A Good Man Is Hard To Find By Mary Flannery O Connor

As I read Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, I find myself being completely consumed by the rich tale that the author weaves; a tragic and ironic tale that concisely and precisely utilizes irony and foreshadowing with expert skill. As the story progresses, it is readily apparent that the story will end in a tragic and predictable state due to the devices which O’Connor expertly employs and thusly, I find that I cannot stop reading it; the plot grows thicker with every sentence and by doing so, the characters within the story are infinitely real in my mind’s eye. As I consider these factors, the story focuses on two main characters; that of the grandmother, who comes across as self-centered and self-serving and

     In the short story, 'A Good Man is Hard to Find', the main character is the grandmother. Flannery O'Connor, the author, lets the reader find out who the grandmother is by her conversations and reactions to the other characters in the story. The grandmother is the most important character in the story because she has a main role in the stories principal action. This little old lady is the protagonist in this piece. We learn more about her from her direct conversation with the son, Bailey, her grandchildren, June Star and John Wesley, and the Misfit killer. Through these conversations, we know that she is a lady raised from a traditional background. In the story, her attitude changes

The grandmother feels that God provides the answer to any underlying problems, and the Misfit knows and feels that all of the horrible things he has done are truly not considered morally wrong from his perspective. Towards the end, when the grandmother experienced an epiphany before the Misfit shot her in the chest she stated, “Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children” (11). This made the grandmother realize that she was expressing the true Christian belief that we are all seen as equal in the eyes of God, no matter how murderous someone may be. O’Connor’s use of spiritual insight stripped away the grandmothers self-centeredness, and helped her discover the ability to see others with compassion and understanding. Nonetheless, within “A Good Man is Hard to Find” O’Connor provides great amount of spiritual insight in her short stories mainly as a way to connect her characters with God and to make them recognize the true meaning of individual equality.

In The Good Man Is Hard to find tells a story about a family that takes a road trip from Georgia to Florida. Along the way they encounter some deep trouble that leads to tragedy. This story is told from the grandmother’s point of view about how people can become bad or good in any given circumstance. Also along the way the grandmother keeps lying to her family about places she visited as a child. These events that the author takes you through shows examples of devastation of a cold hearted individual. Ultimately the author was trying illustrate that no matter how nice you are people will take your kindness for weakness. For that said you have to watch your back no matter where you go.

These are elements of random foreshadowing that helped the reader understand why the grandmother believed so strongly that a good man is hard to find. This would be a prelude to the horrific events that would later unfold when the grandmother encounters the misfit who by all intense purposes was not believed to be a good man.

In the short story “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” O’Connor brings in the focus of the the Misfit, and how he displayed a perception of good vs. evil, when he and the grandmother had a conversation. During the conversation with the grandmother, the grandmother convinced the Misfit that he may be one of her own bringing out an emotional side in him. O’Connor states,

Similarly, the grandmother, one of the central character in “a good man is hard to find”, believes the misfit’s conscience did not quite go out of him. Although the grandmother tells the Misfit that he is good and won’t kill woman couple of times and she tries to persuade the misfit not to kill her, the grandmother and her family murdered by the inhumane and deadly man in the end of the story. There is the doubt that trust is one of the most important element to affect this story.

O’Connor keeps her writing focused throughout “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” as she consistently reiterates the theme of the short story that despite how a person may appear, everyone has a sinister side to their personality. This is especially true for the criminal in the story, The Misfit, as he appears to be like any other typical person. However, despite the appearance he has, he is unlike most others with his sinner-like behaviors. The Grandmother introduces The Misfit early into the story when reading about his recent escape from prison as part of her attempt to convince her son to change the trip destination. " '

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a short story written by Flannery O’ Connor. O’Connor was an American writer whose writings always incorporated humor into a sad or devastating situation. Her collections include 31 short stories, two novels, and a couple of letters and speeches. O’Connor is most famous for her short story works. In numerous works of her, her conscious craftsmanship was revealed and also the devoted role that Roman Catholicism plays in her life (Flannery)

Looking at “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, the reader is introduced to a family very early on in the story. With a particular character standing out, the grandmother. Her

A Good Man is Hard to Find is one of the most controversial short stories written in the 1950s. Written by Flannery O’Connor, the story is about a family who takes a roadtrip to Florida when it takes a turn for the worst. During their trip, they get into a car accident and encounter a dangerous fugitive. The story deals with many themes, but there is one theme that is more prominent than the rest. The theme of moral decay is exhibited throughout the story through the characters of the children, the grandmother, and The Misfit.

Flannery O’Connor was born March 25, 1925, in Savanah, Georgia. She went to what is, now Iowa University and majored in literature. She’s primarily known for her short stories but was a novelist. Flannery O’Connor passed away in 1964 after losing a battle with lupus. The piece of writing that I will be discussing is titled: “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” she wrote this work in 1953 along with several other short stories (Biography.com Editors). To summarize an individual’s life is not what is being established in this writing. What will be discussed, however, is the titled piece: “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” Analyzing the writing, looking with a critical eye about what the writing

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

Religion can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the believer. In fact, people have different ideas and believe of grace and redemption. Many writers and artists exert their religious values and beliefs in their work. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a short story written by Flannery O’Connor in 1953. Her ideas and beliefs of grace and violence are reflected throughout the whole story. The theme of violent versus grace is represented by the character of grandmother’s family, the Misfit, and the grandmother.

The Misfit has his own perception on what is evil in the world. The gradation of the mystery of evil as he sees it ranks him high up on the scale, but not the worst. A good person can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people. To the grandmother in the story. She wants to believe that the Misfit is good in nature. But throughout the story, we as readers would not think the same as her. We are given no hints as to why the Misfit would be a good person, but the grandmother seems to think so. This is only since she feels threatened and is desperately trying to appease the mind of the Misfit. The Misfit thinks that the grandmother is not a good person and she ranks on the scale as more so evil than him. “She would of been a good woman," The Misfit said, "if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life” (O’ Connor 425). The interpretation of that quote meant that if someone were there to correct her wrongs every moment of her life then she wouldn’t be the person that she is now. Since the Misfit never thought what he was doing was wrong, he never needed