Even though the grandmother brings up Jesus a lot with The Misfit, she does not seem as deeply devoted in a religious way. The reader can suppose this due to the fact that she never mentions it in the story, and only brings Jesus when she is in need of savior. As she grew up religion had place in her live due to the social classes and rules of being a lady. This is because due to her notions, a respectable lady like her had to believe in a merciful God. Even supposing she was a lady the reader can notice that her faith is not very devoted. O'Connor provides us with an example in regardless to the grandmothers faith. When she writes,Well whatever faith she has is shattered by the fact that she is in shock of what is happening in her surroundings. …show more content…
But does the grandmother actually get grace then ? Well as her day comes to end she is not the most religious or even admirable woman. This in reference to her superficial and selfish thinking of being able to manipulate everything. The grandmother does not transmit the vibe of being the type of person to give her love to an action of murder. But of course that does not complete the argument towards the "moment of grace". All the actions the grandmother took along the way were always self centered and hypocrite so there's no legitimate reason why to think her last gesture is not one of her typical games to manipulate the people that surrounding her. Ultimately you cant argue for the grandmother's moment of grace based on everything else that happened along the story and her clear idea of being manipulative and
Christianity is an ever occurring theme in O’Connor’s work, because she grew up on strong Southern, Christian values. Typically, most people believe that being a Christian narrows the point of view of the author. However, it is the opposite for O’Connor’s writing. She believed that being a Christian should widen people’s perspective. For example, in A Good Man is Hard to Find, the grandmother and the Misfits are both symbols of “recipients of grace.” They stand to represent all of the sinners in the world. In the Bible, it is a known fact that God has the power to grant everyone entry to Heaven regardless of what they did in a past. O’Connor is showing that even the most unlikely or undeserving people can be granted forgiveness and peace.
Woodiwiss explains the idea of faith for O’Connor as being a totaling force, meaning it’s a huge or even main part of her stories. She claims that “the transition from one state of belief to another often comes as a shock to the person experiencing it” (Woodiwiss par. 1). Here she is referring to the revelations that O’Connor’s stories are known for and how she relates all the stories and epiphanies to grace and spiritual awareness. A great example of this is when the grandmother in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” has the shocking epiphany with The Misfit. The grandmother comes to the reality that she is quite like The Misfit in terms of her religious hypocrisy, as she is far too fixated on her material possessions and not fixated on her grace which can lead her to spiritual loss and loss of grace. An example of the “shock” that Woodiwiss mentions shows when the grandmother finds out that The Misfit has his doubts in Jesus’s ways. Similar scenarios are found all throughout O’Connor’s stories, such as in her short “The Displaced Person”, where the character Mrs. Shortley finds religious redemption just before death. Woodiwiss argues that “O 'Connor 's idea of salvation is "being exactly who one is" (Woodiwiss par. 2). This is an excellent analysis on the religious impact on O’Connor’s characters. Basically, this represents the moment when a character has a strong
In a final moment of clarity, the grandmother becomes possessed by the Holy Spirit in a tantalizing display of the Redemption received. Even though it took her a great of pain and
Faith is something that the author lacks as she only see 's herself as this defiant child. However, this changes as she realizes that she shares a special bond with her grandmother, rather than taking care of her for an obligation. In the very last scene, the author watches her grandmother as she slowly passes away and cries with “sobs emerging from the depths of anguish,” finally realizing that she actually had a very close relationship with her grandmother, developing a type of respect. The author had always felt her grandmother’s gray eyes watching over here, like a safety net, for every move she had made (Viramontes
There are three phases of thought for the Grandmother. During the first phase, which is in the beginning, she is completely focused on herself in relation to how others think of her. The Second Phase occurs when she is speaking to The Misfit. In the story, The Misfit represents a quasi-final judgment. He does this by acting like a mirror. He lets whatever The Grandmother says bounce right off him. He never really agrees with her or disagrees, and in the end he is the one who kills her. His second to last line, "She would of been a good woman," The Misfit said, "if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life," (O'Conner 152). might be the way O'Conner felt about most of us alive, or how she felt that God must feel about us.
I think O’Connor use a new expression of her Christian vision of her life. Her stories are traumatic and usually end with a lot of violence or physical death. I think she incorporate the grandmother’s feel from being scared to trembling pray for a spiritual connect with her religious belief. This story show significant purpo...
