The importance of psychology is to understand the human mind and how different people make mental decisions. Many people share common ideas and mental processes that cause them to make the decisions that they make. Therefore, when there is anomaly that reaches conclusions in different ways, it may be viewed as strange and be unaccepted. However, it is important to use psychology to understand how and why these different people make the decisions that they make, as it clarifies their odd behaviors and allows people to see their point of view. The short stories “The Yellow Wallpaper”, “A Rose For Emily”, and “A Good Man is Hard to Find” are all similar due to the initially surprising actions of the main characters. However, when a psychological …show more content…
At first, the Misfit appears to simply be a wanted criminal for murder and escaping prison. However, a psychological analysis reveals how the Misfit himself thinks and operates, and explains why he murders people. In the beginning, readers may be confused as to whether or not he actually deserved to be put in jail. The Misfit recounts that "It was a head-doctor at the penitentiary said what I had done was kill my daddy but I known that for a lie.” However, he later states that he knows for a fact that his father died of the flu. This conflicting narrative of whether he was guilty or not is due to the strict moral code that the Misfit acts upon. His philosophy can be described as “no pleasure but meanness”. The Misfit doesn’t believe that he has done anything wrong because his moral code tells him that he hasn’t. He claims in the story that he names himself the Misfit because he does not think that his crimes match up with his punishments. However, his crimes indeed do match, but it is rather his strict moral code that convinces himself that he has done nothing wrong. This loop of thinking he has been wrongfully imprisoned further instigates him and confirms his moral code. Clearly, a psychological lens is the best viewpoint from which to analyze this story as it both explains the Misfit’s actions and also clears up the ambiguity near the end of the
The story I picked is from O’Connor “A Good Man is Hard to Find. I chose this story because of previous stories that O’Connor wrote were fascinating such as “Good Country People.” The titles she uses for her short stories just interest you to read them and figure out what is the meaning behind the title. When I first saw the title I assumed it to be a love story of a young woman looking for a good man to marry after many failed attempts to find him. After you read the story, you will be able to tell I was way off. The thesis to “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is based on selfish characters who believe their way of living or thought is right and could not be questioned but learned the hard way but while ending in violence.
A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor challenges readers to look at life through a different lense and causes her audience to make connections to the modern world from the text. Throughout the entire story, O’Connor addresses issues that are still relevant to this day by thoroughly developing each character and using each character to bring up issues that are intriguing to the audience. A Good Man is Hard to Find is a story that challenges readers to make connections and think about the world through a different lense. These thought provoking qualities are the reasons why A Good Man is Hard to Find is a must read for readers of all ages.
“It was a head-doctor at the penitentiary said what I had done was kill my daddy but I known that for a lie” (258). From this passage, no information is revealed regarding his alleged crimes, and for that reason, the Misfit cannot possibly be viewed as a crazy-minded psycho. The assumption that the Misfit was unjustly convicted needs to be considered as a possibility. Another point that needs to be addressed is that the Misfit has been through hard times. He enlisted in the Marine Corps and served overseas in far-off lands. He married twice in his life and sadly divorced. Along with sacrificing for his country and ending two painful marriages, he worked low-paying, hard-labor jobs such as undertaking, farming, and working on the railroad. Making his life even more miserable, the Misfit experienced dreadful, disastrous events such as escaping deadly tornados and watching a man burn to a crisp. “Been in the arm service, both land and sea, at home and abroad, been twict married, been an undertaker, been with the railroads, plowed Mother Earth, been in a tornado, seen a man burnt alive oncet” (258). Besides being a good citizen of the United States, his goal was to escape without hurting anyone in the process. The Misfit informs the grandmother that he has no intention of stealing anything from anyone, “Nobody had nothing I wanted” (258). When the Misfit appears in the story, he is shown as being
4.The misfit’s life philosophy can be described in once sentence spoked by him “because I can't make what all I done wrong fit what all I gone through in punishment”. The misfit describes how the punishment he suffered growing up will never equal the wrong he does in his life. The way misfit handles his upbringing is one of an evil man because his philosophy is flawed as he brings punishment to others even though they may have not done wrong as is the case with the family his goons murder. The family may have done no wrong but they suffered the ultimate punishment, death.
The story begins with a Grandmother trying to convince her son, Bailey and daughter in law to take a vacation in East Tennessee rather than Florida because of the escape of an escaped convict known as the Misfit and the children have already been there (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012). The Grandmother’s grandson states that she should just stay home, in which the granddaughter replied that she would not want to miss anything, as she had to always go where the family went. The Grandmother dressed as a lady, and was the first in the car, hiding her cat in a basket so her son did not see it. “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” written by (Mary) Flannery O’Connor is about a grandmother who reminisces with her grandchildren on the good versus evil in the world.
In Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, the definition of good can only be determined if we understand two things, the typical definition of good and what to make of the main character known as the Grandmother. The definition of good should first be noted as, “that which is morally right; righteousness.” This will be the analysis of the grandmother and the ultimate decision as to the definition of good throughout this story.
Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” gives readers a front row seat to the chilling tale of a southern family’s murder at the hands of an escaped convict who calls himself “The Misfit” and his associates. On their way to Florida for a vacation, the family stops to visit an abandoned house and ends up in a car accident, where they are found by The Misfit, and subsequently killed. While the murder is the climax of the story, O’Connor writes a cast of uniquely flawed characters that are the true focus of the narrative; each character adds a layer to the convoluted tale.
In Flannery O'Connor's short story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find", a southern family is taking a vacation to Florida, but the real journey takes place inside the family's lives. One question that comes up in the story is what the definition of a good man is and how there is so few of them left in the world. Many of the characters in the story think of themselves as good people based on moral codes that they stand by. These moral codes are deeply flawed however, leaving each character blinded by their own self-righteousness.
The Misfit is our antagonist in the short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” written by Flannery O’Connor. He is a mysterious man who’d give you the sense of trust, but his actions are not pardoning. He’d show the qualities of a good man and the qualities of a psychopath. His background and stories don’t quite fit his actions, that is why he calls himself “The Misfit.” Although The misfit’s actions are ringing the bell of a psychopath, his inner-self shows otherwise. The Misfit is full of flaws but he is no psychopath, he’s just a man who is forced to live a life that was not meant for him. Deep down inside he’s a good man, but life forced him to act differently.
You are sitting in your living room at home watching the nightly news. The lead story for the night is about a family of four that were murdered. After seeing and hearing about something like that we often ask ourselves, What could possess a person enough to kill another human being? What is it that drives a person to kill? Will we ever know? Many authors use this unique mentality in short stories. They write about what the killer thinks and how he/she acts on his/her thoughts. One of these stories is “A Good Man Is Hard To Find”, by Flannery O’Connor. In this story O’Connor’s victim, The Misfit, is an escaped convict. He was in the Federal Penitentiary for killing his father. Throughout the story O’Connor builds up this killers mentality
Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find’ tells of a seemingly normal family with a bit of dysfunction. Throughout this tale, the author fabricates a number of characters, some inconsiderable, others full of depth and history that present themselves wildly open to interpretation. Looking into O’Connor’s past, it is clear to see her relationship with a number of these fictional minds and pull from these the meaning behind her hidden pain and anguish. We are therefore presented with a mother and sons family who are prisoners in a manipulative, destructive relationship.
In O’Connor’s short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” the setting contributes to the reader's understanding of Bailey's out of tune family. We can assume the story took place in the post-war mid century era given the fact that O’Connor wrote this story in 1953 and when the grandmother says, “the way Europe acted you would think we were made of money” (O’Connor). During the 1940’s and 1950’s the backbone of the American dream was “hard work, family values, and hope” (Desmond). Families from back then were big on respect and took family time seriously. When comparing a traditional mid century family to Bailey's family there is a distinct difference that allows us to label them as a dysfunctional family. Although we do not get a look into the family's work ethic, we do get a close enough look to see their lack of family values. Throughout the story there are several times where the family reveals that they are clearly flawed with the words they choose to say or simply with their actions.
With his violent killing, the Misfit seems an unlikely source to look to for guidance, but he demonstrates a deep conviction that the other characters lack. Unlike the grandmother, who simply assumes that she is morally superior to everyone else, the Misfit seriously questions the meaning of life and his role in it. He has carefully considered his actions in life and examined his experiences to find lessons within them. He has even renamed himself because of one of these lessons, believing that his punishment didn’t fit the crime. He reveals a self-awareness that the grandmother lacked and questions it. He knows he is not a great man, but he also knows that there are others worse than him. He forms rudimentary philosophies, such as “no pleasure but meanness” and “the crime don’t matter.” The Misfit’s philosophies may be morally corrupt, but they are consistent. Unlike the grandmother, whose moral code falls apart the moment it’s challenged, the Misfit has a steady view of life and acts according to what he believes is right. His beliefs and actions
The Misfit is a complex character created by Flannery O’Connor. He is talked about first when the Grandmother reads his criminal background at the breakfast table. Right when the Misfit meets the family the Grandmother starts questioning his faith and past, and through the Grandmother’s persistent behavior that you find out the truth behind the Misfits hard exterior. The reader understands that the Misfit was brought up by parents who were the “finest people in the world” (O’Connor 1312). With this type of background, how can one expect the Misfit to be such a cold blooded killer? Because of his kind nature in the beginning of the story, it’s almost impossible to understand how he could just kill. Through deeper analysis one can
In the Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” we find out that the title indicates of what the story is about. The title actually came from the lyrics of a song written by Eddie Green in 1918. The title of “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Conner is quite ironic really. The reader expects to eventually find a good man in the story, but is quite surprised at the ending of the story. The title "A Good Man is Hard to Find" is expressed clearly in this story by introducing a variety of male personalities that all have one thing in common; they are not truly good men.