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Introduction
A Good Man Is Hard to Find is a Southern gothic narrative that reflects the realities of the American South in the 20th century. According to the literary theory of cultural studies, the authors background significantly affects their writing, and A Good Man Is Hard to Find is a perfect example that proves this claim. The melancholy story relates to the core values of the institute of family, demonstrating the complicated relationships of the granny, father, mother, and three children who travel to Florida for a vacation. The grandmother and the Misfit are two main characters who are self-centered, arrogant, and ignorant of the problems of others. The story explores adultery in marital, religious faith, and the force of resurrection as a moral lesson, with a connection to the storys title, which is an Eddie Green song. Ultimately, the author argues that the selfishness and individuality of granny and the Misfit decays the world around them and promotes unnecessary violence.
Grandmother and the Misfit Analysis
OConnor portrays the grandmother and the Misfit as villainous characters who had been causing problems to others throughout their entire lives. The granny is arrogant about the well-being of people around her while cherishing the ladylike lifestyle, which demonstrates her selfishness. The author does not directly accuse the grandmother of indecency, but her description makes readers understand the grannys personality. For instance, OConnor (3) depicts the grandmother by stating, In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady. As a result, the grandmother spends all of her time dressing and selecting proper hats and outfits instead of taking care of her grandchildren. OConnor also oppositely depicts the grandmother compared to the mother and grandchildren to emphasize her controlling and self-righteous personality (Actis 27). Ultimately, the grannys selfishness is shown in the manner she acts, engages with her family, and in the way she dresses.
The Misfit is a wanted criminal and the second main character of the story. OConnor describes the Misfit through secondary sources, such as headlines in the newspapers and gossip. In this way, the author foreshadows the encounter between the granny and the Misfit, which would result in the grandmothers death (Sarhan par. 4). The grandmother depicts him as a villain by stating, I wouldnt take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldnt answer to my conscience if I did (OConnor 1). However, the author demonstrates that the grandmother and the Misfit are not that different through their conflict. They are both selfish individualists who achieve what they want by hurting and manipulating others. The granny is skilled at persuading her close relatives to participate in her favor. For instance, she ignores Baileys restrictions and takes her pet on a journey. The Misfit also blames his dad and the rest of the world for turning him into a bloody criminal (OConnor 11). As a result, the grandmother and the Misfit symbolize selfishness and violence that ruins other peoples lives.
Individuality and Salvation
Individualism is one of the grannys character qualities that drives the narrative and is pitted against the Misfits individuality in the story. OConnor demonstrates a strong sense of individualism in the characters through their dialogues about their lives. For instance, the Misfit blames everyone for his crimes, I done something wrong and got sent to the penitentiary. I was buried alive. (OConnor 11). He tells the story of his life to the granny, which portrays him as a normal citizen, Nome, I aint a good man <&> but I aint the worst in the world neither (OConnor 10). On the other hand, the granny keeps putting her family in danger due to her egoistic wishes. Her feeling of self-importance, in addition to the absence of information, causes her to deceive her family. She attempts to manipulate her son to get the result she wants. The grandmothers selfish motives put the family in perilous situations. In this way, the author conveys that the granny and the Misfit cause harm to other people without acknowledging their flaws and mistakes.
Nevertheless, both the granny and The Misfit tend to be compassionate. The woman, for instance, attempts to persuade the prisoner of the importance of spiritual principles. She has a solid understanding of religious principles and what compassion entails. Although she fails to follow them, the granny finally achieves a moment of grace at the very end of the story. She realizes that her understanding of goodness was flawed for the longest time, and it brought unhappiness to many people. Similarly, The Misfit appears to be a well-behaved individual at first glance and expresses regret for his inappropriate attire. However, their negative qualities prevail in the end, as the Misfit shoots the granny despite her pleas for her life. Ultimately, the grandmother and the Misfit undermine society by being oblivious to other people.
Symbolism in the Narrative
A Good Man is Hard to Find is a grim story, but it also uses humor and symbolism in the narrative. The humorous aspects include the irony of the grandmothers behavior and the grotesque ending (Ismail 36). The granny constantly criticizes her family despite her desire to look like a lady and a moral person. This difference reveals the grannys personality and further alienates her from the readers. As a result, the grandmothers appeal to the Misfit, I know youre a good man at heart. I can just look at you and tell, sounds disingenuous to the readers (OConnor 9). Ultimately, humor plays a vital role in revealing the personality of the main characters.
Moreover, symbolism and foreshadowing demonstrate the consequences of selfishness and arrogance throughout the whole story. OConnor introduces the Misfit from the very beginning and allows readers to guess the ending of the story (Sarhan par. 6). The granny keeps mentioning the Misfit, preparing the readers for the final conflict that highlights the personalities of the main characters. In summary, symbolism in the narrative helps the readers to understand the authors message and demonstrates the tragic consequences of selfishness and arrogance.
Conclusion
A Good Man Is Hard to Find demonstrates that the independent characters of the Misfit and grandmother pose a significant threat to everyone around them due to their selfishness and arrogance. The grandmother and the Misfit are fundamentally different characters, yet they are similar. They are both willing to lie, manipulate, and murder to get what they want. Flannery OConnor is concerned with the topics of selfishness and individuality and addresses them in the short story. She demonstrates the consequences of these qualities in the example of the granny and the Misfit as they are represented as fallen individuals. Ultimately, if individuals continue to be selfish authoritarians, the world will devolve into a collection of lonely wanderers who exploit others as a method to achieve their objectives.
Works Cited
Actis, Leela. The Grotesque as a Tool of the Past in As I Lay Dying and A Good Man is Hard to Find UVM College of Arts and Sciences College Honors Theses, vol. 72, 2020.
Ismail, Sezen. Humor and Grotesque in Flannery OConnors A Good Man is Hard to Find International Journal of Education and Philology, vol. 35, 2020.
OConnor, Flannery. A Good Man Is Hard to Find. Avon, 1953.
Sarhan, Linda. Symbolism and Foreshadowing Analysis of A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor. Owlcation, 2020.
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