Wise blood

About “Wise blood”

Wise Blood is Flannery O'Connor's first novel, published in 1952. It follows Hazel Motes, a twenty-two-year-old man trapped in a struggle against his fate. He is influenced by a street preacher named Asa Hawks and his daughter, Sabbath Lily. To reject faith, Motes starts a church without Christ but cannot escape his spiritual conflict. He meets Enoch Emery, a man with "wise blood," who leads him to a mummified holy child. The story explores themes of redemption, false prophets, and blindness. It presents a powerful character in American literature.