I must admit that reading The Violent Bear It Away late last night caused me to have nightmares! The story is disturbing because it deals with a person who takes religion too far. The question is, how far is too far? It is hard to define, but I can definitely say Tarwater’s uncle has taken his Christianity too far. Tarwater is trapped in the woods and essentially brainwashed by his insane uncle. His uncle claims to be a prophet, and attempts to make Tarwater a prophet as well. Ironically, the very religious uncle seems to disregard the fact that only God can choose His prophets. Then, his uncle dies sitting at the breakfast table, and Tarwater must dig his grave. This has to be extremely scary for such a young teenager. People who try to force their religion on others make me angry, especially those who try to force it on young children. The uncle does not have the characteristics of a Christian that I value. I feel very sorry for Tarwater, and I am afraid to see how he handles the real world. I surely will not be reading this novel at night anymore!