Hopkins' Influence on Percy's Love in the Ruins

Walker Percy's novel 'Love in the Ruins' shows the influence of Gerard Manley Hopkins, a prominent Catholic poet, in the sense that the protagonist Tom More reflects a consciousness of the sacramental nature of things. Critics have ignored this aspect of the novel even though there are frequent references to Hopkins in the novel, and Percy admits the literary influence of Hopkins. The novel juxtaposes Hopkin's poetry with Tom's spiritual progress.