Stigmata (short story)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Stigmata" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Joyce Carol Oates | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Colorado Quarterly |
| Publication date | Spring 1963 |
"Stigmata" is a short story by Joyce Carol Oates originally published in Colorado Review (Spring 1963) and first collected in Upon the Sweeping Flood and Other Stories (1966) by Vanguard Press.[1]
"Stigmata" is written from a third-person point-of-view, with Walt as the focal character.
Mr. Turner, a patient at St. Jerome's Home for the elderly, has announced that on Good Friday next, he will experience his apotheosis. He predicts that the stigmata will appear on his hands and feet, causing them to bleed. The six children of Mr. Turner are summoned as are church officials and the press. The old man is almost worshipped by his offspring, especially Clara. She is desperate to affirm her faith in her father. One son, Walt, is the exception. A lapsed Catholic, he is deeply skeptical not only of the event, but of his father's saintliness, or indeed, his honesty.
Mr. Turner begins to manifest the stigmata, as predicted, but on Thursday, rather than Friday. Moreover, the bleeding continues until Easter Sunday, contrary to scripture and the promised miracle.
The story ends with Turner exposed as a fraud.[2]
