Critical analysis on "A good man is hard to find" Essay

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" A Good Man is Hard to Find" there are a variety of themes. The themes in this short story are: the grace of the grandmother and The Misfit, the vague definition of a “good man”, and the class of the grandmother. All of these themes are apparent to any reader, but it does not quite seem to match O’Connor’s depth style way of writing. The two characters, the Grandmother and the Misfit change from beginning to end. Even though they are both different as night and day, they both have principles and stand by their principles no matter what the circumstance.

If you were to ask someone what their definition of a happy life would be, they would probably give you an answer like, “having fun.” This is completely untrue in Aristotle’s terms. According to Aristotle, for a man to lead a happy life he must learn each of the intellectual virtues, and practice each of the moral virtues throughout his life. These moral virtues are justice, courage, temperance, magnificence, magnanimity, liberality, gentleness, prudence, and wisdom. With so many virtues to constantly abide by, a man cannot know if he has led a happy life until his life is nearly finished. In the story “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’ Connor, the question is

When an author writes a story, he or she will generally use different writing techniques to create the piece. These techniques have the ability to turn a story into something truly unique, as they allow the story to unfold in it’s own way. In the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, author Flannery O’Connor used the techniques of symbolism and foreshadowing throughout the entire piece to create a deeply captivating story, as so many of the details mentioned in the beginning of the story are glimpses of the end.

In the short story A Good Man Is Hard to Find, written by Flannery O’Connor, the theme that the definition of a ‘good man’ is mysterious and flawed is apparent. The reader must realize that it is difficult to universalize the definition of a good man because every person goes through different experiences. Thus, these experiences affect his or her viewpoint and in turn flaw ones view on a good man. O’Connor conveys this theme through her excellent use of diction, imagery, foreshadowing, and symbolism as well as through a creative use of repetition and an omniscient point of view.

In "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," Flannery O'Connor represents her style of writing very accurately. She includes her "themes and methods - comedy, violence, theological concern - and thus makes them quickly and unmistakably available" (Asals 177). In the beginning of the story O'Connor represents the theme of comedy by describing the typical grandmother. Then O'Connor moves on to include the violent aspect by bringing the Misfit into the story. At the end of the story the theme changes to theological concern as the attention is directed towards the grandmother's witnessing. As the themes change throughout the story, the reader's perception of the grandmother also changes.

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.

Violence and the indefinable definition of a “good man” are two major themes utilized by O’Connor throughout the short story. Violence is a huge factor across America as much as it was when “A Good Man is Hard To Find” was published. Although during those times most individuals were against violence and murder and reacted negatively. People during those times reacted negatively and believed those who committed crimes should be sentenced to death or to cruel punishment. In the short story,

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.

Flannery O’Connor wrote “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” in 1953, and the story follows a man named Bailey and his family as they travel to Florida for a vacation. The story has a bit of a dark ending as it ends with the entire family being killed by a criminal on the run named, The Misfit. Reading through the story the first time O’Connor uses good description of several things throughout, but after further reading and examining it’s noticed that O’Connor is actually foreshadowing the families death in multiple areas.

The choice of language and themes in these two stories are influenced by the historical context during which the works were written. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” emphasizes on the ‘so-called faithful’ as hypocrites and liars that tainted the religious belief in the mid-20th Century. “The Tell-Tale Heart” on the other hand contains themes on madness, superstition, and elements of guilt, which trace their origin to the American Gothic Literature that existed in the early 19th Century.

Bryant observed: “The numerous ways in which the content of this book of the New Testament dovetails with the characters and theme of ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ could not be a complete accident” (Bryant 162). O’Connor often uses her writing as a way to share her Christian message with the world. After reading, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” it is clear that O’Connor does not accidentally insert biblical references, but thoughtfully places them throughout the work. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, O’Connor’s Christian ideals resonate throughout the writing. O’Connor explores the Christian belief that all beings will receive a chance at redemption. For example, though it may seem as though the only character who deserves an untimely death is the grandmother, it becomes apparent that every character needs forgiveness. The children are rude and unkind to their grandmother. They also evidence the sin of greed when they begin to “yell and scream that they wanted to see the house with the secret panel” to the annoyance of their family (O’Connor 143). The parents fail to respect the grandmother or in Christian terms “their elder.” For example, the grandmother wanted to go to Tennessee, but when she told her son Bailey, he “didn’t look up from his reading” and the family ends up vacationing to Florida (O’Connor 138). To make the religious message of the short story stronger, O’Connor makes the grandmother’s death the most dramatic, or as literary critic Rebecca R.

Throughout the story the grandmother shows evidence of personality disorders, emotionlessness, and controlling character traits. It’s the grandmother’s lack of self-awareness about these characteristics that leads to the death of the family. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a story in which a family from

In the story of “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, I could observe four important characteristics in O’Connor’s writing: destruction of order, death as a teacher, and religion.

In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the author, Flannery O’Connor uses ingenious foreshadowing, characterization, and her southern religious personality to depict the mysterious ways that God is the ultimate controller of human beings.