Category: A Good Man is Hard to Find

Today, gender reveal parties are planned for expectant parents daily, where the sonographer writes down the gender of the fetus onto a piece of paper and place in an envelope, and the parents will in turn hand the envelope over to someone and place them in charge of coming up with a creative way to reveal the gender of their baby to not only the parents, but the attendants of the party as well. Even today, gender roles are still forced upon people, although that certainly does not mean that people refuse to confine themselves to those barriers daily. Much like today, there were people in the past who strived to break gender role barriers; while others may not have ever fit those barriers, to begin with; and then there are those individuals who see gender roles as black and white and believe that men must be manly, and women must be lady-like. It is easily notable that death is a common theme for both ‘A Rose for Emily’, written by William Faulkner and ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ by Flannery O’Connor; however, another thematic component that is present is gender roles or sexism; as one may call it. The utilization of sexism between Faulkner’s ‘A Rose for Emily’ and O’Connor’s ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ is completely opposite. As one will come to notice, the grandmother in O’Connor’s short story is extremely particular in how a female is supposed to be a lady, for example; ‘Her collars and cuffs were white organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet. In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.’ (O’Connor, 297) Emily Grierson, in Faulkner’s ‘A Rose for Emily’, is the complete opposite of what a lady would be considered by neglecting lady-like characteristics which can be noticed by the description of how her house ‘smelled of dust and disuse- a close, dank smell.’ (Faulkner, 144) Each of these examples is just a few within each short story that depicts thematic components of sexism in Faulkner’s ‘A Rose for Emily’, and O’Connor’s ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’.

William Faulkner, according to Thomas Bjerre, ‘is widely considered the most important and influential writer working in the vein of the Southern Gothic’ (Bjerre, 7), with several titles that he’s written. ‘A Rose for Emily’ was written by Faulkner for The Forum paper in 1930 and is the story of Emily Rose Grierson, who lives in the fictional Mississippi town of Jefferson. The short story is full of thematic components. Grierson was raised by a very strict father, who; like most men in the south, was extremely dominant, one trait of sexism noted within the short story; and believed that no man would ever be good enough for his daughter, running away any man who showed any type of interest in Emily. ‘A Rose for Emily’ is the epitome of several gender stereotypes of what a woman should be, especially when compared to other women of her time. Maria Scott contributed a generous analytical article to The Clockford Center detailing the various forms of thematic components of sexism; such as stereotyping, discrimination, and male domination. Scott’s analysis of the short story depicts stereotyping, by emphasizing that women are interested in materialistic things, such as the characteristics of Emily Rose’s house. (Scott) The depiction of this form of sexism is immediately noticed, without even having to read the full story as Faulkner describes the attendants of Emily Rose’s funeral and how ‘the women mostly out of curiosity to see inside her house’. (Faulkner, 143) Discrimination does tend to be a more generalized act; however; there is gender discrimination against men, and their ability to clean (Scott), more specifically, a kitchen; in the short story, suggesting that the servant, Tobe, must not have been cleaning properly. Another form of discrimination by sexism that can be noted in ‘A Rose for Emily’ is how Emily’s love interest, Homer Barron, was not interested in Emily as anything more because he admitted that he was interested in men. (Faulkner, 148) The people of Jefferson pitied Emily because she must be jealous, and as the short story comes to closing, that must be why Emily Grierson killed her love interest. Male domination is extremely noticeable in the short story as well. Rather than going to Miss Emily about the smell that her house put off, they took it upon themselves to do something about it by sprinkling lime around her house. (Faulkner, 146) This situation also goes to show that outsiders were not used to a woman having such a strong and persistent personality because, in that time, women were known to be more submissive and do what was expected of them. If one were to read ‘A Rose for Emily’, they would feel sorry for Emily because she is portrayed to be a lonely woman due to her father not thinking any man would ever be good enough… so much so that he sheltered her from the outside world denying Emily the opportunity to live a life where she would be able to meet someone. By the time her father passed, she was thirty years of age, but because her father denied her the opportunity to meet someone, the damage was done. People of Jefferson pitied Emily, and rather than finding the action of her denying that her father was dead and holding on to his rotting body; people felt that it was part of her mourning process; which differed from when years later she passed away, and the bones of her love interest were found in her bed, and they come to the realization that she had slept next to his corpse for many years prior to her passing.

Flannery O’Connor, author of ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’; is one of the best-known practitioners of the Southern Grotesque, which although is like Southern Gothic; is notably different in that Southern Grotesque is described to have a much darker, twisted tone. (Bjerre, 24) As Miss Emily in ‘A Rose for Emily’ takes on a very serious, sad tone, O’Connor’s short story ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ takes on a slightly different tone, in that there is humor in the way that the story is depicted, and one can sense the comical tone of the story. Although comical, the story is anything but humorous in the end, with the death of the grandmother, her son, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren, one only being a baby. Thematic components of sexism are immediately recognizable. The grandmother, who has no name in ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ places herself to a much higher standard being that she was raised in a time when women should be extremely feminine, children were to always remain quiet, and that her opinions was always meant to be given; which is quite the contrast to the way that her son, Bailey; allows for his children to act. The grandmother lives in the past, although things are clearly different for her at this later time in her life… even her grandchildren note how she would likely go on the trip with the family because she would not stay home and be ‘Queen’ for a day. (O’Connor, 296) To better explain this sentiment, J. Stillwell Powers, author of “A Moment of Grace in Flannery O’Connor’s ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’”, explains how the grandmother seeks comfort by searching for signifiers that resemble the world that she knows, where goodness is still prevalent and is enough. Unfortunately, “the reader begins to understand it’s not goodness that has corroded, but more so the darkness instead of the comfortable signifiers that she’s used to, are preventing her from accepting her new reality, leaving her to suffer in her own despair. The grandmother finds comfort in constantly looking for and clinging to signifiers that reflect the world she desires, one in which goodness exists and can be defined along lines that allow her to fit into it. As the story progresses, however, the reader begins to understand it’s not goodness that has corroded, but the signifiers against which the grandmother has always defined goodness—bloodlines, southern manners, class and racial hierarchy, and gender roles, to name a few—leaving the grandmother struggling to reconcile a worldview that does not reflect reality, causing her to suffer. (J. Stillwell Powers) As one continues to read ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’, it is evident that women are portrayed as graceful, and even naïve. The grandmother, however; is careful to keep note of ‘The Misfit’, a convicted killer that escaped prison; and is quick to remind him when she finally recognizes who he is. Sexism is prevalent to this story in that it places emphasis on how strong-willed the men are, such as when the children are asking to go to the house that their grandmother is speaking of, as well as when Red Sam tells the woman to go fetch the family’s drinks. (O’Connor, 300) It can also be said that women are talkative, such as when the grandmother in O’Connor’s story continuously speaks of just having to pray, trying to convince the Misfit that he is good and does not have to do bad things, and attempting to plead with him so that he doesn’t kill her, or her family; while The Misfit refused to believe that he was anything other but a monstrous murderer, killing the grandmother as she begged him not to do so.

While both stories have many instances of gender role thematic components, they are both portrayed in very different ways. It is unfortunate that in the modern world as it is known, sexism still exists, which creates a whole new slew of problems for the society. Much like in the stories written by Faulkner and O’Connor; gender roles and sexism are still prevalent thematic components of society to this day; even if there is more freedom for people to live their lives in how they see fit to do so. There are still boxes that society will continuously attempt to place people into, which can potentially lead to turmoil in many ways. Reading “A Rose for Emily”, and “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, one can agree that both works of literature have very realistic ideals of what can happen when people are not able to freely be themselves because they believe they must be a certain type of way. In both stories, the women got lost in themselves—Emily Rose Grierson because she wasn’t allowed to be her true self due to her father secluding her, and the Grandmother from O’Connor’s story because she was still trying to live what was normal for her, in a world that was no longer suitable for her way of life.

