The Lucifer Effect Analysis

In acting like someone she was not and being selfish toward her self she brought her own death upon her. On the other hand, The Misfit, he believes he has done no wrong that the wrong has been done to him, that society was to blame, not him. He thinks ever since his birth he has been on the down side and the put down, from his father to all of society, but he sees himself as no better than anyone else does. He is so kind to everyone even though he sends them one by one to their deaths. He believes he never did anything to deserve to be put into jail, that he was again did wrong.

The Misfit is struggling with his faith in God. While he believes in the existence of a God, he does not believe in an active God. His faith struggles are likely because of the injustice he has experienced as a result of his wrongful conviction of murdering his father. He explains his doubts about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead with the grandmother: “‘I wasn 't there so I can 't say

On the other hand, Flannery O’Connor also characterizes The Misfit with Satan. The connection with The Misfit and Satan is clearly seen when The Misfit starts talking about the penitentiary, “The Misfit said in an almost dreamy voice, ‘but somewheres along the line I done something wrong and got sent to the penitentiary. I was buried alive’” (O’Connor). In this quote The Misfit represents Satan, and the penitentiary represents Hell, Satan’s banishment place. Satan was buried alive because God banished him from heaven to spend an eternity in a grave for the unsaved dead, Hell. An article by FINISH THIS states, “He was a gospel singer once, he fought in a war, he had been an undertaker, and he had ‘plowed Mother Earth.’ He claims that he was sent to a penitentiary, but doesn’t know what he did wrong. ‘I was buried alive,’ he says” (FINISH THIS). FINISH THIS continues with the idea of this biblical reference. The Misfit being a gospel singer that once

Throughout the story, The Misfit says that he is unsure as to why he has been sent to the penitentiary. He states that he did not kill his father like the head doctor said. This makes the reader think that maybe he is innocent. He even goes so far as to compare himself to Jesus.

Of course, the Misfit states that he is not convinced if Jesus truly did everything that has been documented. However, he does state that if Jesus did, “Then there’s nothing for you to do but throw away everything and follow Him.” (O’Connor, 195) Though the Misfit considers the other alternative: “If He didn’t, then it’s nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can—by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him.” Thus, the Misfit never gives a clear answer as to whether he believes or not, but does state, “I wish I had been there, if I had of been there I would of known and I wouldn’t be like I am now.” (O’Connor, 195) According to Hendricks, T.W., and Charles May, “From a Christian point of view, what the Misfit is saying about himself is true of all humanity. We are all being punished for Adam’s disobedience— the Misfit is Everyman.” (Hendricks, T.W., and Charles E. May, 134) After the Misfit states, “No pleasure but meanness,” (O’Connor, 195) here is where the readers may begin to feel sympathy for the Misfit. Until this point, the audience are unable to sympathize for any character. The Misfit is a dense, vile, and cruel man and is responsible for the murder of many people, including the family members of

“According to Freud, the unconscious [mind] continues to influence our behavior and experience, even though we are unaware of these underlying influences” (Cherry). So, because of this, he sacrifices humanity to deal with the pain and thinks nothing of it. Another reason for killing his father could be he was suffering from the Oedipal Complex. The Misfit says, “God never made a finer woman than my mother” (O’Connor). The Oedipal Complex would refer that the Misfit has, “fallen in love with one parent and developed hatred for the other” (Gill). His desire for his mother drove him to eliminate his father. Unlike the Grandmother, religion was not a factor for the Misfit. He thought God, “shown everything off balance” (O’Connor). He believed rationally only what he could sense. O’Connor made this one of the Misfit’s greatest faults. To Summarize, the Misfit’s experiences and religious disbelief kept him from being a recognizably “good” person in O’Connor’s eyes.

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

The Misfit on the other hand is a borderline psychopath, who is extremely violent; he commits these violent crimes on people and sees nothing wrong with it. The Misfit does not see the things he does as wrong because he had to serve time in prison for a crime he claims he did not do, so all of his actions have been paid for by his time in prison. He told the Grandmother “Jesus thrown everything off balance. It was the same case with Him as with me except he hadn’t committed any crime and they could prove I had committed one because they had the papers on me (461).” He compares himself to Jesus because of his thoughts of his innocence. He believes since neither of them committed a crime and both got charged for something they did not do that they are the same. He believes everything wrong he does has been paid for by his unnecessary jail time.

