The Meaning Of The Grandmother In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

The confrontation between the grandmother and The Misfit in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” revolves around Jesus. The grandmother brings up praying to Jesus in hope that she can induce The Misfit to spare her life by appealing to his religious sense. It turns out, however, that The Misfit has probably thought about Jesus more seriously than she has. The Misfit’s doubt in Jesus leads him to think that there is no real right or wrong, and no ultimate point to life.

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

In "A Good Man Is Hard To Find", Grandmother is a deep religious character that gives the story a depth of interest. The reader gets the religious aspect of Grandmother through her actions such as her continually use of the word "Jesus", the conversation with the Misfit, and in the name of her grandson, John Wesley. Although, Grandmother is devoted to her faith, she fears

The grandmother in the beginning seems to be a very curious, kind, and old fashioned woman. As the story progresses she turns into this self-centered selfish woman. She appears like this in times like when she tells story’s (old fashioned) about her past experiences and the excited way she points out things (innocence and kindness.). I dislike that her curiosity is what lead the family to their death. Overall she remained the only character I liked so when she was killed I was left disappointed.

The Grandmother in “A Good Man is Hard To Find” is the one of the most prominent characters in the story. Moreover, her personality is quite interesting and greater than most, for she casts an ascendancy over the other characters in the story. Great in the sense that her personality was quite faceted.; though not a particularly admirable mixed bag of personality elements. Evidence of her complexity is sprinkled throughout the story: The Grandmother enticing her grandchildren to get their father to go to a particular area; her interest and enthusiasm for being regarded as a “lady” (357), which is a euphemism for a term you would use when referring to a woman in the upper class; not to mention, a proclivity for doing whatever she deems necessary to get what she wants. The aforementioned examples are proof that The Grandmother in "A Good Man is Hard To Find" is massively status conscious, manipulative, and juvenile.

The grandmother is the central character in the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’Connor. She is also a very well rounded and dynamic character. She shows various characteristics and reveals various remarks as they story progresses. Some of her qualities include selfish and a pushy person. She is also kind of manipulator in a way that she insists her family to change the plan. At the beginning of the story when we first realize her desire to visit her childhood house, she is being a very selfish person. Examining her conversation with her son Bailey, the grandmother is moreover a pushy person. She is convincing Bailey to change the trip plan according to her need only and which will

     In the short story, 'A Good Man is Hard to Find', the main character is the grandmother. Flannery O'Connor, the author, lets the reader find out who the grandmother is by her conversations and reactions to the other characters in the story. The grandmother is the most important character in the story because she has a main role in the stories principal action. This little old lady is the protagonist in this piece. We learn more about her from her direct conversation with the son, Bailey, her grandchildren, June Star and John Wesley, and the Misfit killer. Through these conversations, we know that she is a lady raised from a traditional background. In the story, her attitude changes

In a Good Man is Hard to Find, this grandmother is very selfish, talkative and manipulative. Throughout this story the grandmother portrayed all of these different personality traits. She is like no grandmother that you have ever seen.

The grandmother feels that God provides the answer to any underlying problems, and the Misfit knows and feels that all of the horrible things he has done are truly not considered morally wrong from his perspective. Towards the end, when the grandmother experienced an epiphany before the Misfit shot her in the chest she stated, “Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children” (11). This made the grandmother realize that she was expressing the true Christian belief that we are all seen as equal in the eyes of God, no matter how murderous someone may be. O’Connor’s use of spiritual insight stripped away the grandmothers self-centeredness, and helped her discover the ability to see others with compassion and understanding. Nonetheless, within “A Good Man is Hard to Find” O’Connor provides great amount of spiritual insight in her short stories mainly as a way to connect her characters with God and to make them recognize the true meaning of individual equality.

The fate of a character in a story is not determined by chance or the timing of the situation, but rather by the decisions they make as a result of who they truly are. In Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” the grandmother transforms from being a narcissistic hypocrite to a generous maternal figure. Her change in compassion ultimately leads her to a selfless position where she elevates the Misfit’s humanity before her own life. Throughout the short story, the grandmother is first presented as a stereotype of Southern hypocrisy with a sense of superiority.

The short story, “A Good Man is Hard To Find” takes a lot of twists and turns which leaves the reader confused yet fascinated. The author keeps the readers waiting for good to overcome the evil. Unlike most stories, this story does not end in an anticipated ending which makes the story more captivating. The author uses conflicts, irony within characters and a twisted plot. This story is portrayed in a way where the reader can learn that it takes a personal crisis to wake someone into their spiritual matter. In this story, the grandmother's journey from a self-observed manipulative person to grace interprets a journey toward salvation.

In the story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, the unprecedented ending was marked by the dramatic last words of the grandmother: “Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own babies.” This revelation furthers the contrast between the families of both the grandmother and the Misfit, while enforcing the similarities between the grandmother and the Misfit. Throughout the story, the author skillfully adds hints to describe the relationship that the grandmother has with her son and her grandchildren.

When the grandmother and the Misfit are alone the grandmother’s selfishness becomes apparent to readers. Even though her family had just been murdered, largely because of the consequences of her selfish acts, she is focused on saving her own life. Furthermore, she tries to convince the Misfit that he is a good man. "I just know you 're a good man." (O’Connor “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” 148) The Misfit replies with, "Nome, I ain 't a good man…but I ain 't the worst in the world neither.” (O’Connor “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” 148) He accepts the fact that he has done wrong but knows there are others who are worst. The grandmother speaks of prayer to the Misfit but is unable to recite one single prayer. She just repeatedly uses Jesus name, almost as if she is cursing. This symbolizes her weak understanding of being a Christian.

In A Good Man Is Hard To Find, God was one of the main subjects in the conversation between the Misfit and the grandmother. This subject matter may have been her realization of what was about to occur, or on the other hand, she may have genuinely felt it would help in persuading him in some way, not to harm her. She used Jesus in many aspects, including rising from the dead, during their brief encounter, searching for the perfect scenario that might possibly alter his seemingly impaired state of mind. While in this conversation, the grandmother also attempted to convince the Misfit of his true honesty and goodness, his ability to focus on becoming a good person, her knowledge he was not a common man, and through prayer, Jesus might help him

The grandmother in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" is very much a manipulator. One of the first things we find out about her is that she didn't want to go to Florida on the grounds that she has relatives to visit in Tennessee. The second thing we find out about her is that "She was seizing every to attempt to change Bailey's main." At whatever point something keeps running up against the grandmother's will, she tries to have it her way. While reading the short story you notice that she never does this directly or confrontationally. Her style is more subtle than that. The readers may ask the question of how can she make an effort not to go to Florida? She didn’t just blurt out and say "Well I to go to Tennessee," she took a different approach