I am interested in looking at religion and revelation in Flowering Judas. In this story, Laura, an American (who can be viewed in conjunction with the Miranda stories) teaches English to children, while running errands for leading members of the revolution. In a way, Laura is portrayed as being very nun-like. She is a lapsed Catholic and virgin, who conceals her large breasts beneath layers of confining fabrics. While Laura resists seductions from member leaders, she builds a relationship with a certain prisoner Eugenio. In the end, we discover that Eugenio kills himself with sleeping pills that Laura has provided.
In a dream that incorporates biblical references to the betrayal of Judas and works by T.S. Eliot and Dante, Laura's dream comes to signify her position as a betrayer. Not only is she betraying her country in several ways, but she is also betraying her friends. This revelation cause all her previous acts, which were perceived as benevolent and selfless, to be redefined as malicious, and self-centered. In a way, this revelation is reminiscent of the epiphany that occurs in O'Connor's revelation.
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