Flowering Judas

Katherine Anne Porter was born in Indian Creek, Texas, on May 15, 1890. The death of her mother when Porter was two years old and subsequent neglect from her father had an impact on Porter’s upbringing; she was raised primarily by her paternal grandmother and moved towns several times throughout her childhood and adolescence. During her first marriage at age 16, she converted to Roman Catholicism. Throughout her life, Porter took on many professional roles, including journalism, short story, novel, and essay writing, political activism, and stints in the film industry. In 1915, she contracted tuberculosis, and it was during this time that she decided to become a writer. A few years later, influenza nearly killed her, and this experience was recounted in her 1939 collection of novellas, Pale Horse, Pale Rider.

Porter’s travels and life experiences motivated much of her writing. Her first trip to Europe in 1931 inspired the novel Ship of Fools (1962). Earlier, in 1920, Porter first traveled to Mexico to work for a publisher and immersed herself in Mexican culture. This trip coincided with Obregon’s revolution—a central focus of “Flowering Judas.” Between 1920 and 1930, Porter lived in Mexico for short periods and supported the Socialist cause. The author is said to have called Mexico “the native land of my heart” and valued the spirit of revolution and opposition she found there. Consequently, several of her stories center on the country, including her first “Maria Concepcion” in 1922. William Nance details the strong connection between Porter and Mexico, noting that “Mexico seems to have served Miss Porter among other things as a symbol of her personal and literary independence” (Nance, William. “Katherine Anne Porter and Mexico.” Southwest Review, Vol. 55, Spring, 1970). She had an interest not only in the art and culture of the place, but also in politics as well; Nance concludes that “[o]pression and the desire for freedom are the raw materials of Miss Porter’s art, and its spirit is one of rebellion. Much the same can be said of Mexico” (Nance). Porter and Mexico are inextricably entwined, and the place becomes a central character in her work.

After her first divorce, Porter was no longer a practicing Catholic, but the iconography and ideology of the faith continued to influence her work. Although ostensibly about politics, “Flowering Judas” is permeated with religious imagery including the story’s title. Through the use of Christian allusions, the author draws attention to the parallels between political and religious beliefs. Laura’s conflicted relationship with religion (illustrated by her secret visits to church) reflects Porter’s own complex feelings about the Catholic faith.