Is Gimpel Really A Fool

In Flannery O’Connor’s short stories, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “Good Country People,” the main characters’ trust is put to the ultimate test. Trapped in vulnerable situations, the protagonists become powerless and have to put their trust in the hands of the “bad guy.” As a result, the main characters fall victim to manipulation. Those who were once in total control of their situations are now stripped of their superior titles and are taken advantage of by the person they once trusted. Egos are bruised in the game of trust and manipulation in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “Good Country People.” The grandmother and Joy-Hulga are taught lessons of a lifetime that changes the way they see themselves and life forever.

     The other view that Glaspell shows in this play is a sympathy that the reader grows for the women. How they are forced to follow the men. Like when they are asked to get close to the fire, they do it even though Mrs. Peters

The grandmother, the main character of the story, is manipulative. Her definition of a ‘good man’ refers to the characteristics that a ‘good man’ should possess.

Furthermore, Gimpel’s actions, him not believing in violence, make him out to be above that kind of behavior, which doesn't make him a fool at all. It makes the rest of the people look like fools. The townspeople are continuously telling him the stories about; "Gimpel, there is a fair in heaven", "Gimpel, the rabbi gave birth to a calf in the seventh month", and "Gimpel, a cow flew over the roof and laid brass eggs" and he believes these, that’s why he is perceived as a “fool”. In one occasion he reveals how his wife

Purposely, Godwin doesn’t give the characters names. This is important because it implies that the characters are not people, but they represent their role within the family. Godwin mocks a fairy tale by having the characters actions contradict expectations. This is shown when the mother is literally sick at the sight of her family (Godwin 39). Also when the child pretends to be a tiger and scratches the mother, scaring her off so she didn’t want to be alone with the boy anymore. The husband doesn’t save the wife from her state, he simply “understands” it and finds other solutions. He hires a girl to help care for the boy, but the mother resents this. The mother wishes to be happy with her roles but she cannot accept them, and despises the perfect girl for doing what she is unable to (Godwin 40-41 ).

Girroir and the girls out so they would not get wet; from the look on their faces I knew it wasn’t good. I parked the car and opened my umbrella I felt the sloshing of the water beneath my feet with each step. I sat in the waiting room, anticipating the moment when they would come out of Mr. Girroir’s room. I saw Mrs. Girroir first; she had a blank expression on her face. No tears, only shock. I could hear Annabelle and Helens whimpers down the hall. I knew he was gone, what a day to die.

In the dram “Trifles” Glaspell uses symbolism and irony to prove how men’s lack of empathy toward women cause their downfall. This is the investigation drama where some officers are investigating a crime scene where a woman, Mrs. Wright, reportedly murdered her husband and while the officers were investigating they brought their wives to collect some clothing for her. By what they were saying, the officers were laughing at their wives because they thought they were paying attention to unimportant things, thus ‘trifles’. Where all the wives solved the case and the men did not.There is an obvious segregation between the men and the women, social, psychological, and physical.“Nothing here but kitchen things”.This was the first belittling comment

Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find tells the story of a family from Atlanta, Georgia as it makes it way to Florida for a vacation. The five members of the family include the grandmother, her son Bailey and his wife. Among the passengers are three children, one of whom is still a baby. There fatal deaths in the end illustrate the belief that everybody has their own unique flaws. The grandmother plays a pivotal role in the story considering the fact that she selfishly convinces the family to divert momentarily from the expected route. In From ‘One of My Babies’: The Misfit and the Grandmother, Stephens Bandy points out that the grandmother was extremely evil. John Desmond, on the other hand suggests that the grandmother is not necessarily a strictly evil person. With reference to the short story, this paper explores Bandy’s and Desmond’s critique’s of A Good Man is Hard to Find. The paper argues that the grandmother is absolutely to do anything for her selfish gains. Furthermore, the paper argues that people are not entirely good or evil, but respond to different events in unique ways.

While each proses a serve of justice and determination to do the right thing; the men approach the crime scene emotionless, indifferent and determined to go in and get to the bottom of the mystery as quick as possible, and push aside the little details. Little do they know that the things they are putting off could be very essential to their case? For example, in a conversation between the attorney and Mr. Hale who remarks, “..I said to Harry that I didn’t know as what his wife wanted made such a difference to John..” who was interrupted by the attorney in mid conversation and interjects, “Let’s talk about that later, Mr. Hale. I do want to talk about that, but tell now just what happened when you got to the house.” (1127) Meanwhile, while the men are out on their hunt for clues, the women stay in the kitchen to look through Mrs. Wright’s things and discuss a motive for why she killed her husband. Glaspell proposes a plan that by looking deeper into circumstances, you may in turn fully understand its true meaning; leaving no stone left unturned.

Her main lie is that of the needle and poppet, “I have been near murdered every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil’s people,” (108). Her integrity is lost when she falsely accuses the innocent woman and her persistent lying solidifies her loss of

The character of the mother executes the tell-tale signs of counterfeit happiness when she tells the murderous story of the narrator’s father’s brother. “‘Oh honey,’ she said, ‘there’s a lot that you don’t know. But you are going to find out’” (36).

Manipulation is a major theme in the story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. In the story, the grandmother

The conflict between Gram and God is that he stops believing in God when his wife dies in an accident. She was taking a walk when the veterinarian of the town began to fall asleep and crashed into Grams wife and then into a tree. She ended up stuck between the truck and the tree with no way to save her she died. Gram wondered why God had taken his wife if he had been a respectable priest. He felt hatred towards God for taking away his wife and he didn’t want to hate God.

When he is right they belittle him and talk to him as if he were wrong, Gimpel would say "Ah you're kidding!"(301). That means trouble for him; the townspeople came back and say, " What do you mean! You want to call everyone a liar?"(301). Gimpel has no way of winning with the townspeople. It is just better and easier for him to go along with what they have to say so he would not have to have an argument. Gimpel also told himself that nothing is really impossible.

The story had a theme that you should not trust everyone you meet right away. The man who went to visit the insane asylum, was too trustworthy and trusted Monsieur Maillard too soon. He believed