Literary Analysis Essay

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American Literature II - Literary Analysis Essay

Katherine Anne Porter 's "Flowering Judas" depicts a paralyzed female in a modern wasteland. Laura, a young American expatriate teaching in Mexico, envisions herself a revolutionist, a supporter of an ideal cause although her experiences invalidate her belief. As her contribution to the cause, she runs errands for Braggiono, a fat, corrupt revolutionary leader who seeks to seduce her. On one such errand, Laura delivers drugs to Eugenio in jail, and he commits suicide with an overdose. Subsequently, Laura's dream, in which he calls her a murderer, forces her to acknowledge her betrayal of Eugenio. Even more significant, however, she understands that she has betrayed herself. She has said "no"-not only to Braggiono but to all love as well. Caring for no one, not even her students or the prisoners to whom she ministers, she has rejected all feeling, all emotion; in essence, she has rejected life.

Paralyzed and lonely, Laura desperately needs faith, but she finds herself faithless. Neither the Catholic faith of her childhood nor the revolutionary cause of her present provide any real meaning.

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Themes

Faith and Betrayal

In this novel faith and betrayal are dominant themes. They go hand in hand the novel is based on a series of differences and similarities amongst faith in a particular religion , faith in a particular ideal, and fidelity based on both lust and romance , every one of the before mentioned faiths are betrayed . For instance, Laura is a Roman Catholic and thus has been brought up accordingly. However the revolution does not believe in any kind of religion, especially Catholic Church (Lavers p77). She is incapable of separating herself from both religious beliefs as well...