Works Cited

1. Bjerre, Thomas. “Southern Gothic Literature.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature, Oxford UP, 28 Jun 2017, oxfordre.com/literature, 19 Mar. 2019
2. Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” Portable Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing, edited by Laurie G Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell 9th ed. Cengage, 2016, pp. 143-151.
3. J. Stillwell Powers. “A Moment of Grace in Flannery O’Connor’s ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find.’” Pshares.Org, 2017, blog.pshares.org/index.php/a-moment-of-grace-in-flannery-oconnors-a-good-man-is-hard-to-find/. Accessed 1 Apr. 2019.
4. O’Conner, Flannery. “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” Portable Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing, edited by Laurie G Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell 9th ed. Cengage, 2016, pp. 295-309.
5. Scott, Maria. “Sex Discrimination Theme in Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily (Quotes & Thematic Analysis).” The Clockford Center, 30 Nov. 2018, www.clockford.org/theme-sex-discrimination-women-faulkner-a-rose-for-emily-quotes-thematic-analysis. Accessed 2 Apr. 2019.

Flannery O’Connor and William Faulkner are well-known for their Southern Gothic style of writing. Their short stories like “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, ”A Rose for Emily”, and ”Good Country People” feature many elements that are characteristic of this genre of literature. Southern Gothic Literature was introduced early in the 20th century and eventually grew in great popularity. The genre stemmed from the Gothic and American gothic writing styles. Southern Gothic literature focuses on the social issues and history of the South and the dark themes that can be taken from it. The grotesque and unexpected features may be one of the main things that can be used to describe this genre. Anthony Di Renzo explains that grotesque elements are seen as a vice, saying that it goes beyond the accepted ideals of society (5). While reading the literature, it may make the audience feel uneasy or shocked. Thomas Ærvold Bjerre describes the elements of Southern Gothic Literature as “…the presence of irrational, horrific, and transgressive thoughts, desires, and impulses; grotesque characters, dark humor, and an overall angst-ridden sense of alienation” (1).These elements are prevalent in the works of William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, and many others alike. “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, “A Rose for Emily”, and “Good Country People” are great examples of Southern Gothic Literature because they feature southern settings, horribly flawed characters, and grotesque elements.

William Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily” qualifies as Southern Gothic Literature because of the southern setting, flawed characters, and grotesque elements. As for the setting, the story is takes place in the small town of Jefferson, Mississippi sometime after the Civil War. The story largely displays the change from the Old South to the New South both literally and symbolically. The narrator of the story tends to address the changing aspects of their town. He describes the modernization by addressing that new additions like garages and cotton gins have been spread to every residence of the area (Faulkner 1). The main character, Emily Grierson’s house is the only one in town that hasn’t been modified or updated at all through the decades. The narrator compares her house to the rest of the nice neighborhood by describing it as “lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and gasoline pumps-an eyesore among eyesores.” (Faulkner 1). In the story, Emily isn’t willing to adapt from her old southern ways to the modern life of the South. She represents the past and disappearance of nobility in the south by not tending to her home or her life. Emily is the main flawed character of the story, having struggles both internally and with society. She comes from wealth and, throughout her life, her father has controlled her and separated her from society to uphold their high status. As she gets older, and even after her father’s death, she intentionally makes herself the outcast of the community for years, never leaving her home, never communicating with the townspeople, and relying on her manservant to aid her. It can be assumed that she suffers from a mental disorder that could be hereditary. The narrator explains that, “People in our town, remembering how old lady Wyatt, her great-aunt, had gone completely crazy at last” (Faulkner 2). Emily’s issues have primarily stemmed from the control of her father. When he dies, she denies that he I dead and she keeps his body for 3 days before coming to reality. After her father’s death, she begins her first romantic relationship with Homer Barron. The townspeople suspect that they will be engaged, even though there was gossip in town that he was “not a marrying man” (Faulkner 4). Since Emily struggles with loss and social skills, she fears that Homer will leave her, so she decides to poison him. This way, Homer will never leave her, and she can control him until her death. Every day until her death, the townspeople conclude that he’s disappeared. The main grotesque element of “A Rose for Emily” is presented at the end of the story. After Emily dies, the townspeople open the door of her bedroom and find Homer’s corpse on the bed. He has clearly been there since he died decades ago. The narrator remarked, that they stood over him for a while, looking at his “fleshless grin” (Faulkner 5). The people end up spotting a head-shaped dent in the pillow next to his, and picked up a strand of grey hair (Faulkner 5). It’s implied that after Emily poisoned Homer, she continued to sleep with his body every night until her own death. Thomas Dilworth suggests that her unusual actions regarding her father and Homer’s death implies that she lived a very unhappy life with a severe thirst for company (253). This event, along with the others described, accurately depicts how “A Rose for Emily” is an example of Southern Gothic Literature.

Flannery O’Connor’s, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” qualifies as Southern Gothic Literature because of the southern setting, flawed characters, and grotesque elements. This story takes place along the rural roads of the South. A family wants to take a road trip from Atlanta to Florida. The grandmother does not want to go and attempts to convince them not to go by saying that a criminal, The Misfit, escaped from a penitentiary and is headed to Florida. When they leave a small restaurant on the way to Florida, the grandmother remembers an old plantation that she visited in her youth and begs the father to take them there instead. He gives in, and they head to the plantation. Once they near the destination, they begin driving through a dirt road that’s filled with hills and pink-colored dust (O’Connor, “A Good Man” 39). These simple towns, dirt roads, and the plantation are representative of the South. The fact that the grandmother desires to go to the plantation may imply that she longs for the way things used to be and to feel like her younger self, a southern lady. Although each member of the family is an example of a flawed character, the grandmother and The Misfit are the primary ones. The grandmother is self-absorbed and often judgmental. She views herself as having a higher stature than others because she is a lady. Because of this belief, she expects everybody to respect her even if she doesn’t reciprocate the same respect. According to Matthew Fike, “The grandmother is not godly, prayerful, or trustworthy…” (313). The grotesque elements are shown towards the end of the story. Once the family gets to the dirt road, the frantic cat in the car causes Bailey, the father, to crash into a ditch. This occurs because the grandmother had just remembered that the plantation is in Tennessee, not Georgia. She decided not to announce that. Suddenly, a car arrives at the scene. Three men exit the car, one being The Misfit. The grandmother’s mistake was that she let him know that she recognized his face. During a long conversation between the grandmother and The Misfit about religion and good people, he orders the other two men to take the family into nearby woods. The story describes sounds of gunshots coming from the woods, and it is implied that the grandmother’s family has been murdered. She pleads for her own life, insisting that The Misfit is a good man and should repent. At the end of the conversation between the grandmother and The Misfit, he shoots her three times. This story is a great example of Southern Gothic Literature, because it has many dark themes and flawed characters throughout, but also includes mild dark humor and the rural setting of the South.

