Southern gothic as a genre is characterized not only by classic manifestations of the macabre and grotesque currents but also by the unique edginess of the American South. The main themes are class problems and social issues, and the overall atmosphere is pervasive and terrifying to the reader. The characters in this genre are deeply damaged and burdened with guilt; they are alienated from the rest of society. The main reason for this is the American outback, which has inevitably changed them and left an imprint of unhappiness in their minds and souls. The Southern Gothic genre highlights include Barn Burning by William Faulkner (1939), and A Good Man Is Hard to find by Flannery OConnor (1953). Both stories cover themes of class inequality and the little man his inability to change the course of history. These stories use same technique building up horror, but OConnor develops it gradually with Baileys mother, and Faulkner is quick with the symbolism of fire and the tyrant father.
Overview of Stories Plots
OConnor has created a story in which a family faces death because of the selfishness of their relative, the grandmother. The grandmother was incapable of dealing with her superstitions and far-fetched fears. Her influence on her son led to a terrible situation for the whole family because the estranged man could not fight his vices. It is important to note that OConnor brought up themes of manipulation and divine redemption that cannot be inherent in one person. The writer demonstrated that some people remain fools despite their efforts.
Faulkner writes about current issues class struggle, racism, child abuse. The main character is an alienated child who cannot cope with his fathers influence on his actions. Little Sarty has become the catalyst for new disasters the burning barns by his cruel father. This little story is about how the boy was able to make amends and prevent fires, thereby saving his mother and aunt. Faulkner revealed characters who find themselves trapped in a Southern racist environment in which the lives of many classes of society continue to be a resource rather than a boon.
Comparison of the Main Characters
Baileys mother, grandmother, young lady, old lady all names fit the woman who led her family to deaths. OConnors main character is an old-fashioned Southern woman who lives in the past in which Christian motives are the primary sources of wisdom and action. However, she has turned away from God because her every gesture and word contradicts the new Bailey family he was trying to create (Rath 87). Grandmother is heartbroken; she is unaware of her inferiority because she believes that every character trait is an expression of God, and arguing with him is sin (OConnor 3). Throughout the story, the grandmother nags her son and daughter-in-law; she puffs up the atmosphere and scares them. In the end, her behavior turned out to be sinful and immoral because she didnt realize that she would never get redemption because of her stubbornness.
Sarty is still a toddler trapped in the horrible conditions of an abusive father who held the whole family in fear. He is too young to contemplate redemption like Baileys mother. He does not understand Gods plan and does not try to know it because the immediate problem the abusive father worries him more. Sarty sees imperfection because he knows the truth and facts, not like Baileys old lady lives on speculation. Little Sarty realizes things quickly, and every action is swift and impulsive. Boy redeemed himself because he appeared to Major de Spain and warned of a future fire. He juxtaposed the facts, the past despot father, and found the strength to prove it, even if he only shouted the word barn! (Faulkner 13). Unlike Baileys grandmother, Sarty is smart and was able to renounce his limited upbringing by his abusive father.
Family Ties: Selfishness
Baileys mother is not only the protagonist; she is the selfish evil locked in her limited past. This person has no idea of how the world has changed on the outside: the criminals output is recognized by the newspapers, the outfits are old and ugly, the mindset of a conservative (Rath 88). The woman does not want to accept reality and naively believes that she is still an authority for her sons family. However, the family perceives her as a burden, which is hard to get rid of. The woman is a burden to be borne because of the deep-seated belief in the importance of family ties.
Unfortunately, these ties can be aggravating; they make the reader fear such a family: a stage of denying the value of the relationship sets in. Selfish people are in every family; they pull the blanket over themselves and do not think about the bond. People like Baileys mother are especially frightening because it isnt a soul in this green world of Gods that you can trust (OConnor 5). Relatives cease to be part of the actual bond, so they continue to be a burden to remind themselves, like Baileys mother, to prove that they are essential.
The selfish and cruel antagonist in Barn Burning is Sartys oppressive, abusive father, Abner Snopes. He is a vile man who does not accept the reality of the new world because it falls out of his conception of the order of being. He hurls racist insults, saying, maybe he wants to mix some white sweat with it, which would seem horrible to a modern person and depress the setting (Faulkner 7). Abner hurts his wife and child and even uses violence during arguments. Abner is insane, he holds his family in fear and only hides behind family ties to pursue his goals.
Family ties are worthless to Abner because they are only a tool of pressure. At the beginning of the story, he explains to his son: You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you aint going to have any blood to stick to you (Faulkner 4). Maybe Abner believes this, but the truth is that he only needs blood to spill it: never mind wife, mother, and slave (Sauermann 4). He values no ones life and holds on only to his selfish idea of fire and violence. Abner is a more frightening figure than Baileys mother because he deliberately causes pain.
Conclusion
Thus OConner and Faulkners stories combine many features of the classic Southern grotesque: class injustice, the silenced American South, alienated and abandoned characters. The main common thread is one of horror: OConnor slowly reveals a selfish and unnecessary old woman as the main evil; Faulkner tells of an abandoned boy who his father abuses. Both writers raised the theme of family bonds that selfish relatives use to change and dominate their families. However, antagonists, grandmother and Satrys father, are led by fate to what they have always feared deep down: loneliness.
Works Cited
Faulkner William. Barn Burning. Harper, 1939.
OConnor Flannery. A Good Man is Hard to Find. The Avon Book of Modern Writing, 1953.
Rath, Sura P. Theorizing Space and Place in Flannery OConnors Fiction. Flannery OConnor Review, vol. 15, 2017, pp. 86101, Web.
Sauermann, Miklas Pascal. The Significance of Blood Ties in Faulkners Barn Burning. SSRN, 2020. Web.
OConnor is one of the famous writers who have made tremendous contributions in the world of literature. She holds a belief that violent situations usually enable peoples real characters to emerge. She argues that once it surfaces, it demonstrates a mans innate desires as well as his dark side.
She uses violence in a rhetorical manner in the story entitled A Good Man Is Hard to Find , which confirms her beliefs. OConnor argues that extreme circumstances usually reveal the true nature of human beings. Violence is usually defined as the use of physical force or emotional torment in order to get something from someone as well as in situations where people want to satisfying their desires.
Violence situation in the story entitled A good man is hard to find begins when the family is on a road trip to Florida during the vacation. To some extent, violence begins in an indirect manner when the grandmother secretly plans to use tactics that would make her Son Bailey to change his mind so that she would visit plantations she had earlier visited.
After inciting the children, they become excited and they yearn to visit the house that has some family silver. The grand mother incites them and it is said that The children begins to yell and scream that they wanted to see the house& (OConnor, Todays Words: A Good Man Is Hard To Find ).
This provokes John Wesley to kick the drivers seat in the verge of making his dad agree to their demand, making his father to lose control and they land into a ditch. Out of that violent situation, we are able to establish grandmothers characters which include being selfish and self-centered. She seems to be narcissistic in nature and this has become apparent during the incident that leads to an accident.
It is also evident that John Wesley is mean, a character that comes out clearly during the incident. Earlier on we see a situation whereby, John Wesley is asked what he would do to Misfit. His answer is Id smack his face (OConnor, Todays Words: A Good Man Is Hard To Find ). Hitting the backseat creates a scenario where violence is evident. The situation depicts the boys violent nature
Misfit, who is an escaping prisoner, had killed his father before he was arrested. This is situation that portrays him as a violent character. However, he denies the allegations saying that his father died of flu. In the bush, the sound of guns are heard when Bailey and his son are taken there by Hiram and Bobby Lee.
