The River

by Flannery O'Connor

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Read For School, American, Literature

19 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Critics note novels Wise Blood (1952) and The Violent Bear It Away (1960) and short stories, collected in such works as A Good Man Is Hard to Find (1955), of American writer Mary Flannery O'Connor for their explorations of religious faith and a spare literary style.

The Georgia state college for women educated O’Connor, who then studied writing at the Iowa writers' workshop and wrote much of Wise Blood at the colony of artists at Yaddo in upstate New York. She lived most of her adult life on Andalusia, ancestral farm of her family outside Milledgeville, Georgia.

O’Connor wrote Everything That Rises Must Converge (1964). When she died at the age of 39 years, America lost one of its most gifted writers at the height of her powers.

Survivors published her essays were published in Mystery and Manners (1969). Her Complete Stories , published posthumously in 1972, won the national book award for that year. Survivors published her letters in The Habit of Being (1979). In 1988, the Library of America published Collected Works of Flannery O'Connor, the first so honored postwar writer.

People in an online poll in 2009 voted her Complete Stories as the best book to win the national book award in the six-decade history of the contest.

Reviews

[Lannie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some cool gothic imagery, and a nice use of symbolism, but in the end it's just more Christian propaganda, innit? Kid is neglected, finds the Lord, escapes the mess of earthly "paradise" through death. Like, it's fine, but I think over the last 2000 years I've had enough storytelling where the message is "y'all need Jesus."

My takeaway? Don't swim in the river of Jesus' blood without a lifeguard on duty.

[AP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read or reread the stories that are referenced in PJ Harvey’s album Is this Desire? recently after she posted a rare photo of herself on social media from back then reading O’Connor. Quick notes on my thoughts. This is a haunting story of a little boy who wants to be special. Story is explicit in religious themes, but also laden with further symbolism. O’Connors stories hit hard even as one comes from a different perspective, background, time and place — or as I did here, from songs. Or even as one may take a different message from it. It is a sad story. (The eponymous song by Harvey can help lift the mood, also a great song on its own)

[Clearhazedaze · Rating 1 out of 5]

A lot of symbolism, a lot of thought behind each element in this story the colors, the name plays , biblical references, the meaning of grace, but didn't connect with me.

[cant bug · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story about a boy who is essentially doomed. The only escape from his poverty/alcoholic (possibly red neck?) family is religion.

That preacher inspires him, the baptism goves him something he’s never experienced before, and he goes to the river of pain to “find Jesus”.

Instead all he finds is his own death. He “runs away” from the conviently named Mr Paradise. Running away from heaven, as though he’s marking his own fate to be doomed.

I don’t see this as a pro religious story, more of a story of a young poor boy stuck in a possibly deprived area that isn’t going places. His only options seem to be to become degenerate like his parents, or join religious nutters.

While there’s a lot that can be discussed about the story, it wasn’t particularly enjoyable to read. It was kind of boring to be honest, and going from the reviews it seems to be one that people are forced to read and analyse in class. A lot of symbolism to pick out for sure, but it’s not a memorable story.

However: one cool fact is that PJ Harvey wrote a song based on the story, also called The River. It’s a very good song. Much better than this story.

[Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is only my second story my Flannery O'Connor. The first, Judgment Day, I found brilliantly written and the story provoking. I gave it four stars but leaned towards five. This one, I think was equally as well written, but I didn't much enjoy the story. I found it sermonizing, and didn't really like any of the characters. For writing alone I would give it five stars. But for enjoyment I would go with only two.

[Wolf Vanlaer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tot nu toe haar minst goede short story, al blijven haar eindes toch altijd op zo een geweldige manier van Spanningsniveau 0 naar spanningsniveau 100 gaan op nog geen 2 pagina’s

Over kinderlijke (on)schuld en kerkpropaganda

[Leon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reason why I tolerated this book:
(1) It was for school.

Reason why i did not like this book:
(2) I'm an atheist :)

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flannery details the dark Americana using religion and pigs…

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The River by Flannery O’Connor – another look at this short story is at https://realini.blogspot.com/2013/12/...

