Symbols in "Revelation"

“Revelation”, by Flannery O’Connor, tells the story of a woman’s enlightening experience in a doctor’s waiting room. At first glance, it’s a rather awkwardly-constructed story, with almost no rising action but a climax that comes from out of the blue. The characters—
especially the protagonist, Mrs. Turpin—are not very likeable, and the writing is far from an elevated style. It is only when the reader steps back and looks at the symbolism in “Revelation” that one can appreciate its importance.
Even the title of the short story is evocative, bringing to mind the biblical Book of Revelations, which addresses Judgement Day and the fate of sinners. In my opinion, the waiting room symbolizes Purgatory, where souls wait before entering Heaven. In O’Connor’s words, the waiting room (Purgatory) “was very small, was almost full when the Turpins entered… [Mrs. Turpin was] a living demonstration that the room was inadequate and ridiculous” (¶ 1). O’Connor is decrying the lack of space available for those who deserve to enter Heaven. As for those waiting in the room, there is nothing saintly about any of them. The second most important character—after Mrs. Turpin—is Mary Grace, a “fat girl of eighteen or nineteen… [and a face that] was blue with acne” (19). Her name represents her most important role in the story: the “saving grace” of Mrs. Turpin. When Mary Grace throws the book entitled (ironically) Human Development at Mrs. Turpin, Mrs. Turpin waits for an explanation “holding her breath, waiting, as for a revelation”(112). To this expectant query, Mary mutters “Go back to hell where you came from, you old wart hog”(113). To the reader, this is the moment where Mary’s purpose is revealed: to show Mrs. Turpin that she does not belong in the same room as Mary (Purgatory) because of her wicked thoughts and sayings. To Mrs. Turpin, this is the moment that becomes her “revelation”: she begins to question if she is in fact a good person— something she had never really asked herself before— and whether or not she belongs in heaven.
The question of Mrs. Turpin’s fate is never fully answered in the novel. For example, her perceived goodness by her slaves stands in marked contrast to her own thoughts: “[Mrs. Turpin’s slave] said it as if they all knew Mrs. Turpin was protected in some special way by Divine Providence” (148). As she begins to question her soul’s fate aloud at the end of the story, the reader is left hanging as to whether or not Mrs. Turpin changes her ways, making it forever unknown whether or not the “revelation” worked.(440)