The reason they are taken there is unknown at first. One would think they want to get some information from them. Both Hiram and Bobby Lee act violently since they kills Bailey and his son Hiram puts on Baileys shirt. Two more pistol shots are heard and the grandmother begs for her life. First, she does not take into account that her children and grandchildren could be in danger.
She tells Misfit &I know you wouldnt shoot a lady& (OConnor, Todays Words: A Good Man Is Hard To Find ). Out of this violent situation, we find that she consider her welfare first before thinking about the rest; a character that emerges clearly symbolizing her dark side.
The first pistol shot and the subsequent ones in the incident mark the killing of Bailey, his wife and children. Misfit also shoots the grandmother three times on the chest after having debate about Christ killing her instantly. Out of this situation, we find that misfit is an antagonist of Christ and he seems to be provoked by discussions about him.
The grandmother thought that misfit is a good man more than she thought of her children. It is evident that before the violence, Misfit displays some characters that would make people see him as a nice person. He is even apologetic to the grandmother. However, he confronts, endangered as well as murders the entire family. Previously, he was a gospel singer and did other jobs which made people think he was a nice man; however, Misfit has a dark side that clearly came out in his acts of violence and coercion.
He can do anything including killing innocent people instead of letting them live in case they recognize him. This reveals his animosity nature. Initially, he tells the grandmother that it would have been better for them all if she did not recognize him. Misfit reprimands Bobby Lee by making fun of the grandmother. This makes us learn of his desperation. We find him saying Shut up, Bobby Lee&its no real pleasure in life (OConnor, Todays Words: A Good Man Is Hard To Find ).
In conclusion, OConnor is able to show her belief concerning violence in this story. It is worth noting that in violent situations, a man usually exposes the traits that are least dispensable in his character. That is the personality which is enduring in an individual.
One of the reasons why the short story A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor is being commonly referred to, as such that represents a high literary value, is that while exposed to it, readers become enlightened as to the fact that, while remaining affiliated with the provisions of the religion-based morality, people grow increasingly dangerous to themselves and their close relatives.
After all, as the author shows in this particular story, it is named on the account of self-righteous/pious but perceptually arrogant individuals (such as the character of Grandmother) that the saying road to hell is made out of good intentions continues to reflect the actual effects of this type of people being allowed to influence the societys functioning. In her story, OConnor also exposes the sheer fallaciousness of the Christian dogma that Jesus does help people that believe in his mission of saving mankind. In my paper, I will explore the validity of the above-suggestion at length.
The plot of OConnors story is a rather straightforward one. It is being concerned with the description of the road-trip, undertaken by the members of one Southern family (the characters of Bailey, his wife, their two young children John Wesley and June Star and the Grandmother) from Atlanta, Georgia, down to Florida. During this trip, the Grandmother never ceases to act as an authority figure, while manipulating her grandchildren psychologically.
Consequently, Bailey loses control of the car and, after having survived the accident, the travelers end up stranded on one of the secondary dirt roads. While there, they get to be approached by three dangerously looking men with handguns in their hand. The Grandmother recognizes the notorious Misfit (an escaped prisoner) in one of them. This seals the familys fate escaped prisoners decide to kill just about everyone that traveled in the car so that they would not be reported to the authorities.
The closer analysis of the storys themes and motifs points out to the authors implicit intention in making readers conclude that much of the blame for what happened to Baileys family can be assigned to the character of Grandmother, as an individual who was willing to misrepresent her real agenda, within the context of how she used to position herself in life. For example, even though the real reason why the Grandmother did not want to go to Florida is that she wanted to visit East Tennessee, she nevertheless never admitted to this.
Instead, the Grandmother was trying to convince Bailey and his wife that there could be very little educational value in preferring Florida, as the trips destination: You all ought to take them (children) somewhere else for a change so they would see different parts of the world and be broad (OConnor 1). This, of course, reveals the character of Grandmother as a hypocritical person respectable on the outside, but strongly selfish on the inside. The author wanted to expose this particular psychological trait, on the part of the Grandmother, as being representative of how religious people go about addressing life-challenges.
For example, even though that the official reason why Catholic clergymen oppose the distribution of condoms in Third World countries, is that they want to prevent the murder of unborn children, the actual rationale behind such their agenda is different. By acting in such a manner, these people simply want the Third World countries to continue to suffer from the problem of overpopulation, which causes poverty. After all, as sociologists are well aware, the more impoverished a particular society is, the more its members are willing to embrace religion pure and simple. Thus, it is indeed appropriate in referring to the character of Grandmother as the embodiment of the well-meaning but essentially deceitful Christian values.
The validity of this suggestion can also be illustrated, in regards to how the Grandmother acted, after having realized that there was no secret panel in the house, which she wanted to visit: The horrible thought she (the Grandmother) had had before the accident was that the house she had remembered so vividly was not in Georgia but Tennessee (4). Instead of admitting her mistake, the Grandmother decided to allow the rest of the travelers to remain uninformed that there was no reason for them to switch to the dirt road in the first place.
Enough, the Grandmother expected that her little dirty secret would remain concealed; while growing ever more self-convinced that there was no secret panel in the first place. It is understood, of course, that by continuing to keep her travel companions in the dark as to the secret panels non-existence, the Grandmother acted immorally. Yet, she did not act any more immoral than the Orthodox Churchs high-ranking officials, for example, who despite being thoroughly aware that the miracle of the so-called holy fire being ignited by God himself, during the Easter celebrations, is, in fact, a fake (they admit to it unofficially), nevertheless continue glorifying it.
Apparently, by exposing readers to this particular episode in her story, OConnor strived to emphasize the fact that, despite the religious peoples belief that they do have what it takes to be able to lead others, this is far from being the case. This simply could not be otherwise; because ones strong affiliation with the conventions of a religious morality naturally causes the concerned individual to adopt an intellectually arrogant stance in life. As a result, such a person becomes utterly incapable of assessing the surrounding reality adequately. Another consequence of the religious peoples intellectual arrogance is that as time goes on, they begin to accept as true the essentially nonsensical fables, such as the Biblical accounts of talking donkeys, impregnating holy ghosts and the sun standing still in the sky.
Even though that, on a conscious level, religious people do realize the sheer fallaciousness of the earlier mentioned accounts, they nevertheless apply a mental effort into silencing the voice of reason in their minds, in this respect, so that they may continue to believe in the possibility of miracles. This explains why, after having realized that there was no secret panel in the house she wanted to visit, the Grandmother simply suppressed such her realization mentally, as it was causing her a great deal of emotional discomfort.
What has been mentioned earlier, however, is only part of the problem. Because it is in the very nature of just about any monotheistic religion to divide people into those that are being favored by God (chosen people), on the one hand, and infidels, on the other, religiously-minded individuals are by definition intolerant. There is another memorable episode in A Good Man Is Hard to Find by, where the Grandmother applies a derogatory term to a Black boy, she saw out on the street: Oh look at the cute little pickaninny! she (the Grandmother) said and pointed to a Negro child standing in the door of a shack (2).
It never occurred to the Grandmother that there was something wrong about the fact that her remark implied the Black peoples sub-humanity just as it never occurred to White slave-owners back in the past that by treating Black slaves as a soulless commodity, they were acting immorally. After all, the good book does endorse slavery as a thoroughly appropriate state of affairs.
The fact that the Grandmother was a hypocritical person is also being revealed in the scene, where she begs the Misfit to spare her life: Pray! Jesus, you ought not to shoot a lady. Ill give you all the money Ive got! (7). If the Grandmother was indeed faithful to Jesus, as she believed she was, she would not be trying to hang on to life with all her might. After not all, according to Jesus, peoples physical existence is not worth even a penny, and it is namely the prospect of being able to reunite with the savior in the kingdom of heaven, which true believers are supposed to prioritize above everything else.
