As I read Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, I find myself being completely consumed by the rich tale that the author weaves; a tragic and ironic tale that concisely and precisely utilizes irony and foreshadowing with expert skill. As the story progresses, it is readily apparent that the story will end in a tragic and predictable state due to the devices which O’Connor expertly employs and thusly, I find that I cannot stop reading it; the plot grows thicker with every sentence and by doing so, the characters within the story are infinitely real in my mind’s eye. As I consider these factors, the story focuses on two main characters; that of the grandmother, who comes across as self-centered and self-serving and The Misfit, a man, who quite ingeniously, also appears to be self-centered and self-serving. It is the story behind the grandmother, however, that evidence appears to demonstrate the extreme differences between her superficial self and the true character of her persona; as the story unfolds, and proof of my thought process becomes apparently clear. With these two divergent personas that define the grandmother, I believe the ultimate success of this story relies greatly upon specific devices that O’Connor incorporates throughout the story; both irony and foreshadowing ultimately lead to a tale that results in an ironic twist of fate and also play heavily on the character development of the grandmother. The first sense of foreshadowing occurs when the grandmother states “[y]es and what would you do if this fellow, The Misfit, Caught you” (1042). A sense of gloom and an unavoidable meeting with the miscreant The Misfit seem all but inevitable. I am certain that O’Connor had true intent behind th... ... middle of paper ... ... the stories by O’Connor so timeless. Works Cited Boudreaux, Armond. "There Are No Good Men To Find: Two Stories By Flannery O’Connor." Explicator 69.3 (2011): 150. Biography Reference Bank (H.W. Wilson). Web. 1 Nov. 2013. Charters, Ann. The Story and Its Writer – An Introduction to Short Fiction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. Print. Cofer, Jordan. "Flannery O'connor's Role In Popular Culture: A Review Essay." Southern Quarterly 47.2 (2010): 140-157. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 2 Nov. 2013. Nadal, Marita. "Temporality And Narrative Structure In Flannery O'connor's Tales." Atlantis (0210-6124) 31.1 (2009): 23-39. Fuente Académica. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. Petit, Susan. "Finding Flannery O'Connor's "Good Man" In Marilynne Robinson's "Gilead" And "Home.." Christianity & Literature 59.2 (2010): 301-318. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
O’Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man Is Hard to Find.” The Story and Its Writer. Charters, Ann. Compact 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/ST. Martin's, 2011. 676-687. Print.
Works Cited Bandy, Stephen C. "One of my babies": The Misfit and the Grandmother in Flannery O'Connor's short story 'A Good Man Is Hard to Find'. Studies in Short Fiction; Winter 1996, v33, n1, p107(11). O’Connor, Flannery. The Complete Story of the. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
O'Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man Is Hard To Find." Literature for Composition: Reading and Writing Arguments about Essays, Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. By Sylvan Barnet, William Burto, and William E. Cain. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2007. 404-414. Print.
One of the most memorable lines from “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” comes from the Misfit when he says, “She would have been a good woman if it had been someone there to shoot her for every minute of her life (O’Connor 309).” Flannery O’Connor’s depiction of Christian faith can be seen in almost all of her works. Inevitably, the plots in all of O’Connor’s stories end with a shocking conclusion, and this leaves the reader with freedom to interpret the central idea. From the endless list of themes that O’Connor embeds into her stories, “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” is largely influenced by divine grace, hypocrisy, bitter reality, and white supremacy.
O’Connor, Flannery M. “A Good Man Is Hard To Find”. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. 5th ed. Boston: Heinle, 2004.
Each of the characters in, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’Connor, have their own set of morals, and they each have a series of anomalous complications. John Wesley, June Star, Bailey, grandmother, and the Misfit all have contrasting psychological issues that repel the reader from esteeming them.
In the beginning of the story, it is clear to the reader that the grandmother is particularly a judgmental person. The story starts off by giving the reader hints that the family is going on a trip to Georgia. Soon, the grandmother makes herself clear by not wanting to go on the trip by slight comments of “ I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn 't answer to my conscience if I did,” (O’Connor 2). This is the first
O'Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." 1955. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. 4th ed. Ed. Robert DiYanni. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1998. 193-203.
Since the beginning of the story, the readers have come to known the grandmother as a spiteful old lady due to her repulsive and deceitful attitudes toward others. Right from the start, we can see the grandmother using her manipulative tactics on her family. “The grandmother didn't want to go to Florida. She wanted to visit some of her connections in east Tennessee and she was seizing at every chance to change Bailey's mind.” (O’Connor 1) This initial quote shows an early indication that the grandmother is determined to obtain whatever she wants and will not allow anything to get in her way, even if it means manipulating her own family. This line already suggests that the grandmother may have sly motives concealed in her mind. “Here this fellow that calls himself The Misfit is a loose from the Federal Pen a...
Though the grandmother dies in the end, O’Connor’s use of foreshadowing, characterization, and a distinct point of view lead me to believe this is the beginning of a different life for The Misfit. After he kills the grandmother The Misfit immediately starts cleaning his glasses, an indication that he sees the world in a different way. He had originally thought there was no pleasure in anything but cruelty, eventually the Misfit decides “It’s no real pleasure in life.” He had wanted to see Jesus raise the dead more than anything, and The Misfit ultimately got his wish; the grandmother had a last minute relief from her unbearable pomposity and then died, presumably redeemed. And the Misfit finds a glimpse of human empathy and compassion from the last woman we would have expected it from.
Throughout the story the grandmother is manipulative and egotistical. From the way she presents herself, to the way she sees others. It isn’t until her dwindling moments of life with the misfit that the grandmother sees that her elite bloodline or fancy dress will not be enough to save her life. One identification of the grandmother’s redemption is found in her last words to the misfit, “Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children!” The grandmother is not suddenly remembering an illegitimate child she gave up many year ago, but rather realizing that there is no difference between her and the escaped convict. The grandmother receives redemption in this moment because the grandmother had lived her entire life thinking she was above the rest of humanity, especially those of other race, ethnicity and background. Katherine Keil in her critical analysis essay “O’ Connor’s ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’” states “The grandmother, likewise, is brought salvation by a “wretched” creature—The Misfit. At the moment of her
Flannery O’ Connor’s story: “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is the tale of a vacation gone wrong. The tone of this story is set to be one irony. The story is filled with grotesque but meaningful irony. I this analysis I will guide you through the clues provided by the author, which in the end climax to the following lesson: “A Good Man” is not shown good by outward appearance, language, thinking, but by a life full of “good” actions.
O?Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man is Hard to Find." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York. HarperCollins, 1991. 907-917.
The short story A Good Man is Hard to Find written by Flannery O'Connor concerns unique characters and a tragic climax crisis. From the beginning to the grim ending, a reader cannot help but chuckle throughout the story due to the dramatic irony from the character known as the grandmother and how she fails to see herself for who she is, a sinner.
O'Connor, Flannery. A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1977. Print.