Compare And Contrast A Good Man Is Hard To Find

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

Another virtue the grandmother lacks is courage. Courage is “The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger with self-possession, confidence and resolution” (Courage). When The Misfit arrives, the grandmother is nothing but a coward. She exhibits no self-possession, “Alone with The Misfit, the grandmother found that she had lost her voice” (O’ Connor 1116), displayed here when she can’t even speak. She also has no resolution to the situation but to give The Misfit her money, “‘I’ll give you all the money I’ve got!’” (O’ Connor

Southern family preparing to go on what seems to be a typical vacation. The story is humorous at first because the reader is unaware of how the story will end. The tone changes dramatically from amusing to frightening and plays an important part in making the story effective.

In comparing and contrasting Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find” and Joyce Carol Oates's “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” the stories contain very different plots, but they both have similarities between the characters Arnold Friend and Misfit. They appear to be mentally unstable and highly selfish by only caring about their needs. For example, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” Arnold Friend shows his mentality and selfishness by harming the main character Connie by being highly persistent. In "A Good Man is Hard to Find” the Misfit showed his mentality and selfishness by killing the grandmother when she was trying to bring out faith and his good side when the situation escalated when the car crashed. Regardless of these two completely different stories, there are several similarities between the characters Arnold Friend and Misfit in their personalities.

In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” the Grandmother is the protagonist. She is the focus of the narrative and the character whose reactions we encounter the most. More importantly, the third person narrative focuses strongly on the grandmother’s point of view, which establishes her in the reader’s mind much more than any other character. Nevertheless, the grandmother views herself as a rather dignified and traditional woman who appears to judge everyone, but manages to constantly overlook her own flaws. This appears various times such as when she conveys her ideas about the upcoming vacation and June Star states “She has to go everywhere we go” (O’Connor 567), in which merely displays the Grandmother as unwanted by the family. This can be compared to that of the Misfit in the story who also appears to be unwanted by his family. Despite this, the Grandmother continuously positions herself in the family’s everyday activities while imposing her judgment every chance she gets. Moreover, she is censorious of her son and daughter in law for not allowing their children to “see different parts of the world and be broad” (O’Connor 567). She is also critical of her grandchildren for not being like children “In my time” (O’Connor 569) who “were more respectful” (O’Connor 569). By doing this, O’Connor presents a strong characterization of the woman and her virtually unbreakable mindset. However, this story reflects on how through any conflict you can find the good in others, but sometimes it is too late for them to realize their own mistakes. Eventually, the Grandmother confronts evil in the form of The Misfit and seems to show a completely different side of

Thesis Statement: In Flannery O'Connor's short story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find”, the grandmother's journey from being controlling and selfish to graceful symbolizes a Christian's journey toward salvation.

Flannery O’Connor shows her readers a realistic look at their own mortality in “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” The story is about a family of five, a father, mother, grandmother, and two children, starting out on a vacation to Florida from Georgia. The family, on their way to a routine vacation, takes a detour that will change their lives forever. Through the use of literary elements like symbolism and characterization, O’Connor creates a theme of good vs. evil, which can be felt throughout the story by tapping into the audience’s emotions.

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.

The concept of being a “good” person has painted the picture of how people have handled their lives throughout history. On the same note, this concept has also been the subject of much debate; such is the case in Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. The protagonist, the unnamed grandmother struggles to find the “good” in others and herself. O’Conner uses foreshadowing, characterization, and a distinct point of view to make her point. In my interpretation, her point is that only through conflict and turmoil can good truly be found.

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.

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” Theme Analysis “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a short story written by Flannery O’Connor. O’Connor considered one of the greatest short story writers of the 20th century. O’Connor grew up with a devoutly Catholic background which she incorporated into many of her stories. Her writing style is considered 'southern gothic’. Stories in such a style are about flawed and imperfect characters in unfavorable situations.

Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” tells the story of how a grandmother who talks too much, gets her whole family and herself by the notorious Misfit. There wasn't such

The short story, A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor, O’Connor uses characterization to influence how people perceive the story from the thoughts of the grandmother to the actions of carelessness from the grandmother’s family. From the beginning of the story the grandmother warns the family of the escaped convict, the Misfit, but is pushed aside without second thought as was done with many of the older generation during this time. O'Connor also uses the perceived notion of how a woman in this society should act along with social class issues that underlie in the plot of the story to provide the audience clues of the darkness and depth of gender and societal issues that present themselves in everyday life.

Many would say to be good means to be perfect. Just as many would say to be great means you should have wealth and an impeccable social status. For a man to be good it can be believed that one should be strong,respectable,courteous, etc. What one feels is what makes a situation or person good. Really anything is ultimately up to the way that they perceive it to be. In the short story by Flannery O’Connor, “A Good Man Is Hard To Find”, she shows different attributes and personalities of different people with different views on life through the characters that she includes in the story. The story all starts in the family home where the grandmother, her son Bailey, and his wife and children live. The family was all sitting in the living room

A Good Man Is Hard to Find is a short story from Flannery O'Connor's book compilation of various short stories. It was originally published in the late 1950’s and is known for its controversial ending. O’Connor’s famous