In “Revelation” by Flannery O'Connor a woman, as the title suggests, experiences a revelation. Pigs are an important symbol in the revelation of the protagonist, Ruby Turpin. During Ruby's journey to her revelation, pigs appear frequently in "Apocalypse" and are important to Ruby's revelation at the end of the story. The pigs reflect different aspects of Ruby's life, mainly her perceptions. Ultimately, the pigs reflect Ruby's true character throughout the story. At the beginning of the story, when Ruby talks to the people in the waiting room, Ruby describes that she has "a little bit of everything" (O'Connor 475). Ruby claims to have pigs, and the "white trash" woman remarks that pigs are "disgusting, smelly things" always "a-gruntin and a-rootin everywhere" (476). Ruby replies, “Our pigs are not dirty and they do not stink” (476). Ruby's comment has an inherent emphasis on “our” and “not” (476). Ruby points out that her pigs aren't dirty. Implies that he has no dirty pigs. Pigs, by nature, are dirty animals. Ruby denies the true nature of pigs, which implies a lot about her character. Ruby establishes a connection between herself and the unsoiled through her emphasis on “our” and “not.” The emphasis on these two words has two implications. In any case, Ruby implies that because the pigs belong here, they are therefore clean. Or, Ruby herself is a clean, not hygienic, but spiritual person. Through this statement, Ruby denies the association between herself and the unclean by overemphasizing the cleanliness of her pigs. Ruby denies being an unclean person by pointing out that her pigs are not dirty. After Ruby defends the cleanliness of her pigs, she continues her statement: “We have a pig room, that's where... middle of the paper. .....). Ruby suffered a direct blow to the head from a book called Human Development. The strong contact of the book with her head creates an immediate change in Ruby's perception. Pigs are an important element in Flanner O'Connor's "Revelation". The pigs reflect Ruby's character progression throughout the entire story. At the end of the story, Ruby “sprints” along the pigs herself. This action symbolizes Ruby's separation from the pig and indicates the impact of the revelation. Works Cited Dumas, Jacky and Jessica Hooten Wilson. "The Unrevealed in Flannery O'Connor's 'Revelation'. (Critical Essay)." The Southern Literary Journal 2 (2013): 72. Academic OneFile. Network. November 26, 2013.O'Connor, Flannery. "Revelation." American short stories. By Bert Hitchcock, Virginia M. Kouidis and Eugene Current-García. 8th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 472-87. Press.