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Introduction
In life we are two people, that which we show to the public eye which is prim, proper, and well behaved and the other that embodies that type of person we are when the doors are closed, the blinds are drawn and there is no one around to see or hear us. Examining the story ” A Good Man is Hard to Find” is similar to looking into a mirror and trying to determine whether what we portray in public is truly who we are on the inside. The basic setting used is a simple one where a family of six is preparing to go on a trip to Florida for a vacation. Unusually though, the grandmother who is the main character in the story rather than being cast as a protagonist can be considered as being set into the role of the antagonist. It is actually through her selfish actions that the story takes a turn for the worse despite her implying numerous times in the story that she is a lady, comes from a more civilized and polite time, and is a devout Christian who believes in Jesus Christ. Based on the actions of the grandmother it can be said that the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” contains subtle religious overtones portraying how aesthetics and what it means to truly be a Christian clash when presented with the reality of life.
The story has a simple plot where a family is expecting to go on a vacation in Florida with the grandmother in the story adamantly wishing to go to Tennessee instead. Due to the grandmother’s actions and deceptions, the family gets into an accident and unfortunately is thrust into a dangerous situation when they encounter a group of escaped criminals that were mentioned earlier on. The characters in the story, except for the grandmother, the misfit, and the other two escaped criminals, all portray average people that you would meet on the street or would know. The father Baily acts like your usual husband along with the unnamed wife and two children. The truly unique character in the story is the grandmother and as a result, that is where the primary basis of examination will start. When examining the grandmother it becomes obvious that she places a lot of importance on appearances and being “ladylike” and asserts her belief in Jesus. Despite this assertion of ladylike behavior and belief in Jesus, throughout the trip, the grandmother shows instances of racial discrimination when describing an African American boy calling him a “nigger” or “pickanniny”, shows concern for her physical appearance to look ladylike, lies to her child and grandchild about the house with secret compartments to get what she wants and as a result of her hiding a cat under her bag causes an accident for the family which winds up killing all of them as they are found by a group of escaped prisoners. The supposed ladylike behavior that the grandmother has said she embodies which is her form of aestheticism falls short when compared to her actions, her thoughts, and the result of her behavior.
The first major conflict in the story involved the grandmother and her attempt to dissuade the family from going to Florida by using guilt; this is evidenced by the line ” it is just as you had read it, I would not take my own children in any direction with a criminal that is like that on the loose. I would not be able to answer to my conscience if I did so.”(O’Conner 1). It is this particular conflict that sets the tone for the succeeding conflicts in the story as the grandmother due to her selfish desire becomes the main cause of future conflicts in the story. The next major conflict in the story involves how the grandmother wishes to see the house that she remembers from her memories. It is at this point that it must be considered that the grandmother is an antagonist in the story and as an antagonist, her actions must negatively impact other characters. The line “there was a secret panel that was hidden in that house craftily she said to the children, while at the same time not telling the truth to them but wishing that she really were telling the truth” shows how the grandmother was willing to use deception to get what she wanted and as a result of her actions the rest of the family paid the price when they got into an accident shortly thereafter (O’Conner 2). The final major conflict in the story occurs when the family encounters the misfit; once again it is due to the grandmother’s actions that the family winds up in trouble. The line “Yes ma’am” the man had said while smiling slightly to them almost as if he was pleased to be known by them, “but you know it really would have been better for the lot of you if you had not recognized me at all” shows that there was the possibility of the group of criminals helping out the family rather than killing them one by one in the woods. When because the grandmother continues to tell the Misfit to pray and turn to Jesus while the rest of her family dies around her shows how she was trying to save her own life despite what was happening (O’Conner 4). It is seen that she attempted to flatter the Misfit by saying that he was from a good family, in no part is it mentioned of her attempting to save the life of her family instead she continues to try to save her own life. It is due to her actions that it can be said that the grandmother does not truly embody what it means to be a Christian since based on her earlier actions what she was attempting to show on the outside was not what she was on the inside.
When combining the various elements portrayed in the story gives readers the ability to delve into the experience of recognizing their personal aesthetic qualities that they show to other people and how such aesthetics cannot withstand the test of reality. In various religious sermons, it is mentioned how the true test of Christianity is not in adherence to traditions such as attending mass on Sundays or portraying to others a good Christian facade instead it is in what a person does when confronted with the true test of one’s faith that determines whether a person is a true Christian. The novel shows numerous tests presented before the grandmother, tests of her ladylike behavior which she failed due to her racism, vanity, and selfishness, and tests of her Christianity which she failed by trying to save herself. In the end, the true theme of the story is that one day the facades we present to the world as embodiments of whom we are will be tested and as a result, our true selves will be revealed.
Conclusion
In the end, the story is a good example of how aesthetics and being what a person is will eventually clash as a result of the realities that are placed before all individuals in life. It can even be considered a lesson wherein what a person should show to the public should be their true selves, not some made-up image to satisfy their sense of vanity. While the story itself contains numerous subtle religious overtones and settings the most important to remember is this: no one goes untested.
Works Cited
O’ Conner, Flannery. A Good Man is Hard to Find. Pegasus Archive. 1955. Web.
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