Enough, the Misfit was presenting the Grandmother with such a prospect yet, she proved herself rather unenthusiastic, in this respect. Instead, the Grandmother was trying to appeal to the Misfits basic humanity so that he would not kill her: I just know youre a good man (5). By doing this, Grandmother wanted to elevate the Misfit to her level, as she never doubted her own goodness. However, as we pointed out earlier, Grandmothers goodness was in essence illusionary.
Therefore, there is nothing too surprising about the storys conclusion. It appears that OConnor wanted to say that the Misfit was just as good as the character of Grandmother in the sense of being evil, of course. The only difference between the two is that, as opposed to the Grandmother, the Misfit did not have a socially imposed reason to have his evilness hidden. This explains the symbolical significance of the Grandmothers death.
One of the storys discursive implications is that there is indeed a good reason to think of the situation when the self-righteous lambs of God even today are continuing to affect the process of policy-making in America, is utterly inappropriate. After all, as it was shown by OConnor, despite these peoples self-adopted posture as lambs, they are viciously minded wolves much worse than those sinners (intellectually advanced individuals/atheists) that they never cease criticizing.
It is exactly the reason why self-righteous bible thumpers do not have the right to position themselves as authority figures being intellectually marginalized individuals, they cannot benefit the society, by definition. Thus, there can be only a few doubts as to the discussed storys overall progressiveness, as it does expose what account for the eventual consequences of ones intellectual arrogance even if this arrogance is being disguised as religion.
I believe that the earlier deployed line of argumentation, as to what can be considered the storys discursive meaning, fully correlates with the papers initial thesis
Works Cited
OConnor, Flannery 1953, A Good Man Is Hard to Find.
Life is a puzzle and as people continue to explain why the most precious things are hard to get, the puzzle seems to become more complex. It does not tell why gold and silver, to mention but a few, lie deep underground. This is a reality, subject to no squabble explaining why thoughtful playwrights like Flannery OConnor come in handy to authenticate it. In her compelling masterwork A Good Man is Hard to Find, she points out that, what people mean by good men is actually different from its real meaning.
According to OConnor, a man is good to another person, if what he does concurs with the persons values, regardless of morals. However, Gods grace awaits any willing person no matter the weight of his/her sins. Featuring Misfit, a male character in the play, OConnors view of life and salvation agrees with his as the tale unfolds. Subtle meaning of a good man stands out as part of OConnors message as exposited in this work.
A Good Man
The phrase good man and the theme of who a good man is, according to peoples judgment in the play, stand abused. OConnor intentionally brings in this matter to confirm that good is actually relative, varying with people and hence meaningless. Grandmother randomly uses the term good man when referring to men.
According to her, a man is good if what he does or what he can do concurs with what her take is on the same, given the chance, regardless of the prevailing moral teachings. For instance, as the family stops at a bistro, it encounters a man, Red Sammy, the owner of the restaurant.
His complaints are evident concerning a case where he has allowed two men to purchase gasoline on credit. According to him, they appeared good and fit for credit. However, the two men fail to pay, the reason that makes Red Sammy declare them untrustworthy. As he demands to know why he does so from Grandmother, she says, Because youre a good man! (OConnor 580). Red Sammy is easily deceived, bears poor judgment skills, and has blind faith. Is he good?
None of these is good, yet Grandmother calls him good because she can relate to what the man does. Moreover, the grand mother desperately calls Misfit a good man. This comes from the claim that, the Misfit cannot shoot a woman, though this is not the case, as the man does not clarify it.
Therefore, out of blindness, Grandmother goes on and says, I know youre a good man at heart. I can just look at you and tell (OConnor 582). Based on the aforementioned expositions, the two men are good according to the grandmother, not because they are morally upright, but because they concord with her values. These people are not good per se, yet grace abounds for them as expounded next.
Grace
The theme of grace stands out in OConnors play. She brings to light the fact that grace is for all, but not for the righteous only. God bestows this favor to all His people, regardless of their present sins and worth noting is that, the most unlikely candidates end up receiving it. Neither grandmother nor Misfit is spiritually upright.
They seem not fit for Gods grace. They bear evident flaws and weaknesses. For instance, Grandmother is a liar. She lies to her grandchildren that a certain house she once saw has a secret panel. This is no more than an exaggeration, aimed at making it appear interesting to them than it actually is.
She also controls her son and believes that she is the correct person to pass judgments to people, calling them good and telling them what to do. For instance, she tells Misfit, If you would pray&Jesus would help you (OConnor 584). The reason behind the prayer is that Misfit is a murderer, who ought to repent for forgiveness. Ironically, Grandmother cannot even compose a prayer sentence. Both are unlikely candidates of grace as people can claim, but this is far from the case. Grace awaits them.
As they unravel the enigma behind Jesus work of raising the dead, Grandmother cries shouting the name of Jesus. She even exposits, Why youre one of my babies. Youre one of my own children! (OConnor 585). She now realizes that all are human beings and equal. To realize this, owing to the evident prevailing differences in people, calls for the grace of God.
Grandmother has it, despite her flaws. In addition, Misfit initially delights in killing people but as the play unfolds, he declares that, Its no real pleasure in life (OConnor 585). He realizes that happiness comes with solely by knowing Jesus. It does not come from killing but from saving the lives of people, just as Jesus did. This is grace and grace in deed!
Conclusion
Misfits view of life and salvation agrees with OConnors observations. According to the two, challenges must precede salvation. Both have experienced enough of them and they can testify that joy is only in Jesus. To confirm this, OConnor attests she would have no grounds to write, see, or savor anything if she were not a catholic.
This is no more different from Misfits words that, There is no pleasure in life (OConnor 585). There is no joy outside the realm of Christianity and regardless of their past, whether a sinner like Grandmother and Misfit, grace abounds for all. It is there for murderers, liars, as well as for you.
Work Cited
OConnor, Flannery. A Good Man is Hard to Find. USA: The State University, 1993.
The misfit in Flannery OConnors story A Good Man is Hard to Find has a very different view of crime and punishment. He believes that Jesus put everything off-balance as he put it. He thinks that Jesus was innocent and punished anyway, so there is no justice because the punishment never fits the crime. He believes that he did something to get into prison, but he cannot remember what it was, so he thinks that his punishment may not fit his crime either. More than anything else, the story is filled with hints that he was severely punished as a child, while his abusive father was never punished, and that would really convince him that there is no justice. So he thinks that he should just do whatever he feels like doing because he will be punished anyway, even if hes good.
The Misfit does not believe Jesus brings justice. He believes he would be different if he had lived and seen Jesus, I wasnt there so I cant say He didnt, the Misfit says. I wish I had been there& It aint right I wasnt there because if I had been there I would have known. Listen, lady& if I had been there I would of known and I wouldnt be like I am now (152). (Desmond) In some way he is blaming Jesus.
He thinks that if he had seen Jesus do miracles he would know what to do. He cannot believe, because he did not see it. If He did what He said, then its nothing for you to do but throw away everything and follow Him, and if He didnt, then its 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. The Misfit admits Jesus raised the dead but says He destroyed the balance in the world by doing that because it became necessary to embrace or reject Him. Even though believing, The Misfit has rejected Him. His polite veneer begins to crack as he says in anger that he should have been an eyewitness to the miracles of Christ so that he could have followed Him. (Friedman and Lawson 175)
Browning (56, 1974) says he is delusional in his ideas about injustice, that That the world itself might be awry, that injustice might be a permanent and irreducible component of human existence In this kind of frame of mind, doesnt matter what he does, so he does whatever necessary to get what he wants or believes he needs.
