'A Good Man Is Hard To Find'

"A Good Man Is Hard To Find" and "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been"

This story was taken place also when black Americans were set free from slavery and had just as much equal rights as any other white American did. They were preferred to not be called "niggers" but be called black Americans. During this time no matter what was said, she would not let go of the term "nigger" referring to black Americans because she thought that they did not deserve as many equal rights because she thought that they could do no better if they were turned from under the power of white Americans.

A grandmother and her family planned a trip to Florida and on their trip to Florida, the grandmother convinces her son to take a small detour. On the way there, the grandmother's smuggled cat jumps out and attaches itself to her son's shoulder, resulting them to crash into a ditch. There the family meets the criminal, the Misfit, and his crew. The Misfit has his crew kill the grandmother's family as the grandmother tries to sway the Misfit's decision of killing her. In her last attempt, the Misfit kills her. In O'Connor's short story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find," the Misfit is an unlikely savior to the grandmother. The Misfit shows himself as an unlikely savior through his lack of faith, his and the grandmothers contrasting yet similar personalities, in the final moment of before and after the grandmother's death.

"A Good Man is Hard to Find presents a masterful portrait of a woman who creates a self and a world through language." At least that is what Mary Jane Shenck thinks of the Flannery O'Connor story. Several different people have several different views of this controversial and climatic work of O'Connor's. In this paper I will take a look at these different views of different situations and characters in this book.

“She would have been a good woman,” The Misfit said, “if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life,” (O’Conner pg. 418). In Flannery O’Conner’s short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” she explained the dynamics of how the grandmother is an unlikely recipient of grace, she related the actions of the Misfit with religion, and also, the intangible definitions of a good man. The short story is about a family going on a trip to Florida, but the grandmother did not want to go on this trip. She wanted to go to Tennessee, but since she lived with her son Bailey she went with them where they wanted to go. While on the drive the grandmother remembers about a plantation she went to when she was a young lady. Bailey decides

Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man Is Hard to Find is one of the most well-known short stories in American history. A Good Man Is Hard to Find is a disturbing short story that exemplifies grace in extremity as well as the threat of an intruder. The story tells of an elderly grandmother and her family who embark on a road trip to Florida. The grandmother is a stubborn old woman with a low sense of morality. While on the trip, the grandmother convinces her son to take a detour which results in a broken down car and an encounter with a convicted fugitive, The Misfit. Although the grandmother pleads for mercy, The Misfit kills off the rest of her family. Through the grace she finds in her extreme circumstance, the grandmother calls The

She tries making him feel empowered in hopes that he will spare her her "innocent" life saying, "you shouldn't call yourself The Misfit because I know you're a good man at heart. I can just look at you and tell" (O'Connor 433). Despite her efforts, The Misfit, with the help of his partner, Hiram, murdered the entire family, including the grandmother, who so willfully tried to convince them otherwise. Not only did the old lady's manipulation not work on The Misfit as it had for her son, it initially cost her the life of herself and her entire

She is morally superior to others around her and constantly judges those around her, especially her son, son’s wife, children, and the Misfit. She sets the line between good people and bad people, the Misfit being one of those bad people born to do bad. The Grandmother lives by virtue of seeing herself an embodiment of good, a representation that must be followed by all. Due to her actions of wanting to visit an old house in Florida, the Grandmother finds herself face to face with the Misfit, the embodiment of pure evil according to her beliefs. Death she faces, attempting to convince herself of the possibility of good in the Misfit for the sake of her life.

The grandmother in the beginning of the story sees the Misfit as a vicious criminal on the loose. However, now when she sees vulnerability in the Misfit, she tries to exploit it and show acceptance and love to one that only knows “meanness.” The Grandmother is not showing moral strength, but changing her moral beliefs and ideals once again to save herself, but to no avail, as the Misfit quickly jumps back and shoots her three times before she can exploit his moment of

When someone compares any two stories, we must contrast them as well. The main character in both "A Rose for Emily," by William Faulkner, and "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," by Flannery O'Connor have many things in common, but just as they have many things in common they are also very different. Emily, from "A Rose for Emily" and the Grandmother, from "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" are very used to getting their way, and when they don't things turn for the worst and they try everything to ensure that they get what they want. The Grandmother wants to convince her son Bailey, to go to her home state of Tennessee rather than to Florida for a vacation, her excuse being her grandchildren have already been to Florida but never to Tennessee.

In Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the grandmother and the Misfit become the main focus even though the other characters are involved in the story. Throughout the entire story, The Misfit is portrayed as the symbol of evil because he was in jail; he escaped from jail, and he committed murders. The grandmother believes to be greater than the people that she are around because of the “good” that she portrays. The conventional meaning of good, or possessing or displaying moral virtue, is not the particular good that the grandmother is trying to portray throughout the story. The grandmother believes that good

A good man really is hard to find. But what is the real definition of a real man? Maybe it is not just the prince charming you see in fairy tales or the perfect guy walking down Sixth Ave. that you pass by everyday to work. Maybe a good guy is simply someone that is good what they do. In this case the relationship between the grandmother and the misfit is just that. The only thing is if the reader sees it as clearly as the author would like them too or simply as she does.

Mary Flannery O’Connor, the writer of many short stories known for their cruel endings and religious themes, wrote “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” in 1955. “Her works combine flat realism with grotesque situations; violence occurs without apparent reason or preparation.” (Roberts 429). “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is about a southern family’s trip to Florida which takes a dramatic turn. This story was written in O’Connor’s first collection of short stories. “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is a compelling story of tragedy that utilizes humor and irony to draw the reader’s attention, and two major characters to convey the authors central theme.

Flannery O 'Connor is a Christian writer, and her work shows Christian themes of good and evil, grace, and salvation. O’Connor has challenged the theme of religion into all of her works largely because of her Roman Catholic upbringing. O’Connor wrote in such a way that the characters and settings of her stories are unforgettable, revealing deep insights into the human existence. In O’Connor’s Introduction to a “Memoir of Mary Ann,” she claims that Christians live to prepare for their death. This statement is reflected in her other works, including her short story “A Good Man is Hard To Find.” After reading “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” many questions remain unanswered

In Flannery O'Connor's eccentric short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the reader is introduced to her fundamental theme of Identity through a typical southern family. O’Connor’s exceptional use of fictional elements such as characterization, point of view, and setting further develop this theme in her work. She does so by familiarizing the use of violence, humor, and salvation along with point of view and setting to create a deeper connection between her work and the reader.