Flannery O’Connor’s, “Good Country People” qualifies as Southern Gothic Literature because of the setting of the south, flawed characters, and grotesque elements. This story takes place in a rural area on Mrs. Hopewell’s farm. The main flawed characters of this story are Mrs. Hopewell, Hulga, and Manley Pointer. Mrs. Hopewell tends to speak on being “good country people” (O’Connor, “Good Country People” 2), having Christian beliefs, and having social superiority. She is wealthy and she sees most people as lower than her because of her status. Hulga, Mrs. Hopewell’s daughter, loses one of her legs in a hunting accident as a child and has to grow up with a wooden one. She also has a bad heart. Hulga views herself as morally superior to everyone else because she has a PhD in philosophy, doesn’t believe in God, and sees the world differently. Pointer comes along selling Bibles and takes interest in Hulga. Hulga, being 32 years old, tells him that she’s 17. They both seduce each other, each with different motives. Pointer often asks about her leg, saying it makes her different. The grotesque element of the story appears when the go out for a walk. At some point in their stroll, they end climbing up the ladders of a barn. Pointer insists that he loves her and that she should say it back. After some time, she returns the comment. He tells her show where her wooden leg joins and proceeds to take it off and set it out of her reach. Pointer’s true colors begin to show. He reveals that he also doesn’t believe in God and implies that he’s done this many times under different aliases, saying that he once got a glass eye out of it (O’Connor, “Good Country People” 18). It can be assumed that Pointer is a conman who goes around as a Bible salesman, targeting women with disabilities in order to collect the objects they’re dependent on. By Pointer telling her that the leg makes her different, shows his way of making her feel vulnerable and put trust him. In “Understanding Flannery O’Connor”, Margaret Whitt states, “She can get another leg, but how she thinks about the world in which she dwells has been forever altered by the Bible salesman’s words and actions.” (78). He has fooled and humiliated her to a great extent, so she will never be the same.

In conclusion, Southern Gothic Literature is accurately displayed in the stories “A Rose for Emily”, ”A Good Man is Hard to Find”, and ”Good Country People.” Each story contains elements of grotesqueness, southern settings, and flawed characters. These elements, among others perfectly describe Southern Gothic. This genre has been around since the 1900s and is still widespread to this day. Faulkner and O’Conner will forever be known for their contributions to Southern Gothic Literature.

Integrity is the most valuable and respected quality of leadership. Always keep your word. “Brian Tracy”. Flannery O’ Connor story presents us with a strange morality one where hypocrisy and integrity; also, religion has to do with the story. We can relate this story into today’s society because, sometimes people just thing for themselves and what they want. Just as the grandma just thought for her selves on going to Tennessee instead to Florida like the rest of the family. The message of “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is that the decisions and actions that the grandmother and Misfit take will affect them in future. I believe this passage is also a great representation about what type of people are in this world, there are bad people who persist in believing that they are “good” like the grandmother or the kindness people. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, O’ Connor portraits a selfish, sell-centered grandmother to show the idea that conviction and sincere moral character is a myth.

From the background research, it is mention that O’ Connor tries to convince the Misfit to start praying and become religious in order to solve his problems. However, the Misfit uses his “reasons” on why he does not need to pray and he kill the grandmother (O’Connor pg. 11). It shows that most people today in society don’t need to look at religion to help them through their lives. O’ Connor talent was unnoticed when she published (Wise Blood in 1952). While her novel was published, she was criticized for being an affront to Christianity. However, O’Connor published her first collection of short stories and one of them was “A Good Man is Hard to Find” she wrote it in 1955, and she continued with the second novel. O’Connor was an American novelist she had a relationship between the individual and God, she grew up in prominent Roman Catholic family in Georgia where she was born.

The article “A Good Man is Hard to Find” state about how readers believed that the grandmother was evil even a witch. However, O’Connor speaks of her Catholicism and its expression in her fiction. Do to the grandmother’s decisions she affected the family on the field trip because of her actions. As a result, the grandmother was selfish and she just look on herself, she was very religious she thought that by telling Misfit to pray he would not kill her, the grandmother tells Misfit “Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children!” (O’Connor pg. 13). This is a demonstration of what type of people are in this world, for example, there is people that they do not need to pray to be closer to Jesus, and there is people that like to pray so they can build their relationship with Jesus (O’Connor pg. 2). My articles do connect with “A Good Man is Hard to Find” because they talk about how we need to learn not to be selfish, and have that integrity with your family. Also, how our decisions can cause a conflict like the grandmother. There’s those kinds of people that do have the need to pray like the grandmother and there’s people that thing that they don’t need to pray like Misfit. In the second article says that Flannery O’Connor “addresses the subject of eternal salvation. Influenced by her own strong Roman Catholic beliefs, she believes man will only… ” (O’Cononr pg. 3). As well in the article seven, Flanner O’Connor says, “When the grandmother grasps that her strategy is not working because he lets her know that” “Nome, I ain’t a good man, she implores him to pray” (O’Connor 128).

Flannery O’Connor use of simile when the family got into the accident and they meet Misfit, “Behind them the line woods gaped like a dark open mouth” (O’ Connor pg.9). Then O’Connor describes the children’s mother, “…Whose face was as broad and innocent as a cabbage and was tried around with a green head” (O’ Connor pg. 2). O’ Connor also uses simile on “his hip bones and his stomach hung over them like sack” (O’Connor pg. 5). It also shows that “A Good Man is Hard to Find” use of irony when “The next morning the grandmother was the first one in the car…” (O’Connor pg. 2). In addition, syntax is used in the passage “Afraid she’d miss something. She has to go everywhere we go” (O’Connor pg. 2). The grandmother would not stay home for million dollars she goes where the family goes. Then Red Sammy tells the grandmother about “Two fellers come in here last week” and he said, “They worked at the mill and you know I let them fellers charge the gas they bought?” (O’Connor pg. 5).

Bibliography:

1. Ochshorn, Kathleen G. ‘A Cloak of Grace: Contradictions in’ A Good Man is Hard to Find’.’ Studies in American Fiction 18.1 (1990): 113-117.
2. McCullough, R. Scott. ‘Flannery O’Connor As Neighborhood Missionary: The Roman Catholic Didacticism of’ A Good Man in Hard To Find’ in the Heart of the Bible Belt.’ (1992).
3. Chestnut, Allison Carol. ‘A Reading of’ A Good Man Is Hard to Find’ and’ A Curtain of Green’: The Influence of Parable on Flannery O’Connor and Eudora Welty.’ (1991).
4. Harris, Abbie C. ‘Jesus Thrown Everything Off Balance’: Grace and Redemption in Flannery O’Connor’s’ A Good Man is Hard to Find.’ Papers & Publications: Interdisciplinary Journal of Undergraduate Research 3.1 (2014): 5.
5. Jing, Li. ‘Flannery O’Connor’s Gothic art/Art gothique de Flannery O’Connor.’ Canadian Social Science 2.4 (2006): 53.
6. Stolarek, Joanna. ‘Hellish Bedlam and Search for Christian Values in Flannery O’Connor’s and Flan O’Brien’s Works.’
7. Tomasi, Rose M. Flannery O’Connor: Revelations of the Displaced Soul. Diss. The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY., 2011.
8. Nasution, Al–Yuni Fazriani. ‘Racial Discrimination Portrayed in Flannery O’connor’s Short Stories: a Good Man is Hard To Find and Everything That Rises Must Converge.’ (2017).

Flannery O’Connor, a well-known author, wrote mostly about the relationship between people and God. O’Connor, a Roman Catholic, was devoted to her religion. Most of her stories revolve around southern, rural culture and the people who lived in this environment. O’Connor used many themes and symbols in her stories, and one symbol that particularly sticks out is a character’s eyes. Flannery O’Connor uses character’s eyes to convey qualities that lead to a profound understanding of their actions.

O’Connor uses eye color to reveal qualities about the characters because vision is an extremely important aspect of human life. The color of a character’s eyes in many of O’Connor’s short stories reflects their view of the world and the people around them. Vision, or someone’s ability to see through their eyes, has historically been referred to as more than just how someone is able to use sight, “[…] for the first two hundred years of its existence, the word “vision” referred exclusively to sight with the mind’s eye […]” (Nelson). Flannery O’Connor gives the reader an in-depth description of the eyes of a character because it gives the reader a preview of the character’s mind’s eye. For example, when a character has small, black eyes the reader is to assume that they are not pure, but a character with bright, blue eyes is seen as innocent. Flannery O’Connor uses these descriptions because she is revealing a part of the character to the reader.

