Violence In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

Leonard, Douglas Novich. “EXPERIENCING FLANNERY O'CONNOR'S "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"”.Interpretations 14.2 (1983): 48–54.

The short story I chose for my critical essay is a story that caught my attention with a gentle and inspiring title and as I began to turn pages it suddenly evolved into a theme that caught me off guard and I quickly became intrigued by elusive style of writing the author used to express this story in a unique form of literature. After reading Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, I will discuss the vivid historical and cultural context the author revealed to the story’s setting in relation to its style and how the main character is exposed to different parallels of what she considers to be a good man in time that is dealing with

Violence in the short story is very interesting because its so apparent and yet so deep. Towards the end of the story, the Misfit says to Grandmother “She would of been a good woman . . . if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.” Flannery O’Connor doesn’t say that being exposed to violence makes them better people, but the message is clear: violence changes us as a people (both in the story and in the real world). Up until the very end, each member of the family, mostly Grandmother, acted egotistically and only focused in herself. None of the characters take a minute to evaluate whats right and wrong for themselves or anyone else. They all react based on their instincts without thinking things through so much. But when Grandmother is put in a life or death situation where she’s forced to carefully pick her words and actions, she is suddenly capable of a being more selfless and spiritually sound. The Grandmother’s everyday considerations probably have nothing to do with her son or the kids, really anyone in her family, but when she is faced with her own mortality she has this moment of “grace”—she calls the Misfit her own son, and reach makes an effort, emotionally and physically, hoping to save herself or comfort him. In the end, however, the Grandmother’s moment of “grace” ends up getting her killed. O’Connor

First of all the grandma specifically states she would never bring her children near the Misfit that is on the loose. She basically says she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if the unthinkable did happen. One could expect them not to run into him, and if they did the grandma would be able to get them out of the unfortunate situation, “The Misfit sprang back as if a snake had bitten him and shot her three times through the chest” (O’Connor 13). This is especially ironic because the family did come in contact with the Misfit and the ended up all getting killed. This way she didn’t have to deal with her conscience, because she was soon dead after meeting up with the dangerous Misfit.

In Flannery O'Connor's short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” a twisted criminal known only as “The Misfit” captures a family of four and a grandmother that he runs into during his escape. As he proceeds to execute each family member, he breaks down the grandmother’s weak moral code. Why does O’Connor use such a violent character? O’Connor uses The Misfit’s twisted but unbreakable moral code to expose the grandmother’s own moral weakness and hypocrisy.

The other major character in O'Connor's short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find" is the Misfit. This character is first introduced immediately after the family traveling from George to Florida has a car accident. The Misfit, unlike the Grandmother, has a clear understanding of himself. For example, he explains that "…I ain't a good man … but I ain't the worst in the world

According to the narrative, The Grandmother still loves and cares for The Misfit. At the beginning of the story, The Grandmother worries and is much concerned about her family, including The Misfit, whose accounts she has been reading in the dailies. The misfit found the grandmother to be quite bothersome. The Misfit is a brutal killer who has ran away from the prison and his whereabouts are not known. When the car she was travelling in flips over and lands in a ditch and the approaching car appears to have The Misfit on board, The Grandmother quickly recognizes The Misfit.

The Humbling of Prideful Women It has been said that God will humble those who refuse to humble themselves. This certainly seems to be the case for protagonists in the short Stories “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor and “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant. “The Necklace” tells the story of Mathilde, a French woman living in the early 1900s, whose pride drives her insatiable materialistic nature and transforms her into her own antagonist through a journey of self-destruction. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” introduces us to a Southern Grandmother whose prideful nature ultimately proves to be her fatal flaw during an encounter with the antagonist known as “The Misfit”. Despite the vastly different settings and events of these

The memories that the grandmother had seen over the years has followed her and that is why she says that good people are hard to fine. The grandmother replies that he is a good man the wife will come to the table with food and thoughts. When someone shows someone the bad side of people that person will often see that people that are good are often hard to find in the world we live in today. The grandma is then forced to talk about the encounter of the misfit when her family went on vacation. A quote from the story that shows this is “you wouldn't shoot a lady would you?

Because she is never given a name and only a title, it is likely that she is a representation of all people. She represents society and humankind through her battle with manipulation and arrogance. The grandmother is shown to be a monster because she sees herself as a very harmless, caring person, but in reality she is fairly cunning, manipulative, and oblivious to the world around her. Right at the beginning of the story, she does not want to go to Florida with her family and “was seizing every chance to try to change Bailey’s mind”. The grandmother’s potent nature and selfish ways are shown through her use of the word “seizing”. Rather than simply asking or trying to change their mind, she is forcefully “seizing” it. She tries to tell them that “an enraged killer, The Misfit,” was out there. The main reason she even introduces the Misfit is “to change Bailey’s mind” about going to Florida rather than any serious worries about her family’s protection and well-being. This is ironic because in the end she is the one begging the Misfit not to kill her, and attempting to convince him that he is a good man. She is heartless, selfish, and willing to do anything to get her way. The grandmother is also very prideful and obsessed with appearances, when she states, “In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady”(394).

One of the most memorable lines from “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” comes from the Misfit when he says, “She would have been a good woman if it had been someone there to shoot her for every minute of her life (O’Connor 309).” Flannery O’Connor’s depiction of Christian faith can be seen in almost all of her works. Inevitably, the plots in all of O’Connor’s stories end with a shocking conclusion, and this leaves the reader with freedom to interpret the central idea. From the endless list of themes that O’Connor embeds into her stories, “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” is largely influenced by divine grace, hypocrisy, bitter reality, and white supremacy.

The family quickly leaves Atlanta and is on their way to Tennessee. The grandma’s valise moves the cage of Patty Sing and the cat quickly lands on Bailey’s lap enough to scare him off and cause an accident. The van does a severe turn and causes them all to get out of the car. Once, they realize there has been an accident, the kids start to scream frighten for their lives. A man with two young fellows approaches the accident and questions the family. The grandma recognizes the man as “The Misfit” he then, feels threatened by the grandma knowing who he is, and decides to end their lives. Theme plays a vital role by proving the grandma’s theory of no good man left in this world; Imagery shows itself by the author describing each individual in the story; Symbols portrays itself by the grandma’s hat and negative colors, as well as avoiding a

The short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” written by Flannery O’Connor in 1953 is a short story about a family’s misfortune after a car wreck. O’Connor describes mankind’s age old struggle with the concept of good versus evil. In O’Connor’s interpretation of the theme of good versus evil she uses one family’s unassuming adventure to paint a picture of how good will not always overcome evil. This analysis will attempt to prove that the theme of good versus evil is present throughout all aspects of the story, as seen in its characters, motifs, and symbolism, thus producing a compelling and exploratory piece of literature.

Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find’ tells of a seemingly normal family with a bit of dysfunction. Throughout this tale, the author fabricates a number of characters, some inconsiderable, others full of depth and history that present themselves wildly open to interpretation. Looking into O’Connor’s past, it is clear to see her relationship with a number of these fictional minds and pull from these the meaning behind her hidden pain and anguish. We are therefore presented with a mother and sons family who are prisoners in a manipulative, destructive relationship.

Violence can be described as a behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something. Violence has been around from the beginning and can be seen through history in writing and events that occurred. In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, violence’s jarring effects on societal members are evidenced through various relationships and partnerships, portraying society’s corrupt ideologies and ethics.