Document Type
Paper
Publication Date
Spring 2025
Abstract
In the short story “Revelation” and play No Exit, Flannery O’Connor and Jean-Paul Sartre explore the necessity of self-awareness. By setting their works in confined spaces, O’Connor and Sartre push their characters to confront their deeper identities. For Mary Grace and Inez, a strong sense of self gives them the power to impose negative names upon more vulnerable individuals. For Ruby Turpin, Gracin, and Estelle, ignorance of self leaves them indefensible to harsh truths. Analyzing “Revelation” and No Exit through a philosophical and religious lens reveals that without an accurate sense of self, we risk becoming nothing more than the projection of who or what others say we are.
Recommended Citation
Edwards, Elisabeth, "I AM: Power from Identity in “Revelation” and No Exit" (2025). English Senior Capstone. 42.
https://pillars.taylor.edu/english-student/42
Notes
Course: ENG 493, English Senior Capstone (Dr. Lorne Mook)