One of the most prevalent examples of O’Connor’s symbolism with a character’s eyes is in her short story, “Revelation”. Ruby Turpin’s beady eyes scanned the waiting room and analyzed the people sitting there. Vision in its entirety is an important aspect in the story because at the end when Mrs. Turpin has her revelation, she has a vision of heaven and of a better life. When Ruby Turpin is surveying the waiting room, she is meeting the people’s eyes and judging them. In “Revelation”, “[an] examination of eyes as symbols reveals the gradual unfolding that leads Ruby Turpin to her ultimate personal revelation” (Smith). Mrs. Turpin’s judgment and hypocrisy lead to her revelation in the end. A reader can predict this by the description of her eyes. The fact that they are little and bright gives the reader a sense that she has a bright view of either herself or of the world, and since they are black the reader can tell that Mrs. Turpin is not the most innocent or kind character.

As the story progresses, the reader can understand why Ruby Turpin’s eyes are little, bright, and black because, although she has a cheery sense of her life, she is a hypocrite and in reality, is very lost. O’Connor brings in the symbolism of eyes and vision because of her religious beliefs. In the beliefs of Christianity, vision also holds a key role. Specifically, in “Revelation” the vision Mrs. Turpin has is life-changing. “The cost—and gift—of such a burning is a clarity of vision […]” (Bruner) and to Mrs. Turpin her burning revelation gives her a lack of ambiguity about her life thus far. The symbolism of Mrs. Turpin’s eyes is relative to the story not only because her eyes describe her personality, but because Mrs. Turpin’s view of the world is different due to her distorted vision.

Mary Grace’s eyes are also vastly incorporated into “Revelation.” Mary Grace and her mother both have blue eyes, but O’Connor describes the lady’s eyes as captivating and Mary Grace’s as distasteful. O’Connor’s description of Mary Grace’s eyes reflects Mrs. Turpin’s character more than Mary Grace’s. Mrs. Turpin is judging this young girl and viewing Mary Grace’s eyes as ugly. The description also shows how Mary Grace does not have eyes that are pleasant to look at, and that reflects on her character. Her unpleasant eyes display her unlikable character. Mary Grace also stares at Ruby Turpin throughout the story and gives her dirty looks. This eventually ends with Mary Grace’s outburst. When Mary Grace is looking at Mrs. Turpin, O’Connor describes her eyes as, “[…] fierce brilliant eyes” (371). The shift in Mary Grace’s eyes is a symbol of Mary Grace releasing her pent-up anger on Mrs. Turpin. Mary Grace’s eyes change because she is changing with them.

Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” uses eye color to display the character’s qualities. In this particular story, O’Connor uses eye color to evoke an unexpected and sympathetic response from the reader towards the Misfit.

When the Misfit takes off his glasses, he drops the mask, in a way: “without his glasses, the Misfit’s eyes were red-rimmed and pale and defenseless-looking”. The gesture of the grandmother has stirred a humanity that he can’t accept, having always forcefully claimed independence. But O’Connor invites her readers to compare this gesture to the mustard seed: the title hints at this promising resolution—this hope (Lienard and May).

O’Connor is showing how the Misfit is hurting inside and that he is insecure. This description makes the readers sympathize with the Misfit and they are aware of his pain. The description of the grandmother’s brown eyes as radiant tells the readers that she is kind and joyous. This creates a general fondness of the grandmother as a character. The grandmother is very cheerful and has a good attitude even in the darkest times. When the Misfit kills her, the reader is affected because of the loss of her upbeat attitude. Flannery O’Connor describes the character’s eyes because the symbolism and description gives the reader insight into the personalities of her characters.

Another Flannery O’Connor story that uses eyes as symbolism is “Good Country People.” In this story, O’Connor describes most of the character’s eyes, but specifically focuses on Mrs. Freeman’s. When introducing Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman, she describes Mrs. Freeman’s eyes as having, “[…] never swerved to left or right but turned as the story turned […]” (350). This reveals a lot about Mrs. Freeman’s character to the reader. The reader now knows that Mrs. Freeman is nosy and gossips. O’Connor also writes that Mrs. Freeman has black piercing eyes, and this shows that she is not an innocent character and does not have the purest intentions. As the reader continues, they learn that Mrs. Freeman strives to look down on people and judge them. The symbolism of Mrs. Freeman’s eyes exhibits her nasty personality and judgmental behavior.

Throughout Flannery O’Connor’s short stories, she consistently uses a character’s eyes as a source to provide understanding of the character as a whole. Whether that be the movement, color, or shape, a character’s eyes are described in the story to display features of their personality or exposure to significant details. The description of a character’s eyes reveals a deeper meaning to their actions. This is a recurring symbol that enhances the short stories. “Revelation,” “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” and “Good Country People,” all include examples of the symbolism of eyes O’Connor uses. Vision and a person’s eyes are an extremely important part of experiencing life that improve everyday existence for most people. A reader is able to understand a character in a profound and more meaningful way when they are made aware of the character’s eye color because as the early known proverb by Cicero (106-43 B.C) states, “The face is a picture of the mind as the eyes are its interpreter,” (McCarthy) a person reveals their emotional state within the first introductory gaze. O’Connor’s repetition of this symbolism allows it to be acknowledged by the reader and utilized in the comprehension of a character.

Throughout literature, there are a number of different examples that show the differences between the Old South and the New South along with the transition from old to new. Some of these examples are included in the works of Flannery O’Connor, Kate Chopin, and William Faulkner. When examining this concept of old and new, one can easily learn that there have been significant changes in everything, especially landscape, racial attitudes, and the treatment of women.

In the book ‘ A Good Man is Hard to Find’ by Flannery O’Connor, parts of the Old South and New South are talked about all through the book. O’Connor utilizes this story to show the contrasts between the old and new south and voice her assessments on what the new south is turning out to be. O’Connor utilizes the grandma as the principal case of the Old South. One of the qualities the grandma has that speaks to the Old South is simply the manner in which she needs to keep dressed like a very proper woman. “ Her collars and cuffs for a white organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline when she had pinned purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet. In case of an accident anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know that once she was a lady.” ( O’Connor 11) This statement confirms that the grandma, regardless of whether dead on the side of the highway, thinks about resembling an appropriate woman. In the Old South you needed to dress legitimate or you were looked downward on. O’Connor uses the mother to represent to the New South. The mother has no personality in the story other than simply being a mother, however the main thing that stands apart with her is that she wear slacks rather than skirts. The grandma opposes in light of the fact that that is not what ‘appropriate women’ wear.

In the “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner, racial and economic change occurred. The Snopes family share more in common with other black sharecroppers, or even with the dull workers who work in the de Spain house, than with the white landowners. In addition, racial predisposition isn’t compelled to the Snopes family. Abner uses his favoritism to legitimize his own pervasiveness over each other individual. For instance, he positions himself as superior to the much progressively luxurious de Spain family considering the way that their house is manufactured, he says heavy-handedly, from ‘nigger sweat’ toward the day’s end, Abner has made sense of how to make his own status as a poor white individual one of ‘ethicalness’ considering his inclination. He holds dull people lower than him since he is white. However, he in like manner holds wealthier white people as below average contrasted with him since they use their money to contract work. Under this one-sided reason, Abner as a poor white individual is common considering the way that he is not dim and cannot hire blacks. Furthermore, his considerations soak the rest of the family,Abner’s kid, Sarty, uses deprecatory language in talking about blacks, whether or not he hasn’t made a reason of preference as his father has.The story in like manner explains that Abner’s point of view is finally propelled by scorn at the manner in which he and the workers are comparatively arranged, his ‘white sweat’ mixing in with theirs. Such colossal inclinations are planned to be found somewhat as Abner’s own one of a kind part singular scorn and narcissism. Regardless, they are in like manner portrayed through the story’s progressively broad image of the overall population where Abner lives, as normal for the greater racial and money related associations of the South.