10 out of 10

Flannery O’Connor is a glorious writer, one of my favorites, when I started reading her magnum opera, eleven years ago, the tales were so overwhelming that I read about the life of the author, how she had peacocks on her southern property, and how religious she was, an aspect we see in the themes of her narratives

Indeed, The River is a faith tale, we have a four- or five-year-old named Harry, albeit he chose to say his name is Bevel, because he knew that the healing priest’s name, which is Bevel, the boy is taken to the River to find salvation, only what happens is not so exhilarating – spoiler alert, it looks like I will tell you the end
Flannery O’Connor is one of those luminaries that make me thing again about my atheism – if she was so religious, and she was such a magnificent thinker and human, then why should I keep this skepticism, mocking the Noah and other biblical stories, instead of trying to get an epiphany, redemption or something…

One paragraph from the bible is retold by Louis CK https://realini.blogspot.com/2018/03/... with immense humor, it refers to the fig tree, Jesus walks by it, and wants some of those fruit (I hope they are not vegetables, exposing my ignorance) only the tree does not provide, there are no figs
Furious Jesus Christ then curses the poor tree, and Louis CK is both right, and funny when he talks about this biblical piece of nonsense, which is incriminating the holy man, I mean why on earth would you take on a plant, surely there would be interpretations, explanations, even if this is not one of the best knows parables

CS Lewis is another believer, and one of the most convincing thinkers https://realini.blogspot.com/2023/09/... Surprised by Joy is one of the best arguments, a convincing plead for converting, I would consider switching camps after reading this
The professor – by the way, Magister Ludi Kinglsey Amis writes in his spectacular Memoirs that Lewis was a wonderful teacher, and Tolkien a poor one – comments on Jesus Christ along the lines of ‘you either believe he was the son of good, or else he was one of the greatest crooks’, albeit he had not met Trump…

Bevel is taken to The River, only he does not end up absolved, redeemed – actually, I am getting ahead of myself, he might just be all that – he somehow takes this silly mind of mine to…Prizzi’s Honor, where Charlie Partana aka Jack Nicholson has a line at one point ‘if Mazie was so fucking smart, how come he is so fucking dead’

That is what the poor boy will be, dead, for he drowns in The River, and I am tempted to ask Flannery O’Connor, who must be in Paradise (the name of a character, working at the gas station, skeptical, and amusing, when he tells the healer about Harry’s mother and her hangover) and if I ever arrive there, I would like to meet her
Movies with Heaven, angels have been made, among them the quintessential It’s A Wonderful Life, but I am thinking of one where we get to have fun with O’Connor, Kennedy, Churchill, Kingsley Amis and a good many others

The boy he just finds his way to Eden, for as he drowns 'for an instant he was overcome with surprise; then, since he was moving quickly and knew that he was getting somewhere, all his fury and his fear left him.' Ergo that could be the light at the end of the tunnel, the promise of the lie eternal, heaven and all that
Nathaniel Branden is the ultimate expert on Self Esteem, he wrote the fundamental The Six Pillars of Self Esteem – one very interesting idea is that you should start your day telling your naked self ‘I love and accept myself completely’ as you look in the mirror – a book that everyone should read and apply in practice

Nevertheless, it is about another work that I write now, The Psychological Effects of Religion https://realini.blogspot.com/2016/04/... which concludes that those effects can be (actually are) devastating, the notion that you have an Almighty Sculptor and colorist always watching cab be disastrous
Furthermore, he is ready to strike you down (think Pulp Fiction, Ezechiel whatever number it is, the Samuel L Jackson lines, I will, strike down upon thee with great fury and vengeance, and you will know that my name is The Lord…) if you masturbated at fifteen, the you can get Thunderstruck at what, forty-two…

Sonja Lyubomirsky https://realini.blogspot.com/2014/07/... is another extraordinary psychologist, and she is religious, indeed, is of the opinion that religion offers paths to happiness, her fabulous books is The How of Happiness, and she insists on the benefits of believing in a Supreme Being
Belonging to a church (probably it could work for mosques, temples) provides a social network, and there are other benefits, there is no unanimity on this, our greatest mind, Andrei Plesu is a Christian, so I have him as a model, if I ever decide to take Pascal’s wager, or better still, see the light, the miracles of this world…to add another sarcastic comment, what about those millions of evangelicals who vote for Satan aka Trump?

Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se

There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know

As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...

Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works

‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’

‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’

“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”

[Cathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an O'Connor story I hadn't read before, and it's one of her best, I think. (Well, how do I choose among so many great short stories?) The story of this little neglected boy who discovers religion (in an odd-but-very meaningful way) is absolutely haunting and beautiful...in an O'Connor sort of way. It's one I had to think about for a long time, and then I had to discuss it with my husband. In other words, it was a great story!

[Arina]

I actually read this because it was the lyrics for "The River - PJ Harvey" and I wanted to know the story. :)

[Arimi Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer, this is a book review from when I was in college 2017.

Flannery O’Connor’s The River is a strange, unsettling short story—characteristically rich in symbolism, stark in its moral vision, and brutal in its finality. Like much of O’Connor’s work, it leaves you with a heavy silence, the kind that hangs in the air long after the last line. And while the story is undeniably powerful in many ways, it didn’t fully land for me emotionally or thematically, which is why I’m sitting somewhere in the middle with this one.

The story follows a young boy, Harry Ashfield, who is taken to a revival meeting by his babysitter and ends up swept into a world of religious fervor and misplaced salvation. O’Connor’s recurring themes are all here—grace, faith, blindness (both literal and spiritual), and the grotesque—as well as her dark, uncompromising sense of irony. The writing, as always, is sharp and tightly controlled. Her prose can make even the most mundane details feel loaded, almost mythic in scope.

That said, The River suffers, in my opinion, from the kind of heavy-handed allegory that O’Connor sometimes falls into. The symbolic structure—baptism, water, death, rebirth—is a bit too neatly laid out, and the ending, while undeniably haunting, feels more like a moral statement than an emotional climax. Harry, as a character, is compelling, but also frustratingly passive. His confusion and longing for meaning are palpable, but it’s hard to fully invest in his journey because it’s so shaped by external forces and unresolved motivations. You’re not left with catharsis, only bleak inevitability.

O’Connor’s brilliance lies in her ability to expose the dissonance between spiritual truth and human behavior. In The River, that dissonance is clear—but it doesn’t resonate with the same emotional depth as her best stories, like Revelation or A Good Man Is Hard to Find. It feels more like an intellectual exercise than a fully embodied narrative.

Ultimately, I admire The River more than I love it. It’s a story that provokes thought, certainly, and showcases O’Connor’s talent for unsettling clarity. But it didn’t quite move me in the way I’d hoped. Powerful, yes—but a bit too cold and calculated to be truly affecting.

[Federico DN · Rating 3 out of 5]

God with the flow.

Mr. and Mrs. Ashfield are unfortunately momentarily sick, so they hire Mrs. Connin, the new sitter, to take care of little Harry for the day. A devout Christian, Mrs. Connin plans to spend some time at her home with her sons, and later visit the famous preacher Bevel Summers, currently in town for a special performance at the river.

Meh, not bad, all things considered; although I'm getting the feeling Flannery O'Connor likes to preach herself, in a not so unfashionable kind of way. Kind of a twisted creepy message though.



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PERSONAL NOTE :
[1953] [19p] [Fiction] [Not Recommendable]
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★★☆☆☆ A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories [2.5] <--

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Dios con la corriente.

El Sr. y la Sra. Ashfield están lamentablemente momentáneamente enfermos, por lo que contratan a la Sra. Connin, la nueva niñera, para que cuide del pequeño Harry durante el día. La Sra. Connin, una cristiana devota, planea pasar algún tiempo en su casa con sus hijos y luego visitar al famoso predicador Bevel Summers, actualmente en la ciudad para una actuación especial en el río.