I was amazed that in all the resources I consulted, nobody mentioned what seemed rather obvious to me. The Misfit probably was an abused child and killed his father or step-father. However, he does not remember doing it. We get a hint when he says that his daddy is buried in Mount Hopewell Baptist churchyard. Baptists were very strict, and it is possible that the Misfit was abuse as a child to make him pure for Jesus. He may even have suffered punishment which was way out of proportion to his crimes as a child and decided that Jesus made things unfair. By the time of this story, he has it all twisted up. There is also a possibility that the man The Misfit killed was not his father, but his step-father.
At one point he quotes his daddy as saying he was different from his brothers and sisters. My daddy said I was a different breed of dog from my brothers and sisters. This may actually have been literal. I know at least one person who grew up believing that an abusive stepmother was his mother until a therapist uncovered early images of his birth mother, and the young man asked his father and found out the truth.
It can be very confusing the hate your father, who is supposed to make you safe. There is no other reason that I can see that the date of his fathers burial would be mentioned. The date of the flu epidemic seems very early for the death of his father, especially since the speed limit in this story is 55. It seems to me that this speed limit did not come into force until the 1940s or later.
Further evidence that this character is the twisted result of a childhood filled with abuse is the way he reacts to the grandmother and the fact that Flannery OConner says that he looks like he is about to cry. She saw the mans face twisted close to her own as if he were going to cry. When the grandmother thinks he is her son, because he is wearing the mans shirt, he jumps back at her touch and shoots her. This seems to be the reaction of a badly abused child, and it may be that he has repeated his crime of shooting her. He knows she is not his relative, but the very thought of a relative touching him seems to be what he reacts to in shooting her.
He did not shoot the others himself but sent the other two to do it. He takes no pleasure in shooting her are watching her die, but reacts to Bobby Lees remark, Some fun! with, Shut up, Bobby Lee, The Misfit said. Its no real pleasure in life.
So he does not take any pleasure in these things. In fact, there is no evidence that he takes pleasure in anything, even though he says earlier that you have to 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. No pleasure but meanness, The Misfit does not enjoy his meannessthese scenes are admirable because they assert that if we can understand the horror involved, and the comic inversions, we have not yielded to narcissism. We see truths and lies. We thus affirm our humanity. (Friedman and Lawson 122)
One very telling phrase is what he says after the grandmother says that Jesus will help him. Does it seem right to you, lady, that one is punished a heap and another aint punished at all? He sees himself as punished a heap and his daddy as aint punished at all . He mentioned earlier that his daddy. never got in trouble with the Authorities though. Just had the knack of handling them. That seems to hint that the authorities were at the home more than once, possibly for reports of a disturbance. Since the mother is only mentioned once, it is also quite possible that The Misfit shot his father defending his mother.
It is probable that his daddy was abusive to his mother or him or both. Mainly The Misfits view is that there is a lack of justice in that the punishment never fits the crime. The Misfit says that his name signifies his awareness of the disproportion between his actions and their punishment (151). On the one hand, this disproportion confounds him. But on the other hand, he uses it to claim his difference from the general run of society. (Desmond)
When the Grandmother tries once again to save her own life just after she realizes that her grandchildren are also being shot, he says, Jesus was the only One that ever raised the dead,& and He shouldnt have done it. He seems to believe that if Jesus were this powerful and if He really rose from the dead Himself, then He has abandoned the Misfit. He seems not to believe in any afterlife at all, so has decided to take all his pleasure here whenever he wants. The Misfit, in his frustrating search for some assurance of the reality and permanence of good, turns to evil as a not-very-satisfactory but a logical alternative to the wholly specious good offered him by contemporary society and exemplified in the selfish, self-indulgent, easy-conscienced grandmother. (Browning 58)
The Misfit may also have been a little claustrophobic since he takes pains to mention how he felt buried alive in prison. He does not just say this, but he gives an almost poetic description of what it felt like and how it trapped him everywhere he looked. Turn to the right, it was a wall, The Misfit said, looking up again at the cloudless sky. Turn to the left, it was a wall. Look up it was a ceiling, look down it was a floor. Part of his dilemma is that he cannot conceive of any crime terrible enough to be worth this kind of punishment. The punishment seems more terrible to him even than killing ones parents, though he is certain he did not kill his father in any case.
The fact that he cannot remember his crime seems to point to trauma. I start to think how terrible it would be to a person even a little claustrophobic to be imprisoned in a small cell after defending himself or his mother from his step-father, and this makes terrific sense to me that he would become the twisted grotesque we see in the story. I cannot identify with him, as he is an unreliable character, but I can imagine his past and his current state of mind seems actually to be preferable, while incarcerated, to the state he must have been in at first. I have never had a phobia, but those are things that frighten me, and I can imagine that fear expanded beyond all reason, and I think that is exactly what would happen to my mind, it would go beyond reason.
The Misfit has created his own reasonable response to the world, and he lives by his own rules, having decided that the worlds rules are neither fair nor useful. His rules seem quite practical: do whatever you feel like and dont worry about consequences, since they will not be in proportion to the crime. He is right in many ways. The trauma he must have suffered as a child is all out of proportion to the consequences his father suffered, even if The Misfit killed him. Living with that kind of fear is like living in a snake pit when one is afraid of snakes.
The injustice which The Misfit sees in the world is real. There is no justice in simply executing a man who preyed upon and murdered children. He can never pay enough because the crimes aftereffects cannot be fixed. If we look around there is injustice everywhere. Those of us who believe in an afterlife and a balance of some kind, whether based upon religion or some other belief, use this to help us to accept the injustice we see. In many ways, most of us need to believe in some form of spiritual justice in order to accept life with the injustices of this life. I cannot remember who said it, but I believe it is true that if there were no God we would have to invent Him.
The Misfit has adjusted to the idea that there is no justice by not looking for it, and not expecting it. He does what he likes, believing that it makes no difference. His mental state seems almost numb, though he appears to be near to tears while talking with the grandmother. I think most of the time he is rather numb and says he needs to enjoy being mean because meanness is all there is. He does not really enjoy anything.
Bandy (1996) says that OConnor flatly declared the story to be a parable of grace and redemption, and for the true believer there can be no further discussion. As James Mellard remarks, OConnor simply tells her readerseither through narrative interventions or be extra-textual exhortationshow they are to interpret her work (625). Yet Bandy does not believe, in this case, that we should trust the artist, but quotes D.H. Lawrence that we should. trust the art Bandy sees little in the story to inspire hope for redemption of any of its characters. Too many critics have analyzed according to the artists words, making the supreme error of analyzing the motivation of the writer instead of the story.
However, even Bandy concentrates upon the grandmother, focusing upon her character and whether or not she finds redemption in her final moments. To my mind, it is The Misfit who finds redemption. Yes, he is still a psychopath and he will kill again in all probability. But he is finally redeemed by this final proof of his innocence by reason of insanity.
The Misfits view of crime and punishment is the only one he can hold because it is the only one that fits the facts that he can prove by his own observation. He says that if he would have seen Jesus raise the dead he would have to follow Him, but that he is as he is because he was not an observer of this miracle. In other words, he can only believe what he experiences directly. I make this judgment because of the state of the grandmothers mind when most of the critics think she is redeemed. She may have been. She was in the eyes of the Misfit, as he states at the end. However, she is also insane by this time, even thinking that he is her son.
