Attempt to define Epiphany from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

So in an attempt to keep with Professor Sexson’s suggestion that we start with the details and form a general definition from that I figured that I would begin with actual passages from the book, try and figure out what each individual passage is saying about epiphany and then try to form those ideas into a more cohesive definition. So, here it goes a list of passages and my thoughts on them hopefully followed by some sort of rough idea of what exactly an epiphany entails.


1. The first clear sign of an epiphanic moment I saw in the chapter was on page 121 when both Mole and Rat are in the boat. The line goes, “Then a change began slowly to declare itself. The horizon became clearer, field and tree came more into sight, and somehow with a different look; the mystery began to drop away from them.”

These lines suggest in such a beautiful way not a complete moment of clarity but instead a process of elucidation where surroundings are suddenly seen better

2. “O, Mole! The beauty of it! The merry bubble and joy, the thin, clear happy call of the distant piping! Such music I never dreamed of and the call in it is stronger even than the music is sweet! Row on, Mole row! For the music and the call must be for us.”(Page 122)

The way that Rat remarks that “the call must be for us” made me think that maybe an epiphany is not just a great illumination or understanding but maybe also an illumination of a direction or a call toward a specific course. So instead of my original view of epiphany as a moment maybe it is also a movement, a pull forward towards some sort of further revelation?

3.“Breathless and transfixed the Mole stopped rowing as the liquid run of that glad piping broke on him like a wave, caught him up, and possessed him utterly. He saw the tears on his comrade’s cheeks, and bowed his head and understood. For a space they hung there, brushed by the purple loosestrife that fringed the bank; then the clear imperious summons that marched hand-in-hand with the intoxicating melody imposed its will on Mole, and mechanically he bent to his oars again. And the light grew steadily stronger, but no birds sang as they were wont to do at the approach of dawn; and but for the heavenly music all was marvelously still.”(Page 123)

A few different parts of this passage particularly stuck out to me and added to my own definition of epiphany. In specific the description of an epiphany as something forceful and invasive and almost controlling with phrases such as “possessed him utterly” and “imposed its will” were new to my original idea of epiphany. This passage changed an epiphany to me from just an experience of incredible awe and clarity to a moment and feeling so overwhelmingly engulfing that one has no choice but to become completely absorbed by it, whether they want to or not.

So from the chapter as a whole and from looking at some specific passages I have come to view an epiphany as not only a feeling but also a force. Something so powerful it cannot be ignored (and should not be ignored) as it seemingly completely overtakes the person (or rat or mole) who is experiencing it. A point in time where “the mystery begins to drop away” and a moment of such complete illumination and clarity occurs that the way towards what you seek is undeniable. It would also seem that this specific sensation is full of feeling “wonderfully as peace and happy” while still remaining powerless against its greatness. I have a feeling that as this class goes on this very rough, working definition will grow from a few lines to a few paragraphs that will hopefully become a bit clearer than this. Overall from what I can tell and epiphany is something so contained within one’s own mind and experience that it is simply indescribable.

Epiphanies as an English Major

Before I begin my search for former epiphanies in my life as an English major I must first take exception to something Professor Sexon said in our last class. While I understand his thought between the distinction of "oh" or small epiphanies and "aah" or large epiphanies I have to argue with him in the matter of epiphanies found in good meals. As a strong follower of the James Beard lifestyle I have to admit that my only "aah" epiphany moments have been brought on by good meals, specifically the oxtail at cul-de-sac in Rome incident of 2008. If music can be a medium for an epiphany than experiencing the absolute genius of Thomas Keller certainly has to be an "aah" moment of perfect clarity and awakening. With that said I will now try to explore how literature has been a close second to food in my experience with epiphanies.

I suppose my first English "oh" epiphany came in high school when I first read William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. It was then that I realized that pieces of literature could be so much more than just a story, that they could be instead an intricate puzzle of meaning and allusions that the reader put together as they read. It was because of this that I chose English as my major, who wouldn't want to read great books all day, putting together each puzzle all while receiving college credit! In English 429, Professional Writing with Professor Downs last year I experienced another small epiphany when it finally hit me that literature majors have a very small range of job options after graduation and that the future was real and not like the fiction i had spent the last years immersed in. I assume for every novel i have read, there has been a small lightbulb moment where i finally understand a reference or allusion or put everything together, i am assuming however that there are too many of these to recall. This May I hope to revisit this post and write something more conclusive, a final epiphany about how i have spent my college life

First Thoughts on Epiphany

So from what I could find regarding the root of the word it appears that it comes from the Latin word epiphania which came from the Greek word epiphaneia or epiphainein . epiphainein is broken down to epi meaning “over or on” and phainein, meaning “to show” so the word came to mean “manifestation or display.” This definition makes sense as an epiphany, to the best of my understanding, is a sort of revelation in which things suddenly become clear or are finally shown. The word also seems to be strongly influenced by religion as it also is defined as the appearance of a divine being or deity to man. Both definitions seem to relate the same basic concept, that an epiphany is an awakening or realization of something bigger than what was previously understood. As an English Literature major who will soon be forced to enter the real world and pursue some sort of career, I would love to experience my own sort of epiphany in this class but I will gladly settle for simply coming to a comprehensive understanding of epiphanies in literature. Throughout all my years studying literature I must admit that I have not once delved into the topic of epiphany in the books I have read and I am now very excited to look into such a fascinating topic!