Francis Tarwater has always been told that it is his destiny to become a prophet of God. Raised by his uncle, a strict religious zealot, he finds himself resisting the pressure put on him to become a devout Christian. After his uncle dies, Tarwater leaves to live with another uncle, a man who fervently tries to repress Tarwater's religious education, leaving Tarwater to decide for himself what he believes, and what acts he is willing to commit for those beliefs.

The Violent Bear It Away was author Flannery O'Connor's second and final novel before her death at the age of thirty-nine. In it, O'Connor deals with themes common in many of her works, including religion, the grotesque, and questions of morality.

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