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A Good Man Is Hard To Find Psychological Analysis

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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

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