Enoch Emery and His‘Wise Blood’

李莹

【Abstract】Enoch Emery is one of the main protagonists in OConnors Wise Blood and wise blood as the tittle of the book and the major image in the novel embodies symbolic meanings， which has been discussed among the scholars and critics.This paper mainly probes into the ‘wise blood in Enoch Emery to find out the implication of such description.

【Key words】wise blood； instinct； free will

Wise Blood is Flannery OConnors first novel published in 1955 and the wise blood in the novel becomes one of the most heated discussions among the critics.As one of the main protagonist in Wise Blood， Enoch Emery first appears in Chapter three， when he is listening raptly to a salesman selling potato peelers.He is a boy with yellow hair and a fox-shaped face who also has on a yellowish white suit and a pinkish white shirt and his tie was the color of green peas， while he is smiling， he looks like a friendly hound dog with light mange.（OConnor： 39） OConnor deliberately use animal-like appearance to foreshadow the fact that Enoch is a man of instinct and his so-called ‘wise bloodis not wise at all.（Yang， 2004）

Enoch Emery believes that his ‘wise blood can tell him what to do and when to do it.One morning， he knows when he wakes up that day， the person he can show the Mummy to is going to come.He knows by his blood and he firmly believes that the wise blood is just like his daddys.（OConnor： 75） In the novel， the narrator says of Enochs mind that ‘Enochs brain was divided into two parts.The part in communication with his blood did figuring but it never said anything in words， but the other part was stored up with all kinds of words and phrases. （Ibid： 83） this makes Enoch act and speak in a ridiculous way.While the first part was figuring how to get Hazel Motes through the Frosty Bottle and the zoo， the second part may ask where Hazel gets this fine car， or he should paint some signs on it…（Ibid： 83）

On the way to the Frosty Bottle， Enochs blood is beating fast and he knows he has to go to the Frosty Bottle and the zoo before the museum， and he foresees a terrible struggle with Hazel Motes.He would have to get him get him there， even if he has to hit him over the head with a rock and carry him on his back up to it.（Ibid： 83） It seems that Enochs self-deemed ‘wise blood get control of his mind and everything he does follows the instruction of his ‘wise blood， even the things he doesnt want or dare to do.

After showing the Mummy to Hazel Motes， Enoch firmly believes that whatever is expected of him， is just beginning.（Ibid： 96） He finds it is the time for him to justify his daddys blood， but no knowing how to do it.Sometimes he doesnt think but only wondered then before long he would find himself doing this or that， like a bird fins itself building a nest when it hasnt actually been planning to.（Ibid： 129） This proves that the ‘wise blood in Enoch is seemingly directing him doing this or that， but in fact， it is Enochs free will， instinct， and the self-belief that make him to do the things he really wants but dares not to do.Enochs blood was more sensitive than any other part of him； it wrote doom all over him， except possibly in his brain and the result is that his tongue， which edges out every few minutes to test his fever blister， knows more than he did.（Ibid： 129） OConnor depicts him in such a way that the readers can feel the solemnity and earnest of his words and deeds.

Enochs ‘wise blood has directed him to do many silly things that lead him to live a messy and ridiculous life.He visits the city museum everyday as a routine， but never goes there immediately， for he believes it is the peak of the afternoon after work.He has other things that have to be done before hand.Usually， he first hides in the hedge to leer at the women swimmers in the swimming pool at the park， then he goes to the Frosty Bottle—a hot dog stand， to have a cup to chocolate malted milk shake， after which he goes to see the animals.Every time when he is watching the cages， which are electronically heated in winter and air-conditioned in summer and there were six man hired to wait on the animals and feed them T-bone steaks， Enoch feels irritated and annoyed.Only after these processes， does he go there， the museum.The behavior further exemplifies OConnors tendency to characterize her characters with both physical and mental defect that resemble those of animals.Depicting Enoch in such a way suggests that humanity is incomplete and is in need of redemption.（Yang， 2004）

In chapter eleven， Enochs ‘wise blood directs him to steal the mummy out of the city museum and put it into his commode and makes the mummy New Jesus.Enoch waits on some minutes for something special to happen， but nothing happens.He realizes that he should hand the mummy to Hazel so that it could be the New Jesus for his Church Without Christ.However， Hazel is shocked at the first sight of the mummy， and he rejects and smashes it into pieces， which， to some degree， reflects Enochs folly.Enoch， in the end， misled by his ‘wise blood， loses his hope and faith of salvation.He robs Gangas outfit and dresses like a real gorilla to gain the attention of others， which makes him even more like an animal of instinct that does everything according only to the free will， and becomes an ‘it without any ‘wise blood at all.

Reference：

[1]McFarland， Dorothy Junk.Flannery OConnor.N.Y.： Frederick Ungar Publishing Co.，1976.

[2]Yang， Chun.Probing into the It-World—A Thematic Study of Wise Blood.Hunan Normal University， 2004.

[3]OConnor， Flannery.Wise Blood， N.Y.：Farrar，Straus and Giroux，2007.

[4]弗兰纳里·奥康纳.智血.新星出版社，蔡亦默译，2010.