Author Flannery O’Connor was raised in an orthodox Catholic household in Georgia. This inspired her works, including “A Good Man is Hard to Find” as well as “Good Country People.” When describing why she writes the way she does, O’Connor stated, “It seems to be a fact that you have to suffer as much from the Church as for it but if you believe in the divinity of Christ, you have to cherish the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it.” Using her educated views on faith and the notion of “Christian Realism” to guide her in her writing, her phrasing and characterization display the harsh and unsparing reality of the world we live in.

“Christian Realism” is the process using the concepts of humanity’s sinfulness, freedom, and the Great Commandment to influence one’s works. Flannery O’Connor demonstrates this throughout her repertoire by describing the ideal of the forgiveness of God and Salvation. In her short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, she introduces a grandmother who is led along on a disastrous journey involving a dangerous criminal deemed “The Misfit.” The grandmother prides herself on being a good Christian woman, always dressed in her Sunday best so just in case of an accident, “anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.” (“A Good Man”) Despite her proclamation of faith, she still is racist, narcissistic, and has a superiority complex. This is a perfect idealization of the religious believers from the old South. She throws around racial slurs and only cares for her well-being. When the Misfit was holding her down, she didn’t seem to notice that Bailey was killed, as one of the Misfit’s workers was clutching his shirt: “The grandmother couldn’t name what the shirt reminded her of.” (“A Good Man”). This shows the “Christian Realism’ conception of humanity’s sinfulness; that no matter how holy one claims to be, there is still a level of fault to them.

In this story, the Misfit is symbolic of God’s mercy. When the family is taken into the woods by his cohorts, he converses with the Grandmother about how he has tried to accept God into his life, yet he still enjoys killing. She attempts to lead him to pray and think about his decisions, but she ultimately realizes that she can do nothing to get him to spare her. He holds to his beliefs until the very end, something that the grandmother has never quite done herself. In one of O’Connor’s many letters, she stated “The individual in the Church is, no matter how worthless himself, a part of the Body of Christ and a participator in the Redemption.” This can be applied to the Misfit, for he is a bad person morally but helped the grandmother realize what she had done wrong in the end. The Misfit is also representative of the grandmother’s lack of self-awareness; he acknowledges all the mistakes he has made in his past, unlike the grandmother. These realizations allow her to experience a final moment of grace. She deems him “one of [her] own children!” and is shot repeatedly through the chest. When she dies, it states that her face was “smiling up at the cloudless sky”, signifying bliss. (“A Good Man”)

In O’Connor’s other major work, “Good Country People”, the characters who are labeled as Christian do not live out their lives as such. The protagonist, Hulga Hopewell, is an atheist who believes in nothing whatsoever. In part due to the fact that she is an atheist, Hulga has a superiority complex due to her Ph.D. in philosophy and her wooden leg, which is labeled as her badge of honor. She uses this to make herself feel important and to put other people down. Her mother, Mrs. Hopewell, is a “devoted” Christian, yet keeps her copy of the Bible in the family’s attic. Hulga is shown to have faulty beliefs when she is in a fight with her mother; she cries out a quotation from a Christian philosopher named Malebranche; “We are not our own light!” (“Good Country People”)

Farther into the text, O’Connor introduces a seemingly well-to-do Bible salesman named Manley Pointer. He is described in the fashion of your everyday boy next door: clean face, nice hair, a neat suit, and a briefcase for doing business. Mrs. Hopewell automatically assumes that he is “good country people” because he is a polite and outwardly Christian man who “wants to devote [his] life to Christian service” and was a missionary for a while. (“Good Country People”) Hulga opens up her emotions to this man and truly believes that she loves him. Later in the story, it is revealed that this poster child of religious devotion is truly a con-artist. His bibles are actually boxes where he keeps liquor, condoms, nude photographs, and other prosthetic body parts that he has stolen. He eventually steals Hulga’s leg, leaving her speechless. Stunned, she still insists that he is a pure country Christian man. He then states that “[He has] been believing in nothing ever since [he] was born”, revealing that he is the true atheist in the story. (“Good Country People”) The significance of Pointer stealing Hulga’s leg is that it reflects her losing her shield of protection. It takes her down a notch and reveals her true self. O’Connor writes in another one of her letters, “the operation of the Church is entirely set up for the sinner; which creates much misunderstanding among the smug.” (O’Connor) This can be applied to Hulga, for she was pompous and felt superior to others, however, she eventually let go of her atheism and showed faint signs of her hidden Christianity. She had faith in this man, yet he went and betrayed her trust. In terms of “Christian Realism”, this reflects the sinfulness of humanity. The loss of her prosthetic is her own “awakening”, in the sense that the removal itself was a form of God’s grace. It allows her to realize that she’s at fault with her attitude toward life. This will change the way she acts in the future, towards others, including her cruelty to mother.

Flannery O’Connor’s use of her Christian background to explain the morality behind her stories’ plots shows the conflict between true faith and putting it on for show. Her style of writing reflects her beliefs and how God’s mercy applies to all people, no matter what walk of life they come from.

Society’s perception of good and evil has evolved. In the 8th century, good people were viewed as courageous or showed huge amounts of bravery and strength you would have been a hero(good). People who were cowardice and weak were unworthy. As for the 1950s featuring “a good man is hard to find” O’Connor guides this tale by using morality, ethics, and even religion to determine who is considered “good or evil”. Modern society is viewed as cruel and untrustworthy and both could shape either good or evil people, that’s why I am going to write about “The Killing Joke” a movie that is a great example of evolution of good and evil due to both the joker and batman having tragic events due to society, and they let it define their sanity(good or evil). As we get deeper into the essay, you will have a better understanding of the evolution of good and evil.

Throughout Beowulf, we see many examples of heroics and bravery. From the very beginning, they preserved England’s heritage along with her first colonists ‘ ancestry. Beowulf takes place in Denmark and Sweden in the sixth century. The Geats (the Beowulf tribe) originated in the southern part of Sweden) and Hrothgar and his magnificent Heorot mead-hall were from the Danish island, Sjaelland. Beowulf is the simplest form of epic there is in several respects. It’s about the conflict between a brave, strong, faithful warrior and the hell’s demons and dragons. The forces of good fight back and forth against the forces of evil, realizing that they will be defeated one day, but at least they will die fighting. “Like a man outlawed

for wickedness, he must await the mighty judgment of God in majesty.” (976-8) Grendel may be a demon monster, but in contrast to God’s mighty power and justice, he is negligible. Beowulf may be a battle between good and evil, however, there is no real balance between the two sides. This event is not a dualistic battle between God and the Devil; it is God that triumphs over all the weak, minuscule monsters on earth. “Inside Heorot there was nothing but friendship. The Shielding nation was not yet familiar with feud and betrayal.” (1016-8) Most of the time, Beowulf’s ‘evil’ comprises of otherworldly creatures intrinsically deranged— demons such as Grendel, sea monsters, and dragons. However, we sometimes get clues that another kind of evil might come from familial-tribal feuding. Perhaps, people can create their evil without any need for monsters to depict it for them. “Thus, Beowulf bore himself with valour; he was formidable in battle yet behaved with honour and took no advantage.” (2177-2179) We discover late in the epic that Beowulf is not only good at fighting – he is also spiritually good. He’s not taking undue advantage of his rivals or peers. But that’s almost an afterthought; for the storyteller, it’s far less significant than his fighting prowess. Good and evil within Beowulf consist of a lot of demons being slain and a lot of religion but we also see glimpses of manmade evil which makes evil not so black and white in Beowulf.

