage belief in good. This can be seen through the images of the farm pig and Connin children. However, God’s goodness and light prevail over this evil presence, as demonstrated by the sun and river throughout the story. The death of Bevel in the river at the end symbolizes rebirth and acceptance into Christ’s Kingdom by God.
