The story opens with Ruby Turpin entering a doctor's waiting room with her husband Claud who has been kicked by a cow. As she and Claud wait, she takes hard stock of theother people in the room. There was some white-trash, a "red- headed youngish woman"who was not white-trash, just common, a well-dressed, pleasant looking lady, and herdaughter, an ill-mannered ugly girl in Girl Scout shoes with heavy socks who was readinga book titled Human Development. Listening to the Gospel song playing on the radio in thebackground, Mrs. Turpin's "heart rose. [Jesus] had not made her a nigger or white-trash orugly! He had made her herself and given her a little of everything. Jesus, thank you! shesaid. Thank you thank you thank you!" A few moments later, agreeing with the pleasant lady in regard to her ugly tempereddaughter that "'It never hurt anyone to smile,'" Mrs. Turpin notes, "If it's one thing I am, . . .it's grateful. When I think who all I could have been beside myself and what all I got, a little of everything, and a good disposition besides, I just feel like shouting, 'Thank you, Jesus, for making everything the way it is!' . . .'Oh thank you, Jesus, Jesus, thank you!' she cried aloud."Suddenly the book Human Development "struck her directly over her left eye." Nurse,doctor, and mother scramble to subdue the ugly girl. Transfixed by the girl's eyes focusedon her, Mrs. Turpin asks "'What you got to say to me?'" waiting, as O'Connor says "as for arevelation." "Go back to hell where you came from, you old wart hog" [the girl] whispered." Haunted by this command, Ruby Turpin spends the rest of the day in puzzlement andconcentration. Finally, while hosing down the hog pen that evening she whispers to God ina fierce voice, "What do you send me a message like that for?" "How am I a hog and meboth? How am I saved and from hell too?" If students can understand the answer to thisquestion, they can understan...