Furthermore, Good vs. Evil in ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find’ Flannery O’Connor gives her audience a detailed look at their existence in ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find.’ The tale was about a family of five, husband, wife, grandma, and two children, heading from Georgia to Florida on a holiday. On the road to a typical vacation, the family takes a side trip that will permanently destroy their lives. ‘A Good Man is Hard to find’ is a conflict between a granny with a somewhat superficial sense of morality and a convict that represents pure evil. The grandmother seems to regard kindness mostly as a result of being nice, having good morals, or being from the ‘right people’ or family. What a difference, though, when the grandmother meets The Misfit, who seems concisely malicious, with little or no sense of guilt, and a deep desire to do something brutal and harmful for their own sake. By comparison, knowing The Misfit’s motives and what ‘goodness’ entails is one of the story’s key mysteries.

As humans, it is in our nature to have a way of characterizing ourselves than what we may be giving out to the world. In O’Connor’s short stories, “Everything That Rises Must Converge” and “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, and “Good Country People” they show multiple characters that portray themselves in a different perspective than what they think of themselves, even though they may not be aware that they don’t see themselves as a malicious person.

In the O’Connor’s short stories, “Everything That Rises Must Converge”. We have Julian, a middle-age guy that lives with his mother and sells typewriters. He may think of himself as a person that is acceptable of others, unlike his mother that was racist towards people of color. In reality, though, he is as much more judgmental than his mother. “Do you have a light?” he asked the Negro.” (O’Connor. ”Everything That Rises Must Converge” p.7) By asking the black man if he had a cigarette, though it was a no smoking area. By asking him a simple question he challenged his mother by saying look at me I can interact with people of color and to challenge how she was brought up in a southern type of mindset. The light for a cigarette, even though it was a simple question it made the mother enraged. Although she claims to be able to accept people of colour without being racist. Julian the son of the woman tries to be more Acceptable, “he had sat down next to a distinguished-looking dark brown man who had answered his questions with a sonorous solemnity but who had turned out to be an undertaker.” (O’Connor. ”Everything That Rises Must Converge” p.8) Julian sees himself as a person that is accepting of others, especially people of colour. But what he doesn’t see is that he judges people by their appearance like the man he had thought was a lawyer or of some prestigious profession but ended up being an undertaker. Just so he can defy his mother’s Ideals that she still held within herself as if she was trapped in an older time.

In the O’Connor’s short stories, “Everything That Rises Must Converge”. The story is a great example of how irony, redemption as well as the struggle of identity amongst the Mother and the son Julian.

In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the grandmother and the Misfit become the main focus even though there are other characters are involved in the story. Throughout the entire story, the Grandmother had this prestigious way of acting in how she would refer to the past as if it was still relevant in her life, by sharing it with her grandchildren even though the kids did not want to hear nor were they interested in what she was saying. She also had this way of thinking that was self-assertive, meaning she thought herself smarter than others. “…anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.” (O’Connor. “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” p. 2). Throughout the story, the grandmother saw herself differently than what the grandchild saw her as like. Throughout the story the grandmother has given herself an entitlement through the story. This quote it is showing how the grandmother thought herself of a higher title by dressing in such a matter, even though she only wanted to be more feminine in case she dies, which ironically she dose. As well in the quote, ‘You must have stolen something,’ she said. The Misfit sneered slightly. ‘Nobody had nothing I wanted,’ he said.” (O’Connor. “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” p.5) Through the inter encounter with the Misfit, the grandmother thinks/ shows that she is better than the Misfit, by trying to convince the Misfit that he is not a bad man and that he can change. The grandmother thinks that she can out smart the Misfit but instead reminds him of his past, even though he chooses not to talk more about it but the grandmother pushes him from his calmness behavior.

In Good Country People, we have formly Joy Hopewell changed her name to an ugly name that is now Hulga because she is not beautiful anyway in her world. Hulga is a middle-aged woman that has lost her leg due to an accident in her youth. Unlike her mother, hulga doesn’t believe in good country people. Something that is important and definesHulga is that she has a wooden leg, that leads her to see it as a major part of her personality through the story. That has multiple degrees and believes that she is shaped-witted compared to everyone she meets. For instance, “…you ain’t so smart. I been believing in nothing ever since I was born!” (O’Connor. “Good Country People” p.18). Here the Bible-selling guy made Hulga see her true self. That she doesn’t portray herself as the strong bright woman that she is. She was so blind in that idea that she manipulated him when in reality he was seducing her just to get her wooden leg. The simple action of him stealing her leg shows how he had not only played her as a fool but saw her as one too. This shows how her character is self-absorbed, that she was so focused on her act of ‘seduction’“seducing”, instead of how she truly smart witty of a person she is. That could have seen though his attire of a holy man that sells bibles. Throughout the story Hulga had this mindset that she was the brightest and that she could outsmart anybody. In comparison to when the story had started. Where Hulga was so sure of herself, “…she imagined, that things came to such a pass that she very easily seduced him and that then, of course, she had to reckon with his remorse.” (O’Connor. “Good Country People” p.12) Hulga is a person that self-stability was her nature, meaning she was resisting to change herself. So when she tried to be a person she wasn’t, as to show a more feminine and happy side of herself only to fool around with the bible salesman. She is academically sophisticated but is naive to the feelings of others around her which becomes her downfall. This being the case, her wooden leg gets stolen and so does her dignity as a brilliant person. Throughout the story Hulga is seen as a cynical person by those around her but especially her mother. Although she doesn’t think nor see herself as such a person.

In O’Connor’s short stories, a conclusion throughout the three short stories, what that there were three characters that perceived themselves in a certain way than how others saw them. It may be that is was there a way of thinking or the way that the author was trying to make it seem as if they were cynical people when they where to bline to see the reality of it. But if O’Connor’s short stories had not had these cynical characters would that lead to the lost of the story if there was no cynical challenge in characters?

Isaac Asimov and Flannery O’ Connor are both renowned authors alive during the 20th century known specifically for their short stories. Isaac Asimov was a Russian Jew who immigrated with his family to America, while Asimov studied the sciences and actually worked as a professor of biochemistry. While he really did pursue the sciences, his science-fiction works bear a preponderance of respect as Asimov’s intellectual legacy resides mostly in his literary works. While he was a particularly prolific writer who produced an exceptionally copious amount of books, around 500 including book including works which he edited, and 90,000 letters and postcards. However All The Troubles of The World in particular holds a few themes analogous to those found in Flannery O’ Connor’s short story A Good Man is Hard to Find. While Flannery O’ Conner wrote primarily Southern Gothic style literature, a subgenre of Gothic . For context Gothic literature refers to fiction with dark, death, dread, narratives and imagery, the subgenre Southern Gothic is the mostly the same except it takes place in the American South. O’Connor was a known devout Catholic, from 1956 to 1964, she authored in excess of 100 book reviews for two Catholic diocesan newspapers within Georgia: The Bulletin and The Southern Cross. O’ Conner’s books demonstrate O’ Conner’s strong connection with religion as the Christian themes are abundantly clear; this remains a consistent trend throughout her writings. Despite the fact that science-fiction and Religion come very close to representing opposites to one another, A Good Man is Hard to Find and All The Troubles of The World, as previously mentioned, share many themes. Both books existing as products of the 1950’s quite possibly carried inspiration from the social and cultural climate of the time; primarily the questionability of human morals which grew as WWII came to an end, issues for returning veterans arrose, and the start of the Cold War which only served to multiply the questionability of humanity’s morals and standards at the time. Each book tends to have themes which implicitly critique human nature, and each book contains segments where the malice actions of humans produce a rather dark result which symbolizes the climax of the story.

