Parker's Back by Flannery O'Connor
"Parker's Back" is a short story by Flannery O'Connor that explores themes of identity, spirituality, and the complexities of human relationships. The protagonist, Parker, is depicted as a troubled man who marries Sarah Ruth Cates, a woman with a strong moralistic attitude, causing tension in their relationship. Throughout the story, Parker's fascination with tattoos serves as a form of self-expression, with his body adorned by various images that lack a coherent narrative. However, feeling increasingly dissatisfied with his life and marriage, he decides to get a religious tattoo of Christ on his back, hoping it will somehow bridge the gap between him and Sarah Ruth.
The narrative unfolds as Parker has a transformative experience after an accident involving his tractor, leading him to seek a tattoo of a stern, Byzantine Christ. Upon revealing the tattoo to Sarah Ruth, her reaction is one of anger and rejection, viewing it as idolatry rather than a meaningful symbol of faith. This confrontation highlights the disconnect between Parker's search for meaning and Sarah Ruth's rigid beliefs, culminating in an emotional climax that leaves Parker feeling isolated and wounded. The story raises questions about the nature of belief, the search for acceptance, and the often painful struggle for personal understanding amid conflicting perspectives.
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Parker's Back by Flannery O'Connor
First published: 1965
Type of plot: Realism
Time of work: 1964
Locale: Georgia
Principal Characters:
Obadiah Elihue Parker , the protagonist, a tattooed manSarah Ruth Cates , his wife
The Story
O. E. Parker, a profane and shiftless man, has married Sarah Ruth Cates, a plain-looking, self-righteous woman who was "forever sniffing up sin." Parker is unable to understand this marriage—why she stays with him, or he with her.
He had met Sarah Ruth one day when his truck broke down before her house. Sensing that the woman was watching him, Parker pretended to mash his hand in the machinery, swearing profusely. Without warning, Sarah Ruth appeared, striking him for talking filth. However, Parker noticed, beneath her severe countenance, that she had a curiosity in his tattoos, even though she denounced them as a "heap of vanities." Parker's fascination with tattoos began at age fourteen, when he saw a tattooed carnival man. Years later, he had got his first tattoo, then another, until now his front was almost entirely covered with serpents, eagles, hawks, and other animals. However, all these tattoos failed to make a coherent design, and his back had no tattoos at all.
Parker had not intended to marry any woman, especially not Sarah Ruth; he could not imagine why anyone would marry her. Nevertheless, he is married to her, and growing increasingly dissatisfied. Nothing will do, it seems, but to get another tattoo—something on his back, something religious, something forceful enough to "bring Sarah Ruth to heel."
A few days later, Parker is baling hay with a broken-down tractor. Distracted by thoughts of his tattoo, and by the fierce sun, Parker collides with an old tree that seems to reach out at him. Parker finds himself knocked out of his shoes, hurled high into the air, shouting, "GOD ABOVE." He watches, amazed, as the tractor and the tree burst into flames, consuming his shoes.
Knowing somehow that his life has been changed, Parker rushes immediately into town for that tattoo and demands a picture of God. Leafing backward through various pictures of Christ, Parker selects a stern, Byzantine Christ with fierce eyes. He insists that the tattoo artist begin immediately.
This tattoo of Christ requires two days to complete. Before returning home, Parker stops in a pool hall, where some of his friends beg to see his tattoo and taunt him for having "gone and got religion." Parker vigorously denies such accusations. Within himself, however, Parker knows that just as he has always followed his instincts in getting tattoos, he must now obey those all-demanding eyes tattooed on his back.
Driving home, Parker convinces himself that Sarah Ruth will be pleased with his tattoo, but he finds the door locked. Indeed, she refuses to open the door until he whispers his full name—Obadiah Elihue, a name he has always despised.
Parker removes his shirt and demands that she look at the tattoo, but Sarah Ruth does not recognize the picture. When Parker insists that the tattoo is God, Sarah Ruth becomes quite angry, beating his back with her broom, screaming, "Idolatry!" Parker, too stunned to resist, staggers out the door, weeping. Large welts cover the tattooed face of Christ.
Bibliography
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