er home) for the first time, she was highly critical. The text states, “He was a[n]…old man with a…collar that he wore backwards, which, Mrs. Shortley knew, was what priests did who wanted to be known as priests” (197). Her disdain for religion is again demonstrated by her belief that religion is for people who don’t have the brains to avoid evil without it. Her perspective and circumstances have effectively limited any development of dimension spiritually as her ideas about religion show. We can also see a similarity to Mrs. McIntyre’s definition of a Christian in her statement about people who need religion being the ones who cannot discern evil for themselves. . To Mrs. Shortley, a Christian is one who does good, as compared to a non-Christian being one who does evil. She too makes the mistaken assumption that being religious is the same as being a Christian. Mrs. Shortley does not comprehend the true definition of Christianity, hence showing a lack of spiritual dimension.Though Mrs. Shortley expression disdain for religion, she places certain esteem on religious or Christian practices. She believes a good man does all the right things. In reality, a man who has a right heart is a good man. She speaks of her husband saying that there is not a more Christian man then he. We see her pride as she speaks of her son, H.C., who is studying to become, of all things, a preacher. After stating before that religion is for those who cannot avoid evil without it, this pride is a severe contradictions, showing an absence of maturity and a closed mind regarding her spiritual outlook. Finally, her lack of spiritual dimension can be seen when she turns to religion in the midst of her crisis. She has herself completely convinced that she is one of the strong ones (though she currently needs religion when previously she believed those who needed it were weak). She also believes that God has a special ...