In Flannery O’ Conner’s A Good Man is Hard to Find O’Connor depicts a family who are always at some sort of odds with each other as they go and take a road trip. The main Character who supports the themes the most is the grandmother. The book has themes based primarily in morality and religion. The grandmother who’s known for preaching morals and her impresses her own “ladieness” unto her family members and anyone else. The grandmother is set on believing in these morals which she believes to be objective yet it served her no good. She genuinely believes in praying to Jesus and being a good Christian whenever she can, however she demonstrates many acts of selfishness as she manipulates her family in order to fit her own desires. This manipulative behavior portrayed by the grandmother resulted in the grandmother getting herself killed her and her family killed as well. Her preaching of Christian values to the misfit mentioned earlier did not save her. Her desire/obsession to be lady like, all she ever seemed to care about, did not save her. Despite the fact that the misfit activity denounced Jesus, the grandmother tries to get the misfit to pray to Jesus, even though Jesus never did her any good; only when the misfit made the family look death in the face did they express love and care for one another. Prior to the grandmother getting shot she tells the misfit “you could be one of my children,” she says this as she begins thinking about more than herself and sees the misfit as someone’s child, another valuable life. He shoots her as she only thought about others in the face of death, this is why he says “She would of been a good woman, if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.’ It appears that the book challenges the use of religion as the grandmother is the most infatuated by it and yet she is manipulative and does not act with Christian morals. The misfit it a pretty evil guy but he’s the only thing that has brought the grandmother close to God as she experiences divine grace in the last moments of her life.

In Asimov’s book All The Troubles of The World, Asimov describes a highly advanced AI computer referred to as Multivac. Multivac receives a very precise set of data on each person on planet earth including an individual’s desires, history, personality, and other such information, to extrapolate scenarios and predict future crimes. Multivac’s job in specific is to analyze all of the information that exists on the planet, to find as many solutions and answers as it possible can. Through utilization of its almost endless knowledge, most issues which plague humanity have been solved. Multivac predicts a murder to happen soon, Multivac says the murder will be committed by a man by the name of Joseph Manners. Joseph is put on house arrest as he and confusion arises amongst police as Multivac says the muder has become more probable. Then Ben, Joseph’s son, enters the story and goes to ask Multivac how can he help his father. Multivac proceeds to print him a list of instructions he needs to follow which would actually result in Multivac’s death; the authorities realized Ben was a minor so his information was an extension of his father’s. Bens instructions were led him to almost killing Multivac, but police intervene. The murder Multivac predicted was his own, and Ben was only following instructions he only inquired for due to his father’s arrest, so both Father and son were go on with life of anything. Multivac is then asked “what do you yourself want more than anything else?’. Multivac then responded “ I want to die.” Unlike A Good Man is Hard to Find, the characters don’t seem to embody specific themes, also All The Troubles of The World does not hint at themes or do any sort of foreshadowing in the story. This goes to show dramatically different writing styles can achieve communication of the same premise. As Multivac deals with the psychological issues of every individual, everyday, it’s driven to rather die than to sift the darkness to prevent murders, and deal with the burden of everyone’s problems. Humans have so many issues and bad traits, that it pushed the most intelligent AI supercomputer to desire death. All The Troubles of The World, similar to A Good Man is Hard To Find, makes commentary regarding the issues of humans, whether is be moral or psychological. Finally the emotional development of Multivac may be what induced suicidal behavior, as it began imitating humans the more it spoke worked with them. As he gained humanity it could no longer handle the responsibilities it carried. This ( if true) would be representing commentary based on the nature of humans, this would serve as another shared theme between the two books despite the massive contrast between the two authors and their books.

The idea of the American dream echoed across nations and roared within America; the spreading of communism during the 1950s was what the concept of the American dream was meant to overpower and discredit. Perpetuation of the American dream was also meant to muffle the sounds of the suffering in America. The suffering of Soldiers who had fought for their country’s freedom, returned to their homeland void of basic necessities. They returned without housing or the money they would have acquired not going to war and climbing the corporate job ladder. All the dilemmas which contributed to the social/societal climate of the 1950s were products of WWII. The world remained in a damaged state after WWII; violent never existed in such abundance until WWII. WWII had just ended in the previous decade and nations still needed more time to heal from mankind’s worst display of their violent capabilities. The importance of how WWII changed society is due to how that change is going to impact books written from 1930-1960( including A Good Man is Hard to Find and All The Troubles of The World ). Hypothetically if a lack of mutual respect between strangers was a societal occurrence/issue as a result of the social/societal climate at the time at which the hypothetical book was written, examining and paying extra attention to how characters interact would be a good way to see if that societal issue was repurposed for telling this story. For example; The events leading up to WWII are plentiful, many of these events served to enable Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in Germany. Arguably these events made Hitler’s political conquest easier, withal the fact that Hitler rose to power through the use of fear and rhetoric of an accusatory nature serves as the optimal example of how delicate and unstable human morality is. The fact that an entire nation turned a blind eye to such crimes against humanity based off the persuasive, angry rhetoric of one man goes to show humans do not have a solid grasp of ethics. If morality were innate within the human psyche than an entire nation would not have sat back and allowed such atrocities to happen, yet many atrocities did happen as Hitler persecuted ethic minorities throughout Eastern Europe. In a time so plagued with issues of many different varieties, it would make sense for someone to write something like All The Troubles of The World where the intelligence or a computer aides to prevent the violent tendencies of humans.

With the moral reprehensibility of what happened in WWII it makes sense that the mechanical savior who prevents humans from being hurt by their own flawed nature, could not bare the worries and concern of all the world’s issues. The experiencing of moral incompetence on such a massive scale also provides rational reason to why both of these post-WWII era books have dark themes regarding human nature and morality. In WWII Mankind decided to release their unfettered wrath upon each other, any mental security pertaining to the collective understanding of morals shattered. It’s not surprising that this period of time would garner books with darker themes.

The purpose of themes in these books is assisting to communicate a specific idea narrative which the book is trying to convey. Examining similarities and differences when comparing the themes of multiple books is essential to stronger comprehension of the material. When two books are examined and the reader searches for thematic differences/similarities, the reader over time will develop skills which allows them to more efficient at spotting themes and understanding them. Anything which seems like it may hold importance, seems to be re-occurring throughout a story, or that seems like a message which would be a logical premise for the story to be based on, it may be a theme meant to assist in understanding the story to the fullest extent. To learn how to analyze passages or scenes to find any form of thematic importance, expands a reader’s ability to find deeper meaning in a story, or relate a topic from the book they’re to something in the real world despite maybe that topic being highly symbolic or figurative. in A Good Man is Hard to Find a good example of symbolism masking a theme which holds importance( to some ) in the real world is how “original sin” is written about near the end of the book. This concept from christianity which states we are born with original sin as we inherited it from Adam and Eve, if we do not repent we will go to hell, even if we do not remember doing it or know if it happened. This misfit talks about his prison life in the same dialogue in which he speaks about why he thinks Jesus’s ways are flawed. The religious theme is obvious; misfit’s anger is partly driven by him being sent to prison for a crime he does not remember. He doesn’t even think he committed the crime and in the end the punishment was the same. Even if some of the underlying messages that a story is trying to convey is not pertinent to real life, or do not communicate a bigger more interesting topic/idea, themes are still needed as the themes within a story provide structure. Without themes stories fail to be coherent, or can lack deeper meaning.

