Son of the Morning (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Joyce Carol Oates
- First Published: 1978
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: The 1940’s to the 1970’s
- Setting: The United States
- Principal Characters: Nathanael Vickery, Opal Vickery, Thaddeus Vickery, Elsa Vickery, The Reverend Marian Miles Beloff, Leonie Beloff, William Japheth Sproul III
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: Self, Religion, Spiritual life or spirituality, Christianity, Visions, epiphanies, or revelations
- Locales: United States
The Novel
Son of the Morning consists of four parts with titles that have biblical connotations: “The Incarnation,” “The Witness,” “Last Things,” and “The Sepulcher.” The four sections trace Nathan Vickery’s beginnings, his rise as a boy preacher, his fall from grace and renewed preaching career, and his final estrangement from his former self; the plot serves as a rough parallel to the life of Jesus. The title is ambiguous: Is Nathan a bright star bringing God’s light to the masses, or is he the fallen Lucifer, sinning through pride?
Although...
[The entire page is 2189 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
See Also