She is delusional and her mind has simply broken under the stress of facing the murder of her son and his family and her guilt in causing it. There is no question that they would have been perfectly safe if she had not brought the cat and if she had not insisted on going to that house. She was even deceitful in saying there was a secret door with treasure, just to excite the children so she would get her way. So facing this and the thought of dying simply breaks her mind and she is no longer responsible since she is insane. She is beyond being able to earn redemption and beyond being able to understand what has happened. In this way, she is just like The Misfit, not responsible for her actions, by reason of insanity.
For The Misfit, she redeems herself in touching him with tenderness, but it is that touch to which he reacts by shooting her three times. Once is enough to kill her, but he needs to express his own fear, the deep-seated fear of an abused child. A child who is beaten enough reacts to any movement of approach or touch, usually cringing, but often lashing out once he or she is capable of defense. This last reaction to the grandmothers touch is what convinces me that there is more in this story than gothic symbols of sin and redemption.
This character is drawn so carefully that I believe we must pay attention to the clues all through the story. If Flannery OConnor did not put them there to tell us something, then why are they there? Why bother with little hints about the abusive father or about the father not being the real father of The Misfit. I cannot believe it is a mere chance because there are too many and they all fit the hypothesis which I developed that The Misfit was an abused child driven to kill his parent and then traumatized beyond being able to explain, or even remember, the incident.
Once in prison, The Misfit, already emotionally disabled, could have reacted to claustrophobia and simply gone completely nuts, finally arriving at a state in which he could survive, emotionless practicality, and total disregard for rules made by others, proof shown him by others (as in the proof of his guilt) and an amoral state in which he simply does what is necessary to ensure his survival. He is not particularly cruel in the way he orders the execution of the family, or even in how he kills the grandmother.
What I see as most important in analyzing The Misfit, is that I took this story in isolation from the other connected stories. Taken on its own, my analysis fits very well. I have not read the other stories, so I cannot say how well they would fit in that context. It is the same with using OConnors own words and judgments to influence my analysis. I am simply analyzing this story and this characters belief system alone.
The Misfit believes in nothing he does not experience, including the redemption offered by Jesus. He certainly does not believe in injustice. This is probably based on a highly abusive childhood which drove him to kill his father or step-father. The evidence of abuse is all through the story in little hints I have listed, including that his father had a way with the authorities and so was never punished for what he did to The Misfit. The odd date of his fathers burial makes it likely that his daddy was his step-father. The trauma likely made him unable to explain his actions at the time, as evidence by the fact that he does not remember what he did to be sent to prison.
He reacted to prison like a claustrophobic, driving him the rest of the way into insanity. He has become a totally practical amoral fugitive from justice and he will do whatever is necessary to maintain his freedom and not go back to being buried alive. He even says he is sorry that the grandmother recognized him, and this hints that he would not have had the family killed if she had kept quiet. The fact that the news before they left reported he was heading for Florida hints that there were encounters where he did not kill people. While his view of crime and punishment is probably more right than wrong, we live by different rules. He is simply living by his own set of rules created to allow him to survive in an incomprehensible world.
Works Cited
Bandy, Stephen C. One of My Babies : The Misfit and the Grandmother. Studies in Short Fiction 33.1 (1996): 107+. Questia. Web.
Browning, Preston M. Flannery OConnor. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1974. Questia. Web.
Desmond, John. Flannery OConnors Misfit and the Mystery of Evil. Renascence: Essays on Values in Literature 56.2 (2004): 129+. Questia. Web.
Friedman, Melvin J., and Lewis A. Lawson, eds. The Added Dimension The Art and Mind of Flannery OConnor. New York: Fordham University Press, 1977. Questia.Web.
OConnor, Flannery. A Good Man Is Hard to Find. The Complete Stories. New York: Farrar, 1969. 117-33.
Southern gothic as a genre is characterized not only by classic manifestations of the macabre and grotesque currents but also by the unique edginess of the American South. The main themes are class problems and social issues, and the overall atmosphere is pervasive and terrifying to the reader. The characters in this genre are deeply damaged and burdened with guilt; they are alienated from the rest of society. The main reason for this is the American outback, which has inevitably changed them and left an imprint of unhappiness in their minds and souls. The Southern Gothic genre highlights include Barn Burning by William Faulkner (1939), and A Good Man Is Hard to find by Flannery OConnor (1953). Both stories cover themes of class inequality and the little man his inability to change the course of history. These stories use same technique building up horror, but OConnor develops it gradually with Baileys mother, and Faulkner is quick with the symbolism of fire and the tyrant father.
Overview of Stories Plots
OConnor has created a story in which a family faces death because of the selfishness of their relative, the grandmother. The grandmother was incapable of dealing with her superstitions and far-fetched fears. Her influence on her son led to a terrible situation for the whole family because the estranged man could not fight his vices. It is important to note that OConnor brought up themes of manipulation and divine redemption that cannot be inherent in one person. The writer demonstrated that some people remain fools despite their efforts.
Faulkner writes about current issues class struggle, racism, child abuse. The main character is an alienated child who cannot cope with his fathers influence on his actions. Little Sarty has become the catalyst for new disasters the burning barns by his cruel father. This little story is about how the boy was able to make amends and prevent fires, thereby saving his mother and aunt. Faulkner revealed characters who find themselves trapped in a Southern racist environment in which the lives of many classes of society continue to be a resource rather than a boon.
Comparison of the Main Characters
Baileys mother, grandmother, young lady, old lady all names fit the woman who led her family to deaths. OConnors main character is an old-fashioned Southern woman who lives in the past in which Christian motives are the primary sources of wisdom and action. However, she has turned away from God because her every gesture and word contradicts the new Bailey family he was trying to create (Rath 87). Grandmother is heartbroken; she is unaware of her inferiority because she believes that every character trait is an expression of God, and arguing with him is sin (OConnor 3). Throughout the story, the grandmother nags her son and daughter-in-law; she puffs up the atmosphere and scares them. In the end, her behavior turned out to be sinful and immoral because she didnt realize that she would never get redemption because of her stubbornness.
Sarty is still a toddler trapped in the horrible conditions of an abusive father who held the whole family in fear. He is too young to contemplate redemption like Baileys mother. He does not understand Gods plan and does not try to know it because the immediate problem the abusive father worries him more. Sarty sees imperfection because he knows the truth and facts, not like Baileys old lady lives on speculation. Little Sarty realizes things quickly, and every action is swift and impulsive. Boy redeemed himself because he appeared to Major de Spain and warned of a future fire. He juxtaposed the facts, the past despot father, and found the strength to prove it, even if he only shouted the word barn! (Faulkner 13). Unlike Baileys grandmother, Sarty is smart and was able to renounce his limited upbringing by his abusive father.
Family Ties: Selfishness
Baileys mother is not only the protagonist; she is the selfish evil locked in her limited past. This person has no idea of how the world has changed on the outside: the criminals output is recognized by the newspapers, the outfits are old and ugly, the mindset of a conservative (Rath 88). The woman does not want to accept reality and naively believes that she is still an authority for her sons family. However, the family perceives her as a burden, which is hard to get rid of. The woman is a burden to be borne because of the deep-seated belief in the importance of family ties.
Unfortunately, these ties can be aggravating; they make the reader fear such a family: a stage of denying the value of the relationship sets in. Selfish people are in every family; they pull the blanket over themselves and do not think about the bond. People like Baileys mother are especially frightening because it isnt a soul in this green world of Gods that you can trust (OConnor 5). Relatives cease to be part of the actual bond, so they continue to be a burden to remind themselves, like Baileys mother, to prove that they are essential.