While the two books appear very different in nature at first, it seems morals and humanity represent primary themes in these books. Asimov waited to start revealing the more significant themes. It was not until the very end that the book display human nature behind to much of a burden to bare on the most intelligence entity on the planet. Flannery did quite the contrary as the grandmother’s pseudo religious values and obsession with being a “lady” seem to do nothing but support her narcissism. As she preaches her religious values, religions becomes a key element to the story almost immediately, and towards the end, dominates most of the conversation. The grandmother demonstrates something which is supposed to be good ( the altruistic values of religion ) and then twist it. Additionally each book seems to present the theme more and more towards the end; the end in A Good Man is Hard to Find entails a conversation centered around the theme of morality as she fines grace in her last moments and religion as the grandmother talks with the misfit about Jesus ( in a manipulative fashion as she continues to misuse religion. ) Then at the end of All The Troubles of The Worlds Multivac meticulous orchestration of what happened in the book just to find a way to stop dealing with the craziness of mankind. While certain previously mentioned historical events were still of the utmost importance at the time, there is not the largest amount of thematic evidence to suggest these books had significant influence as a result of the societal changes happening at the time. While the 40’s and 50’s go down in history as times of constant negative change and turmoil and moral ineptitude, however the only thematic evidence of these historical events influencing these books is the pessimistic view the authors seem to have towards humanity. One observation found when relating the two pieces of literature by comparing was premises the stories were built around, Flannery’s work was on mistakes of men, and the other, a robot wanting to die after witnessing the mistakes of men. The books are oldy different, as different as they can be in many respects. Flannery foreshadows while Asimov left information scares building up suspense and anticipation. Despite the large discrepancies between the two writing styles were immediately visible, although in theme they found common ground. Through examination of these two literary works, themes can be identified regardless of symbolism which muddies the comprehensive clarity of said book, and regardless of vague passages meant to confuse the reader.

Good Country People (A good man is hard to find, 1955); review

‘Good Country People’ is comes out as an ironic title that Flannery O’Connor uses a part of the collection of short stories dubbed ‘A good man is hard to find.’ Thus from the overall theme in the short stories depicting the difficulty of finding a good man in the region, the title of ‘Good Country People’ and the story within successfully captures the ironical representation of the perceived good man. In the story, the semblance of a good man comes in the image of a bible salesman named Manley Pointer. In the view of good men, particularly in terms of character and expectations of personality, apparently, nothing is better than a bible salesman, whose character and devotion to Christianity is supposed to create a direction in his life as he leads by the example of the bible. The bible salesman also has the name Manly Pointer, an allusion to his character of an individual who can point the other characters to the personality of a perceived good man. Mrs Hopewell’s daughter Joy, who has changed her name to Hulga in rebellion thinks about seducing the ‘good’ bible salesman and agrees to a date with him. After the date, she comes to learn that the bible salesman is a nihilistic atheist, whose perversion for fun is to take prostheses from disables people. I chose the story because it captures the reality of life in which people may not turn out to be who they claim to be in life. The refreshing perspective is that the story captures human nature. It explores the deception in human nature as shown in the character of Manly Pointer who on the surface appears to be a good man, while his actions and beliefs show the opposite. In the exploration of human nature, the story also captures the foolishness of stereotypes, in which though Joy is educated, she cannot discern the deception of the man she sets out to harm, and who it turns out, causes her pain.

Cofer, Jordan, “Flannery O’Connor’s Role in Popular Culture: A Review Essay” Southern Quarterly; Hattiesburg Vol. 47, Iss. 2, (Winter 2010): 140-157,171

‘A good man is hard to find’ is a 1955 short story collection with the story of ‘Good Country People.’ The analysis of Cofer, Jordan, in her essay done over a century later, focuses on Flannery O’Connor, who is the author of the main story under consideration. Understanding the author of a story, and her background offers perspective to an analysis that readers can utilize in establishing meaning and context. Often, literature is a reflection and mirror to society. The creators of literature thus infuse elements of themselves and their society in different pieces of literature. From an advanced collection of short stories, the author embodies much of her life and her society within the collection by capturing and exploring different aspects within the community. The purpose of the essay by Jordan is to establish the role of Flannery O’Connor in popular culture, and the best place to begin the analysis is from her stories which revolve around different matters in society including religion. In the essay, the author takes the reader into the life of Flannery O’Connor, whom she terms as a pop culture idol. The essay examines her rural home of Georgia, and its influence on her literature, in addition to her views on religion and life. From the analysis, it is thus clear the involvement of Flannery O’Connor’s life in her literature, which she not only used to explore her society but also to reveal herself to her audience. The essay is relevant in the study because it provides an overview of all the short stories in the book, in addition to their impact on the life of the author. The stories reveal much about the author, her upbringing and her views. In using the analysis, it is thus possible to create a context of understanding the in-depth application of the story ‘Good Country People’ through its reflection on the views of the author concerning the treachery of mankind, as well as the foolishness of a different faction of humans who fall victim to the deceptions of the former through their stereotypes and shallow beliefs.

Davis, David A., “A Good Mayonnaise is Hard to Find: Flannery O’Connor and Culinary Codependency,” Southern Quarterly; Hattiesburg Vol. 56, Iss. 1, (Fall 2018): 29-41.

The review of Davis, David A., takes the title of Flannery O’Connor. It twists it to serve the agenda of his discussion on the background of the author as well as her contribution to literature. The relevance of the title in the essay comes from its examination of the life of the author Flannery O’Connor and the relationship that she had with her mother. The discussion thus focuses on the development of relationships along with their impact in the lives of the individuals within the story. The use of the word Mayonnaise brings into consideration the element of food and its value in society. From the analysis, the author thus creates the impression that to food lovers, who include Flannery O’Connor, the author; relationships are as meaningful as food. Finding a good match is therefore critical. Using the perspective of Davis, David A. relationships are central to human existence. He examines a core relationship in a family setting which is the relationship between a mother and her daughter often, according to the analysis, the relationship between a mother and her daughter is rife with hostile and tolerance in a combination that results in two individuals walking a fine line of relating with each other. Despite being a man, the author comprehends the mother-daughter relationship and places it in the context of the story by Flannery O’Connor, ‘A good man is hard to find.’ In the story, the relationship between Mrs Hopewell and her daughter Joy is a reflection of the mother and daughter relationship in society. Thus, the analysis is useful in establishing the background of the story, ‘A good man is hard to find,’ and placing the story within the context of relationships and society, which bring out the impacts of such associations to the lives of the individuals in the story with an ultimate reflection of life in the society. The analysis follows through with the idea of irony through its representation of a perceivably hostile mother-daughter relationship that is also full of love and tolerance. The relationship cannot be understood from a single perspective, given its intricate design and impact.

Lamar, Nisly, L., “Idolizing O’Connor: Tim Gautreaux’s Tribute to Flannery O’Connor,” Southern Quarterly; Hattiesburg Vol. 50, Iss. 2, (Winter 2013): 31-48,156.

The elaborate analysis of Flannery O’Connor by her fan Tim Gautreaux forms the foundation of the third-party analysis in which through the analysis of the work of another, Lamar, Nisly, L captures the life of the central author in the short stories. The analysis follows one of the stories in O’Connor’s short story collection of ‘idols’ and captures the impact of public figures in the lives of their adoring fans. The aspect that brings out the article is the focus on the life of O’Connor using adoring terms that highlight her as a critical individual in the field of literature. The article is thus relevant because it provides the overview of the central author, O’Connor, whose life and contribution to literature has been inspirational to several individuals to the point of her becoming an object of the analysis. The analysis captures her life, her beliefs, as well as her culture and religion. The review is a parody of the short story ‘idol’ as the author extends the work of his idol in an analysis that reflects devotion and admiration. From the articles, it is clear that understanding an individual, especially their positive nature, takes the framework of their admirers who reflect their positive attributes. Thus, the need to infuse the attributes of O’Connor into her stories makes the article important in the analysis. The understanding of the aspects surrounding O’Connor as an individual brings into perspective the knowledge of her work. The analysis also creates a foundation upon which the readers can conceptualize her text by understanding the origin in its assertion and meaning to life and society. The meaning in every text, from the perspective is derived from understanding the author and their views.