Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood, her haunting first novel, is a masterpiece of twentieth-century literature. The story centers on Hazel Motes, a young man grappling with his inherent destiny and his faith. He becomes entranced by Asa Hawks, a “blind” street preacher, and Hawks’s daughter, Sabbath Lily. In a satirical act, Motes establishes the Church Without Christ to prove himself more cynical than Hawks, but his efforts are continuously thwarted as he seeks to lose God. His journey intersects with Enoch Emery, another character whose actions reflect Motes’s existential struggles. The novel is a gripping tale of redemption, retribution, and the complexities of faith in America.