Regardless of the grandmother’s attempt to reason with him by praying, he has a profound concept of Jesus. He tells the grandmother about his anger and lack of faith towards Jesus. As the Misfit compares himself to Jesus, the Misfit seems upset because they have “papers” on him and not on Jesus (O 'Connor 151). Even though the Misfit is a cold blooded murderer, he is interpreted as a wise man who is almost superior to the others. The Misfit is taking on the role of God when he chooses to make his call and kill the family. Not only does he make a decision for the family to die, but he also judges the grandmother: “She would of been a good woman, if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life" (O’Connor 153). In this case, the Misfit does not believe the grandmother is a “good” woman considering her beliefs. However, when she was in a life and death situation, she embraced her faith in
...he seemed to be unfazed by it unless you had a part in the death, which Grace obviously did. Her lack of consistency in recounting what had happened casts doubt upon her honesty and character. How can it be believed when Grace changes her story to fit her needs? They cannot, and therefore she is guilty.
Grandma’s worship of Jesus and the “Good Lawd,” Joe Starks’ worship of himself, Mrs. Turner’s worship of white characteristics, and Janie’s worship of love, all stem from a lack of jurisdiction in the society they inhabit. All these Gods represent a need for something to believe in and work for: an ideal, which they wish to achieve, to aspire to. Each individual character is thus able to find himself or herself in the God that they worship. Grandma embodies the initial faith in the book. Her faith is in the Spirit and her allegiance is to Jesus and God.
The grandmother; is not godly, prayerful, or trustworthy but she is a troublesome character. She raised her children without spirutuality, because she is not a believer, she is Godless.
In the end, before her death, the grandmother realizes that the only real “Good Man” who was so hard to find, is Jesus. It is possible to find Him, but it took a faith journey that nobody expected to take, including herself. She had to dump all of her manipulative, self-absorbed manners, as well as her focus on class and external showings of her Christian beliefs. In exchange for all of her worldly effects, she received the grace that she had been searching for her whole life. In the end, the grandmother received her Grace and went on to Paradise.
Never once as the Grandmother was begging for her life, did she stop and beg for the life of her family. Her tactic to save herself went from “You wouldn’t shoot a lady would you?” (O’Connor), to “You’ve got good blood! I know you come from nice people” (O’Connor), then lastly to “If you would pray, Jesus would help you” (O’Connor). Yet to every beg the Grandmother made, the Misfit was completely honest with her, admitting that he would hate to have to kill a lady, but he would do it, admitting that he did come from good people but that he is not good, and admitting that he does not want Jesus’ help, that he is perfectly fine alone. Because the Misfit was so honest and open about who he was and his flaws, the Grandmother realized that she is not a “Good Man”. That she has been lying to herself and the people around her. The Misfit allowed the Grandmother to come to terms with who she really is a person. The Misfit giving her this eye opening realization before taking her life gave her the redemption she needed so
For many people, religion is a very touchy subject. For most, it is a personal decision; people choose a faith that aligns with their beliefs, ideas, and faiths. Although people would like to think that religion is a personal decision, and they can adapt it to how they feel and what they believe, in practice, that is not the case. Religion represents a commitment to a set of principles that are not moldable, adaptable, or flexible. Religion, although it may be a personal belief, it is extremely defined, with little to no room for flexibility. If people try to modify their religion to their own beliefs or ideas, the pushback can be severe. The lines in religion and faith as to what is acceptable and what is not acceptable are clear, and crossing them can bring serious consequences.
Culture is a way of life that allows a diverse group of people to interrelate with one another. It is usually passed down from one generation to the next by communication and imitation. The term itself has a set definition, but it normally relates to the behavior, beliefs, values, and symbols that are accepted by a group of people. Culture can also be used to describe the time period and events in history. In the sense of what was deemed as popular during a specific stage in time and its impact on the culture surrounding it. Micro-historian have been dissecting and interpreting the meaning of popular culture and the courses of action that lead up to the events.
Flannery O 'Connor utilizes multiple biblical references, such as Jesus raising the dead, to create a foundation for what the Grandmother and Misfit believe in terms of morality. The Grandmother references Christianity in a positive and redeeming sense while the Misfit claims that “Jesus was the only One that ever raised the dead, and He shouldn 't have done it. He shown everything off balance” (O’Connor 151). Her reality before the incident was the people such as the Misfit were evil, while those similar to her who grew up in the classic traditions of the south were better off. Although she was raised in a highly religious and proper setting, she does not realize the fault in her logic until she is staring down the barrel of a gun. The grandmother attempts to use this religion to save her life by telling the Misfit about prayer and salvation. By asking the Misfit "Do you ever pray?" and then repeatedly saying “pray, pray, pray”, she is attempting to show him the fact that he does not have to do evil acts because of his past (O’Connor 149). Because the Misfit does not view himself as evil, his reality is that his actions and beliefs are morally