Life is not something simple as we often prefer. There are many different approaches, and in most cases we will not find the desired achievement in any of them. In the short story “Parkers Back” written by Flannery O'Connor, we get a multi-faceted view of the life of the main character OE Parker. Additionally, we learn about the life of Sarah Ruth, Parker's wife and perhaps that of author Flannery O'Connor, who died shortly after finishing this short story. The characters in this story approach tattoos from completely different angles and achieve completely different results. Tattoos are central to the story and are present several times. Without a purpose in life, people often make poor decisions that impact the rest of their lives and those with whom they interact. How often do we pretend to be something or someone we are not and have to live with unpleasant results? Throughout the story, Parker attempts to escape reality and, as a result, finds himself trapped with no hope of escape. He is ashamed of his name and goes by his initials OE to prevent people from knowing his real name Obadiah Elihue. He continually shows his inability to accept blame and fully believes that his problems are the result of another person's actions, the first person perhaps being the one who gave him his name. He was very rebellious and would not listen or cooperate with anyone. An example of this was his mother's worry about what was happening to him and her decision to take him to church. “When he saw the big church lit up, he broke free from its embrace and ran.” It was clear that his mother had lost all control over him at that point. At 16, he lied about his age and joined the navy. The story shows his life as a continuous stream middle of paper...never married and died alone shortly after writing this story. We come into the world with nothing and leave the same way. Our lives here are short and full of sorrows if we do not grasp the spiritual aspect of life which the characters in this story struggled with in their own ways. This world is full of symbolism in the same way the story depicts it through the tattoos, which are the focal point of the entire story. Parker continually sought perfection and acceptance with an additional tattoo. He wanted the world and Sarah Ruth to focus on the tattoos he considered perfect rather than his inferiority. “Whenever he becomes agitated or troubled, he releases the pressure by getting a tattoo.” Sarah Ruth was cast out because of her desire to be perfect and felt she could only achieve it by staying away from idols, chief of which was the Church..