Meh, no está mal, considerando todo; aunque tengo la sensación de que a Flannery O'Connor le gusta predicar ella misma, de una manera no tan falta de moda. Aunque un mensaje algo espantoso y retorcido eh.



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NOTA PERSONAL :
[1953] [19p] [Ficción] [No Recomendable]
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[Vladimir (mecha_yota) Altukhov · Rating 2 out of 5]

The River by Flannery O'Connor

Read with the book club. This one was meh.

I'm not a religious man, which makes me mostly resistant to such stories. The quest for searching Jesus is a noble one for many, but it's been presented so often, it lost the grip. It's the same old message, simply having been put in different clothes.

The prose wasn't astonishing nor captivating, but plain to my taste. The story does have good symbolism, but again, not enough to sway me.

We've read the "Good Man" story before, and I found it better both in terms of the message and the language. I'll check more of O'Connor, though. I feel like there is a gem to discover.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I figured out how it was going to end about halfway through, but it was still interesting watching the boy get there.
Mrs. Connin is a very interesting character. She is very clearly very religious. And pushing it on the people around her, but she also seems to genuinely care for the kid. I think she’s a little heartbroken when she realizes he lies to her. I also think that she will be even more devastated when she realizes what happened to her Bible. I think when I read this again, she will be something I’m focusing on.

[Ellen Switzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this short story! For me, coming from a conservative evangelical background, I know how detrimental that belief system can be.

A young boy is taken to a see preacher as he vocalizes to a hungry congregation. Among them is one dissenter. The boy is brought before the preacher to experience a ritual that will make him “count”. He is promised eternal life.

Lots of symbolism. Very gothic. Loved it.

[SeminePrimogenitus · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's easy to see why Miss O'Connor is held in high regard in American literature after reading a story like this. All of O'Connor's stylistic trademarks–her witty-but-not-quite-sardonic tone, exaggerated descriptions, memorable characters, and eerily haunting themes–are on full display here. A fine short story and one that definitely warrants re-reading.

[Lloyd Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs Corrin is going to keep the kid for the day because his mother is ill. A new preacher is in town, baptizing at the river. It’s been said this preacher is a healer, but he denies it. He says it is through being baptized him in the river, and it is through this river you’ll be saved in Jesus. 4 stars recommended reading.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flannery O’Connor’s work always stuns me. I never quite expect the story to end how it ends. She’s such a good story teller she pulls me in every time and I forget there’s going to be that twist at the end I should have known was coming, but always forget. This was no different.

[hannah pachet · Rating 2 out of 5]

i think flannery o’connor’s writing just isn’t for me. so many people praise her memorable characters, symbolism, religious imagery, and overall writing and none of it sticks out to me. i’m taking a class based largely on her works so maybe one of them will be a win for me..but this one wasn’t

[Kate Ohman · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s like if you put all of the ingredients for a recipe into a pot and then called it finished. Sure, there’s symbolism, reflective characters, and a plot that leaves you in suspense, but it still falls flat because the concept of the story, at its core, just wasn’t strong enough.

[Kerry Perdue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy, poignant, sad, suspenseful.

[Coda Plemons · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me this is a story of hypocrisy just as much as it is of a "happy ending." The boy was neglected by his parents, and heaven, disguised as salvation, neglected him all the same.

[Rachel Baack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: The reader gets to experience the thoughts of an ornery young boy about the events surrounding his trip to see a travelling preacher.

[bri · Rating 2 out of 5]

read for ib lit, enjoyable but i just didnt really like the story

[Dorian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tragic book about a boy praying that his mama is saved. The story delves deep into a neglectdd child who clearly is on the wrong path and can’t make well decision. He is sadly taken away….

[Isaac · Rating 2 out of 5]

5/10

Well that was sad.

[amy! · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️

This was surprisingly really good! In my opinion I really enjoyed the ending: how far child curiosity based on unsolicited assumptions could lead to a sudden turn in events.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really sure how I felt about this one. I always find it interesting when stories explore children misunderstanding things.