The selfish and cruel antagonist in Barn Burning is Sartys oppressive, abusive father, Abner Snopes. He is a vile man who does not accept the reality of the new world because it falls out of his conception of the order of being. He hurls racist insults, saying, maybe he wants to mix some white sweat with it, which would seem horrible to a modern person and depress the setting (Faulkner 7). Abner hurts his wife and child and even uses violence during arguments. Abner is insane, he holds his family in fear and only hides behind family ties to pursue his goals.
Family ties are worthless to Abner because they are only a tool of pressure. At the beginning of the story, he explains to his son: You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you aint going to have any blood to stick to you (Faulkner 4). Maybe Abner believes this, but the truth is that he only needs blood to spill it: never mind wife, mother, and slave (Sauermann 4). He values no ones life and holds on only to his selfish idea of fire and violence. Abner is a more frightening figure than Baileys mother because he deliberately causes pain.
Conclusion
Thus OConner and Faulkners stories combine many features of the classic Southern grotesque: class injustice, the silenced American South, alienated and abandoned characters. The main common thread is one of horror: OConnor slowly reveals a selfish and unnecessary old woman as the main evil; Faulkner tells of an abandoned boy who his father abuses. Both writers raised the theme of family bonds that selfish relatives use to change and dominate their families. However, antagonists, grandmother and Satrys father, are led by fate to what they have always feared deep down: loneliness.
Works Cited
Faulkner William. Barn Burning. Harper, 1939.
OConnor Flannery. A Good Man is Hard to Find. The Avon Book of Modern Writing, 1953.
Rath, Sura P. Theorizing Space and Place in Flannery OConnors Fiction. Flannery OConnor Review, vol. 15, 2017, pp. 86101, Web.
Sauermann, Miklas Pascal. The Significance of Blood Ties in Faulkners Barn Burning. SSRN, 2020. Web.
One of the reasons why the short story A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor is being commonly referred to, as such that represents a high literary value, is that while exposed to it, readers become enlightened as to the fact that, while remaining affiliated with the provisions of the religion-based morality, people grow increasingly dangerous to themselves and their close relatives.
After all, as the author shows in this particular story, it is named on the account of self-righteous/pious but perceptually arrogant individuals (such as the character of Grandmother) that the saying road to hell is made out of good intentions continues to reflect the actual effects of this type of people being allowed to influence the societys functioning. In her story, OConnor also exposes the sheer fallaciousness of the Christian dogma that Jesus does help people that believe in his mission of saving mankind. In my paper, I will explore the validity of the above-suggestion at length.
The plot of OConnors story is a rather straightforward one. It is being concerned with the description of the road-trip, undertaken by the members of one Southern family (the characters of Bailey, his wife, their two young children John Wesley and June Star and the Grandmother) from Atlanta, Georgia, down to Florida. During this trip, the Grandmother never ceases to act as an authority figure, while manipulating her grandchildren psychologically.
Consequently, Bailey loses control of the car and, after having survived the accident, the travelers end up stranded on one of the secondary dirt roads. While there, they get to be approached by three dangerously looking men with handguns in their hand. The Grandmother recognizes the notorious Misfit (an escaped prisoner) in one of them. This seals the familys fate escaped prisoners decide to kill just about everyone that traveled in the car so that they would not be reported to the authorities.
The closer analysis of the storys themes and motifs points out to the authors implicit intention in making readers conclude that much of the blame for what happened to Baileys family can be assigned to the character of Grandmother, as an individual who was willing to misrepresent her real agenda, within the context of how she used to position herself in life. For example, even though the real reason why the Grandmother did not want to go to Florida is that she wanted to visit East Tennessee, she nevertheless never admitted to this.
Instead, the Grandmother was trying to convince Bailey and his wife that there could be very little educational value in preferring Florida, as the trips destination: You all ought to take them (children) somewhere else for a change so they would see different parts of the world and be broad (OConnor 1). This, of course, reveals the character of Grandmother as a hypocritical person respectable on the outside, but strongly selfish on the inside. The author wanted to expose this particular psychological trait, on the part of the Grandmother, as being representative of how religious people go about addressing life-challenges.
For example, even though that the official reason why Catholic clergymen oppose the distribution of condoms in Third World countries, is that they want to prevent the murder of unborn children, the actual rationale behind such their agenda is different. By acting in such a manner, these people simply want the Third World countries to continue to suffer from the problem of overpopulation, which causes poverty. After all, as sociologists are well aware, the more impoverished a particular society is, the more its members are willing to embrace religion pure and simple. Thus, it is indeed appropriate in referring to the character of Grandmother as the embodiment of the well-meaning but essentially deceitful Christian values.
The validity of this suggestion can also be illustrated, in regards to how the Grandmother acted, after having realized that there was no secret panel in the house, which she wanted to visit: The horrible thought she (the Grandmother) had had before the accident was that the house she had remembered so vividly was not in Georgia but Tennessee (4). Instead of admitting her mistake, the Grandmother decided to allow the rest of the travelers to remain uninformed that there was no reason for them to switch to the dirt road in the first place.
Enough, the Grandmother expected that her little dirty secret would remain concealed; while growing ever more self-convinced that there was no secret panel in the first place. It is understood, of course, that by continuing to keep her travel companions in the dark as to the secret panels non-existence, the Grandmother acted immorally. Yet, she did not act any more immoral than the Orthodox Churchs high-ranking officials, for example, who despite being thoroughly aware that the miracle of the so-called holy fire being ignited by God himself, during the Easter celebrations, is, in fact, a fake (they admit to it unofficially), nevertheless continue glorifying it.
Apparently, by exposing readers to this particular episode in her story, OConnor strived to emphasize the fact that, despite the religious peoples belief that they do have what it takes to be able to lead others, this is far from being the case. This simply could not be otherwise; because ones strong affiliation with the conventions of a religious morality naturally causes the concerned individual to adopt an intellectually arrogant stance in life. As a result, such a person becomes utterly incapable of assessing the surrounding reality adequately. Another consequence of the religious peoples intellectual arrogance is that as time goes on, they begin to accept as true the essentially nonsensical fables, such as the Biblical accounts of talking donkeys, impregnating holy ghosts and the sun standing still in the sky.
Even though that, on a conscious level, religious people do realize the sheer fallaciousness of the earlier mentioned accounts, they nevertheless apply a mental effort into silencing the voice of reason in their minds, in this respect, so that they may continue to believe in the possibility of miracles. This explains why, after having realized that there was no secret panel in the house she wanted to visit, the Grandmother simply suppressed such her realization mentally, as it was causing her a great deal of emotional discomfort.
What has been mentioned earlier, however, is only part of the problem. Because it is in the very nature of just about any monotheistic religion to divide people into those that are being favored by God (chosen people), on the one hand, and infidels, on the other, religiously-minded individuals are by definition intolerant. There is another memorable episode in A Good Man Is Hard to Find by, where the Grandmother applies a derogatory term to a Black boy, she saw out on the street: Oh look at the cute little pickaninny! she (the Grandmother) said and pointed to a Negro child standing in the door of a shack (2).
It never occurred to the Grandmother that there was something wrong about the fact that her remark implied the Black peoples sub-humanity just as it never occurred to White slave-owners back in the past that by treating Black slaves as a soulless commodity, they were acting immorally. After all, the good book does endorse slavery as a thoroughly appropriate state of affairs.
The fact that the Grandmother was a hypocritical person is also being revealed in the scene, where she begs the Misfit to spare her life: Pray! Jesus, you ought not to shoot a lady. Ill give you all the money Ive got! (7). If the Grandmother was indeed faithful to Jesus, as she believed she was, she would not be trying to hang on to life with all her might. After not all, according to Jesus, peoples physical existence is not worth even a penny, and it is namely the prospect of being able to reunite with the savior in the kingdom of heaven, which true believers are supposed to prioritize above everything else.
