Flannery OConnor: A Twentieth Century Fiction Writer 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

O’Connor also poses the contrast between the old and new South in her short story “Good Country People”. Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman represent the old South because of the way in which they carry themselves and their traditional beliefs and values. Mrs. Freeman works for Mrs. Hopewell who states “the reason for her keepin her so long was that they were not trash. They were good country people”(O’Connor 272). Mrs. Hopewell describes Mrs. Freeman and her two daughters as “two of the finest girls she knew and Mrs. Freeman was a lady and that she was never ashamed to take her anywhere or introduce her to anybody they might mett”(O’Connor

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 "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.

Known for her unique collection of short stories, Flannery O’Connor had a major impact on the writing industry during the 20th century. She is still to this day considered one of the most famous American authors. She very well shows that your life really impacts your writing technique, and tone of writing.

O’Connor borrowed these characteristics from her life and used them in the complex characters she would later create. Her Catholic faith is another point that drove O’Connor’s writing, especially given that she grew up in a Protestant-majority region. “Flannery O'Connor put much conscious thought into her dual role of Catholic and fiction writer” (Galloway). Her devout faith plays a huge role in her writing, as most of her characters grapple with salvation and grace. O’Connor’s influences in life were so powerful, they became the same topics that impacted her philosophy in writing.

Upon initially reading Flannery O’Connor’s work, one would have no problem recognizing her use of shocking, violent, or despairing themes. It may not be as easy, however, to completely accept or understand her style. According to Patrick Galloway, one must be “initiated to her trademarks when reading any of her two novels or thirty-two short stories (1).In many of her works, she paradoxically uses styles that are grotesque and brutal to illustrate themes of grace and self-actualization. As O’Connor herself says, “I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to

"A Good Man is Hard to Find" is a short story written by Flannery O'Connor, a significant American writer and essayist. Her writing style reflects the ethnic relation in the South and her own Christian faith. The author writes in third person limited point of view to portray the tragic journey of a family who lived in Georgia in 1953. Bailey wants to take his family to Florida, but his mother, "the grandmother" disagrees with him because there's a dangerous criminal named The Misfit who is also on the way to Florida. Bailey ignores the grandmother's concern and headed to Florida. On the road, The kids and the

Flannery O’connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” has been criticized and talked about and consistently put down since the day it was published. So much mystery surrounds the plot, and only O’connor knows the truth behind it all. There are so many interpretations, ideas, accusations, and even slander over this one particular story, that some people have gotten famous for interpreting it. O’connor died at a particularly young age, so nobody will ever be able to fully understand or uncover the uncertainties of the story. As long as the story, full of comical irony, pride, foreshadowing, and social class, sticks around, so will the critique.

Murder of women, children, and even a baby is a harsh image used by Flannery O’Connor in “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” The imagery is an effective literary device used to convey ironic tragedy, the struggle of female characters, and the family unit. The story follows a family on a trip to Florida when their journey, interrupted by an ill-fated detour resulting in a car wreck, ends in murder after they cross paths with an escaped convict. Family dysfunction, female struggles, and tragedy are common themes in the stories written by Flannery O’Connor, and her characters often referred to as grotesque. In her story “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” she

Mary Flannery O’Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1925 into one of the oldest and most prominent Catholic families in

My first reaction to “A Good Man is Hard to find” was that of sadness and I felt that it was tragic of what happened to the family in the story. I felt really bad for the grandma because no one seemed to be pleased with her or listen to her. I felt like the son was almost tired of dealing with his own mom, or that is the feeling I got from his reactions to her. Even the children did not seem to respect the old lady. O’Connor’s story was very descriptive. Throughout the whole story there were little descriptions of setting that enabled the readers to have a very clear image of the scenery in the story. After some research about the author and the story itself, I came to find that most of O’Connor’s stories are about spirituality, salvation, and morality. From the information on Wikipedia, I found out that she was Catholic. This information sheds some light on this particular story because towards the ending, the conversation between the grandma and the Misfit is about God and praying. I had assumed that the grandma was already a very religious woman but after reading a critical essay on the characters, I found another point of view. In this essay by Sara Kelly, she states that “A Good Man is Hard to Find” exemplifies this principle: a self-righteous grandmother is shocked into spiritual awareness by a murderer (The Misfit).” When I read this statement, it took me a while to try and understand what it meant. I came to the conclusion that this statement meant that the

and justify the violence in the story. The grace is a guise, a rationale that

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 Author of “A Good Man is Hard to find” is Flannery O’Connor. As unique as this title may be, O'Connor didn't develop the title "A Good Man is Hard to Find." It's really the title verse of a song written and performed by Eddie Green back in 1918(Desmond 129). Christianity is the main subject in most of Flannery O'Connor's story’s. She stated that she writes that way because she is a true Catholic. To understand her stories, you must apply her Christian faith, or you will not be able to comprehend her stories (Bandy 107). In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the focus is on individuals needing salvation and the violence that they experience which awakens them to that need. It frequently takes one single disaster to make somebody aware to profound issues. With regards to catastrophe in someone’s life, it sometimes uncovers a spiritual lesson that someone may benefit from. That indeed described the mission that the grandma takes in "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." It’s very important to read this story considering O'Connor's Christian faith and to seek the message demonstrated by the characters and their encounters. 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.