The Misfit on the other hand, acknowledges that he is not a good man but he “ain’t the worst in the world neither (364).” He accepts his misdeeds but he does not believe that the punishment he receives fit with the wrong he has done. He goes by the name ‘The misfit,’ because of how he really feels like. It is apparent that he is from a good family background from the way he describes his parents. “God never made a finer woman than my mother and my daddy’s heart was pure gold (363).” He does not deny the existence of a supreme God, and he does

Grace, an important theme to O'Connor, is specified to both The Grandmother and The Misfit, suggesting that even people like the grandmother and The Misfit have the likelihood to be saved by God. The grandmother, motivated by the Misfit’s wish to know for sure what Jesus did and did not do, experiences a instant of grace when her head momentarily clears and she calls out, “Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children!” (1,053). The Misfit is not factually the grandmother’s child; but this quote expresses her bewilderment she is experiencing. She sees her son Bailey as The Misfit because he is wearing Bailey’s shirt. Her comment about The Misfit seems unsuitable, but this is truly the grandmother’s most well-spoken moment in the story. She has clearness and, more importantly, sympathy. God has granted her grace just before she dies. The Misfit, too, is open to grace at this moment. He demanded earlier, “It’s no real

The Misfit states that “if I had been there [and seen Jesus raise from the dead] I would of known and I wouldn’t be like I am now” (O’Connor 1316). This means that if the Misfit knew the truth about Jesus Christ he would not be a killer and maybe he’d have some faith. This truth agrees with Martha Stephens’s when she says that “everything the Misfit has done, everything he so monstrously does here, proceeds from his inability to accept Christ, to truly believe” (Stephens 1320). This does not encompass the fact that although the Misfit just does not trust the work of Jesus Christ, the Misfit can never change because of lack of knowledge about what Jesus has done. In order for the Misfit to change he has to know that the works of Jesus Christ are true, the Misfit can never just “believe”. To the Misfit believing would mean knowing, and knowing would mean to witness all of what Jesus Christ has done.

“It was a head-doctor at the penitentiary said what I had done was kill my daddy but I known that for a lie” (258). From this passage, no information is revealed regarding his alleged crimes, and for that reason, the Misfit cannot possibly be viewed as a crazy-minded psycho. The assumption that the Misfit was unjustly convicted needs to be considered as a possibility. Another point that needs to be addressed is that the Misfit has been through hard times. He enlisted in the Marine Corps and served overseas in far-off lands. He married twice in his life and sadly divorced. Along with sacrificing for his country and ending two painful marriages, he worked low-paying, hard-labor jobs such as undertaking, farming, and working on the railroad. Making his life even more miserable, the Misfit experienced dreadful, disastrous events such as escaping deadly tornados and watching a man burn to a crisp. “Been in the arm service, both land and sea, at home and abroad, been twict married, been an undertaker, been with the railroads, plowed Mother Earth, been in a tornado, seen a man burnt alive oncet” (258). Besides being a good citizen of the United States, his goal was to escape without hurting anyone in the process. The Misfit informs the grandmother that he has no intention of stealing anything from anyone, “Nobody had nothing I wanted” (258). When the Misfit appears in the story, he is shown as being

The Misfit claims to have been raised by “the finest people in the world”. He went on to say that his, “…god never made a finer woman than my mother, and my daddy’s heart was pure gold.” (Shilb and Clifford 1292) That makes one believe that the Misfit came

One of the first main acts of symbolism in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is the Misfit and the grandmother lack of spiritual faith and saving grace. The Misfit tells us that he came from a good family, but he was from a different breed of dog from his brothers and sisters. Here he tells the grandmother how he came from a good family and how he is different in a bad way, but further educates her on his mother and father. The Misfit is one of God’s very own children, but he went against him and therefore he was punished for his actions. “I never was a bad boy that I remember of, “The Misfit said in an almost dreamy voice, but somewhere along the line I done something wrong and got sent to the penitentiary. I

Religion is a crucial point of the story. Coming to the end of the story, The Misfit and the grandmother are alone together talking. The Misfit's responses to the grandmother's prayers advice reveal that these two individuals are on two very different levels with concern to religion. The Misfit has a much deeper understanding of religion and his belief system than does the grandmother. As the two continue in conversion, the Misfit asks the grandmother if it seems right that Jesus was