Enough, the Misfit was presenting the Grandmother with such a prospect yet, she proved herself rather unenthusiastic, in this respect. Instead, the Grandmother was trying to appeal to the Misfits basic humanity so that he would not kill her: I just know youre a good man (5). By doing this, Grandmother wanted to elevate the Misfit to her level, as she never doubted her own goodness. However, as we pointed out earlier, Grandmothers goodness was in essence illusionary.
Therefore, there is nothing too surprising about the storys conclusion. It appears that OConnor wanted to say that the Misfit was just as good as the character of Grandmother in the sense of being evil, of course. The only difference between the two is that, as opposed to the Grandmother, the Misfit did not have a socially imposed reason to have his evilness hidden. This explains the symbolical significance of the Grandmothers death.
One of the storys discursive implications is that there is indeed a good reason to think of the situation when the self-righteous lambs of God even today are continuing to affect the process of policy-making in America, is utterly inappropriate. After all, as it was shown by OConnor, despite these peoples self-adopted posture as lambs, they are viciously minded wolves much worse than those sinners (intellectually advanced individuals/atheists) that they never cease criticizing.
It is exactly the reason why self-righteous bible thumpers do not have the right to position themselves as authority figures being intellectually marginalized individuals, they cannot benefit the society, by definition. Thus, there can be only a few doubts as to the discussed storys overall progressiveness, as it does expose what account for the eventual consequences of ones intellectual arrogance even if this arrogance is being disguised as religion.
I believe that the earlier deployed line of argumentation, as to what can be considered the storys discursive meaning, fully correlates with the papers initial thesis
Works Cited
OConnor, Flannery 1953, A Good Man Is Hard to Find.
OConnor is one of the famous writers who have made tremendous contributions in the world of literature. She holds a belief that violent situations usually enable peoples real characters to emerge. She argues that once it surfaces, it demonstrates a mans innate desires as well as his dark side.
She uses violence in a rhetorical manner in the story entitled A Good Man Is Hard to Find , which confirms her beliefs. OConnor argues that extreme circumstances usually reveal the true nature of human beings. Violence is usually defined as the use of physical force or emotional torment in order to get something from someone as well as in situations where people want to satisfying their desires.
Violence situation in the story entitled A good man is hard to find begins when the family is on a road trip to Florida during the vacation. To some extent, violence begins in an indirect manner when the grandmother secretly plans to use tactics that would make her Son Bailey to change his mind so that she would visit plantations she had earlier visited.
After inciting the children, they become excited and they yearn to visit the house that has some family silver. The grand mother incites them and it is said that The children begins to yell and scream that they wanted to see the house& (OConnor, Todays Words: A Good Man Is Hard To Find ).
This provokes John Wesley to kick the drivers seat in the verge of making his dad agree to their demand, making his father to lose control and they land into a ditch. Out of that violent situation, we are able to establish grandmothers characters which include being selfish and self-centered. She seems to be narcissistic in nature and this has become apparent during the incident that leads to an accident.
It is also evident that John Wesley is mean, a character that comes out clearly during the incident. Earlier on we see a situation whereby, John Wesley is asked what he would do to Misfit. His answer is Id smack his face (OConnor, Todays Words: A Good Man Is Hard To Find ). Hitting the backseat creates a scenario where violence is evident. The situation depicts the boys violent nature
Misfit, who is an escaping prisoner, had killed his father before he was arrested. This is situation that portrays him as a violent character. However, he denies the allegations saying that his father died of flu. In the bush, the sound of guns are heard when Bailey and his son are taken there by Hiram and Bobby Lee.
The reason they are taken there is unknown at first. One would think they want to get some information from them. Both Hiram and Bobby Lee act violently since they kills Bailey and his son Hiram puts on Baileys shirt. Two more pistol shots are heard and the grandmother begs for her life. First, she does not take into account that her children and grandchildren could be in danger.
She tells Misfit &I know you wouldnt shoot a lady& (OConnor, Todays Words: A Good Man Is Hard To Find ). Out of this violent situation, we find that she consider her welfare first before thinking about the rest; a character that emerges clearly symbolizing her dark side.
The first pistol shot and the subsequent ones in the incident mark the killing of Bailey, his wife and children. Misfit also shoots the grandmother three times on the chest after having debate about Christ killing her instantly. Out of this situation, we find that misfit is an antagonist of Christ and he seems to be provoked by discussions about him.
The grandmother thought that misfit is a good man more than she thought of her children. It is evident that before the violence, Misfit displays some characters that would make people see him as a nice person. He is even apologetic to the grandmother. However, he confronts, endangered as well as murders the entire family. Previously, he was a gospel singer and did other jobs which made people think he was a nice man; however, Misfit has a dark side that clearly came out in his acts of violence and coercion.
He can do anything including killing innocent people instead of letting them live in case they recognize him. This reveals his animosity nature. Initially, he tells the grandmother that it would have been better for them all if she did not recognize him. Misfit reprimands Bobby Lee by making fun of the grandmother. This makes us learn of his desperation. We find him saying Shut up, Bobby Lee&its no real pleasure in life (OConnor, Todays Words: A Good Man Is Hard To Find ).
In conclusion, OConnor is able to show her belief concerning violence in this story. It is worth noting that in violent situations, a man usually exposes the traits that are least dispensable in his character. That is the personality which is enduring in an individual.
The Story A Good Man Is Hard To Find is a tragic story of a family which was planning to go on vacation in Florida. The selfish Grandmother wants to go to Tennessee instead and uses the argument that the Misfit is on his way to Florida and he is a dangerous criminal. Her selfish actions and intemperance lead to a car accident which eventually leads to a car accident. To make matters worse when they get into an accident three criminals including The Misfit arrive and she is kind enough to announce to everyone that she recognized The Misfit which ultimately results in her entire family getting massacred to hide the trail of The Misfit. Despite her efforts to invoke the name of God and try to sweet talk The Misfit ultimately, she joined her family in death. The Grandmother was a Pharisee in the finest sense. She spoke of piety and being a good woman when in fact she was a wretched specimen of society and among the five people who died that day perhaps she was the only one who deserved to die.
The Grandmothers description
The Grandmother was a hypocrite. During the trip, she told off her grandchildren for not being properly deferential to her home state. Yet she held the home state in low regard. She pretended to be a good woman yet she was selfish and conniving. For example, in the beginning, she wanted to go to Tennessee over Florida simply because that is what she wanted, to visit her home state. When the popular vote inside the car was towards going to Florida she even raises the specter of The Misfit just to try and convince the people to go to Tennessee. Her good lady façade is just that a façade she is a cruel racist when they see an African-American boy along the road she says Oh look at the cute little pickaninny! pickaninny is a pejorative term for an African-American. To add insult to injury when they notice that the boy did not have any britches (pants) on she says something to the effect that black children dont own pants or that their parents are too poor to provide them with pants. The Grandmother is also very biased against people as evinced by her opinion that Europe was entirely to blame for the way things were now. She said the way Europe acted you would think we were made of money. She is also deceptive, when they suffer a car accident because of her cat she claims I believe I have injured an organ this is a ploy so that the people will not be so angry at her. She is responsible for their deaths because after the accident she proudly announces that Youre The Misfit! and I recognized you at once! as a result The Misfit decides to kill them all. Later she tries to charm The Misfit into not killing her by calling him a good man and even trying to use God and religion to stall her execution. Truly she is like the Pharisees from Biblical times, hypocritical people who try to appear holy but are rotten. She is a Christian in name only.
