Tattoos as a way to Cope

"Parker's Back" by Flannery O' Connor (begins on 383)

AP English- 2

September 17

530 words


Tattoos as a way to Cope


Much of Flannery O' Connor's work pertains to one's quest to finding grace. After reading "Revelation" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find," there seemed to be a pattern in her work in which often prejudiced and judgmental characters reach a revelation and turning point after struggling internally. Mrs. Turpin's defining moment in the pigpen as well as Grandmother's pleading for her life before Misfit demonstrate times in which G-d, grace, and religion come into play. I wanted to explore another one of O' Connor's short stories to see how she delves into the lives of more disturbed and unhappy characters who find their revelations through interesting and seemingly odd ways.

"Parker's Back" was by far my favorite of O' Connor's short stories. Her depiction of Parker in the first few pages was brilliant: the way Parker lies to his wife by saying he worked with an attractive blonde in his office, his previous understanding of why he married his wife/current confusion to why he is still with her, and his reference to her as "ugly women" all demonstrate his discontent and frustration with his marriage. Instead of merely stating that Parker was in an unhappy marriage, O' Connor jumps right into examples of why Parker is suffering with his wife. On this note, O' Connor begins "Parker's Back" by immediately narrowing in on a scene on Parker's front porch-- O' Connor's other stories have these quick starts also ie doctors office-- to demonstrate how Parker was immersed in his thoughts about why he was still married to Sarah Ruth.

After introducing the tension and internal struggle surrounding keeping his marriage to Sarah-- remember that she is pregnant-- O' Connor introduces the beginnings of Parker's coping mechanisms. His mechanism is tattoos. Tattoos of what ever he is spontaneously feeling at the moment, tattoos when he needs to act on impulse because he is upset, and tattoos when he needs a way to escape his confused lifestyle, such as when he randomly joined the Navy and married Sarah Ruth. His tattoos were his way to escape from the realities of life in order to enter the mysteriousness and comfort of his "unnamed universe." I call it an "unnamed universe" because its where Parker finds his connection with G-d. His tangible connection is evident through his religious tattoos (389); however, his tattoos allow him to transcend and connect with G-d. This "universe" can be seen as Parker's place to reflect and find his religious connection. While he may not be religious in a traditional way, his tattoos are his outlets to seemingly find his needed answers about his marriage and lifestyle.

However, even though Parker receives tattoos to connect with G-d, his quest to relieve his pains is not fully achieved at the end of the story. After his wife yells and beats him for idolatry, Parker is seen "leaning against the tree, crying like a baby." (394) So maybe the tattoos did not allow him to transcend into an unnamed universe and maybe his pains were not fully relieved; but in the end, it was his coping mechanism that got him through the day. His spiritual connection through his tattoo of Christ on his back truly symbolizes how he attempted to connect with G-d.