The Misfits description
Compared to The Grandmother, The Misfit is almost good. The story makes it appear that The Misfit is someone with a head condition. The doctor in prison told him that he killed his parents but he had no recollection of this ever happening. The Misfit is either insane or a hypocritical liar. He has a very good opinion of his parents. He even praises them for being good people. His old-fashioned manners and courtesy belie good southern breeding. However, his actions are ironic because despite sounding like such a good person The Misfit sees fit to murder the entire family. His worldview is cynical and his reliance on religion is very infirm. In his belief it doesnt matter if you are good or bad in the end, you will get punished anyway. I would hate to have to, he says when asked if he was going to kill them. Nome, I aint a good man he confirms when he is asked if he is like his parent. If nothing else, at least The Misfit for all his Misfit-ness is not a hypocrite like a Grandmother.
She would have been a good woman,&..if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life. The Misfit says after he killed The Grandmother. This statement if taken has no meaning since how can someone be good if she is being shot to death? What he is referring to is the fact that The Grandmother was a despicable person. As mentioned in the early part of this paper she had many faults. Among them was her selfish attitude in wanting to go to Tennessee even though her entire family wanted to go to Florida. She is also a hypocrite, a racist, and a bigot an undesirable person who is probably the most deserving of death in the whole story.
Conclusion
However, throughout their conversation, it is revealed that The Grandmother can also be a good person. At first, all her duplicitous talk about being good and God is just a ploy to save herself. Just like her ploy in claiming to have hurt an organ just to avoid having the people angry at her. Later, it is revealed that she has a good side to her. Her last act of touching her would-be murderer and trying to say that he is her Son is a way of reaching out to him and trying to be good to him. Her ploy fails if it is seen as a ploy. However, if it is seen as an honest effort to reach out and be a good Christian to The Misfit it worked. In the end, his character was softened when he said Its no real pleasure in life which is to say he derived no pleasure from what he did or that he was touched by what The Grandmother said in the end. Simply put, The Grandmother, only becomes a good person when her life is threatened.
Flannery OConnors short stories, titled Revelation and A Good Man Is Hard to Find were written at different points in the womans life, but they still display a number of similarities in their narrative core, messaging, and themes. These two pieces have a lot in common while also possessing some unique qualities in terms of plot development, characters, and the overall feel they foster in the reader. I think that by comparing these two stories I will have the ability to measure the changes in the literary style of Flannery OConnor, as well as gain a better understanding of the central problems she puts forth in her work. A Good Man Is Hard to Find , as one of the earlier works of the author, displays the themes of human imperfection and sin in a poignant, yet reserved manner, highlighting OConnors thoughts on the nature of the human condition with her portrayal of characters.
In Revelation , the characters are similarly painted in a harsh light, with more negative personas taking the center stage. In both narratives, the characters find the world around them to be deficient or wrong in a way but attribute the discrepancy to other, innocent people or factors entirely unrelated to themselves. Red Sammy, from A Good Man Is Hard to Find , states that Everything is getting terrible.
I remember the day you could go off and leave your screen door unlatched. Not no more . This outlook is permeated and supported by the grandmother character, who is unable to see her own lack of compassion. The main character of Revelation is also unable to recognize her own negative qualities, and mentally puts down the people less fortunate than her. It is most wholly evident in her description of the social hierarchy. On the bottom of the heap were most colored people, not the kind she would have been if she had been one, but most of them . The main hero manages not only to disrespect others but elevate herself at the same time. In both stories, the heroes are a source of social discord and the instigators of their own downfall.
Themes
A common theme found within these two stories as well as the rest of Flannery OConnors work, is that they are centered on deeply flawed individuals. Most of the characters are associated with different voices and can be seen engaging in behaviors or manners that are Generally frowned upon. Most of them, however, hide behind the masks of virtue, honesty, or dignity, which are used to conceal their true emotions and create an appearance of proper life. This curtain of lies quickly begins to crumble under the weight of external circumstances as well as cases of divine interference or revelations. Speaking chronologically, A Good Man Is Hard to Find was written first, so the examination is better started from there.
The plot centers on a dysfunctional family of five people, The grandmother, her son, his wife, and their two children. All the characters are depicted with a number of negative qualities, and none of them seemed to display a shred of respect or admiration for each other, making the image of the family appear to be a parody of The American ideal. The grandmother can be considered the main character in this story as she is the focal point of the narrative and the character that is present for the longest period in the story.
She can be described as self-centered, arrogant, and stuck in the past as she feels the need to put her feelings before others and prioritize her own needs before the thoughts of the other members of the family. She is incapable of showing compassion or understanding other people in a full manner. Because her own perception of self is too distorted. The flaws in her character are ever-present and are the primary drivers behind the ending of the story, which is tragic for the whole family. Due to her inability to admit her own mistakes, show weakness or understand others to a meaningful degree, she brings her family members into a deadly encounter.
In the case of the Revelation , the situation is similar in a way. The main heroine, Mrs. Turpin Considers herself to be a deeply virtuous and good individual mainly due to her high status in society, and artificial displays of goodwill toward people less fortunate than her. During the readers first introduction to the character, she is seen mentally categorizing people into groups based on their perceived importance in her eyes. Her view on others, especially black minorities, is bigoted and limited in its perspective. During a visit to a doctors office, the woman is assaulted by another girl named Mary Grace, who calls out the main characters behavior and thoughts as though she knows her personally.
The action deeply affects Mrs. Turpin, who is shaken to her very core by the encounter. Unable to personally reconcile with the scornful attitude received, the woman tries to soothe her own emotions by Helping black people for self-satisfaction. Through the womans depiction, her inner thoughts and actions reader can see. That her positive contributions to society are done explicitly to fuel her own sense of ego and are not the result of inner virtuousness goodwill or a desire to help someone. Both works depict flawed people who are unable to truly connect with others due to their own shortcomings and perceptions of self. Both the grandmother and Mrs. Turpin have somewhat unlikeable characteristics and yet are made the main characters of their respective stories.
Another interesting theme that permeates throughout the authors work is the theme of divine interference or God. In the case of the first story, the presence of God is less overt and can be seen through the dialogue between the misfit and the grandmother. The Misfit shares his own perspective on the order of the world, peoples role in it, and the existence of God. The grandmother at the same time tries to gain the favor of the Misfit in an effort not to get killed, which fails miserably because she is unable to connect with people. She tries to convince him that he is not an evil person, saying: you shouldnt call yourself The Misfit because I know youre a good man at heart.
I can just look at you and tell , which is instantly rejected by the man himself. In the moment of Epiphany in the last minutes of her life, she, however, is able to find a sense of connection and purpose within another person. And considers the misfit as one of her children a product of a deeply sinful society they all live in. In revelation, the main character Similarly, finds a connection with God at the end of her story. In her case, the circumstances are less dramatic and the presentation is made more comical than serious, but the event is still treated and considered to be important within the narrative.
Feeling the weight of negative emotions after the incident in the doctors office, she breaks down and gets into the argument with God Himself in a pigpen. She sees a march of people walking into heaven, with those that she considered to be below her at the front, receiving the love and acceptance of God. The procession is described as: a vast horde of souls was tumbling toward heaven . Black people, persons that are less financially well off than the main hero, and other people that she has insulted in her head throughout this story all come before. The kinds of people Miss Turpin would consider to be truly virtuous. The whole encounter results in a revelation that changes the womans perspective on the world as well as her views. It can be seen as an act of saving from a merciful God.