The Journey in A Good Man Is Hard to Find

1210 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character analysis on a good man is hard to find

In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” it is time for a trip to Florida for a family vacation. About half way through their journey, Bailey, the father within the family, reluctantly falls for the convincing of his children, John Wesley and June Star, and takes them to see the old plantation home the grandmother had previously mentioned. He turns on to the dirt road the grandmother says the house is on and drives for quite some time; the grandmother realizes the house is actually in Tennessee and not in Georgia. It is at this point where the stowed away Pitty Sing escapes from the basket and latches to Bailey’s neck. Bailey wrecks the car and the children’s mother breaks her shoulder, but there are no other injuries, which upsets June Star more than the fact that an accident has actually occurred. As the family sits and waits, a car comes along, but it is not the kind of help they were expecting. It is the Misfit and his two-man posse of Bobby Lee and Hiram. The grandmother recognizes the Misfit and tries to convince him that he is a good man and “comes from good people” and does not want to kill the family, but primarily her, a lady. Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” employs the journey archetype to illustrate that selfishness and manipulation will not always allow one to get through life a winner.
An archetype is a reoccurring image, symbol, character or situation used to express a universal concept. The journey archetype is one of the most frequently used. It sends a character, whether they know or are unknowingly sent, to search for the truth of a piece of information in their life. That journey includes a series of trials and tribulations for the character to face in order to gain a grasp as to why they are on this ...

... middle of paper ...

...ut, touched The Misfit’s shoulder and he shot her three times. When Bobby Lee and Hiram returned, the grandmother was laying in a puddle of blood looking up at a cloudless sky with a smile on her face. The Misfit says, “She would of been a good woman if there had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.”
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.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Flannery O Conner's A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Flannery O’Conner’s, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the story begins with the family going on a road trip to Florida. The Grandmother who is very critical, selfish, judgmental, forgetful, and dishonest and almost enjoys manipulating others to get her way. The Grandmother holds herself in very high regard and

    Read More

  • Flannery O Connor Grandmother

    1168 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Grandmother’s deviousness and immorality is evident in the beginning of the story. While reading the newspaper article about the Misfit, the Grandmother brings it to Bailey’s attention. In Short Story Criticism, Mary Jane Schenck writes “For Bailey, the newspaper story is not important or meaningful, and for the Grandmother it does not represent a real threat but is part of a ploy to get her own way” (Schenck 220). “A Good Man is Hard to Find” begins with an innocent road trip, however, due to coercion by the Grandmother; it soon turns into a fatal nightmare. In Short Story Criticism, Martha Stephens writes “… it is true that in a trivial sense everything that happens is the Grandmother’s fault…” She continues with “It is in the conscious of the Grandmother that we continue to experience the action of the story…” (Stephens 196).

    Read More

  • Misfit In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    842 Words  | 2 Pages

    To buttress this she pointed out that even at the grandmothers death misfit confirmed her to be a good woman in his statement “she would have been a good woman if she was to face death every minute of her life” (437). In contrast to her opinion Stephen Bandy a notable literally critics in one of his articles “One of my babies “: The Misfit and the Grandmother” he compared the characters of both and argued that despite the fact that O`Conner claimed the grandmother was merely filled with “prejudice” of her time, He described the grandmother as racist, busy body and utterly self-absorbed. When she saw that her child and grandchildren was been killed tried to manipulate Misfit to spare her own life whereas she was the one that lead them to their death.

    Read More

  • A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor

    1146 Words  | 3 Pages

    This story takes place in the South somewhere around the 1940’s or 50’s; thereby, providing the reader with a plot rich in historical, cultural, and social aspects. Throughout the narrative, many other places are mentioned and the characters’ insights on them are explained, thus an emotional attachment to places like Tennessee and Georgia are evident. However, the importance relies on what each character’s emotions and reactions reveal about themselves and about the society at that time. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” Flannery O’Connor uses symbolism and diction to contrast the good and evil nature of humans through a hypocritical, morally-driven old lady and a criminal that embraces his evil acts by placing the blame on society.

    Read More

  • A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    745 Words  | 2 Pages

    An extreme act is almost necessary to bring about the true reflection on one’s life and really question whether or not they are worthy of salvation. The most influential person in determining your after life could have not the slightest meaning to you now. Flannery O’Connor’s writing reflects in her own beliefs. Kaplan creates a case that “The Grandmother’s ability to accept such a death is therefore the supreme test of her faith,” (Kaplan 905). This associates to the story well; Flannery O’Connor is also in her own life suffering from a disease that, in some aspects, should take her faith into inquiry.

    Read More

  • A good man is hard to find

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    Just some of the last pleading words of the grandmother in the story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor. In the story, the author uses colloquialism, point-of-view, foreshadowing, and irony, as well as other rhetorical devices, to portray the satire of southern beliefs and religion throughout the entire piece.

    Read More

  • The Misfit and the Grandmother in Flannery O’ Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

    941 Words  | 2 Pages

    “A Good man is hard to find,” is about a family who decide to go on a trip to Florida. The story revolves around a self absorbed grandmother who loves to talk about how everything used to be back in her day and takes the time to dress herself so that “In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady (358).” She sneaks the family cat with her despite her son’s disapproval of bringing the creature along violating her boundaries to how a lady would act. The family encounters an accident along the way and happens to come across ‘The Misfit,’ a runaway criminal. Using ‘The Misfit’ as a tool, O’ Connor sends a message to her readers of how hypocritical a person can be when it comes to belief.

    Read More

  • The Effective Use of Tone in Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find

    659 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Effective Use of Tone in Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find Flannery O'Connor's short story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find," begins with a. A Southern family preparing to go on what seems to be a typical vacation. The story is humorous at first, because the reader is unaware of how the story will end. The tone changes dramatically from amusing to frightening and plays an important part in making the story effective. The narrator starts the story giving background information about the grandmother and her son, Bailey. The narrator explains that the "grandmother didn't want to go to Florida" (320).

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The Misfit And A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    813 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Misfit is clearly a criminal, but he calls himself “The Misfit” because he “can’t make what all I done wrong fit what all I gone through in punishment” (429). The Misfit deflected responsibility from himself and refuses to bear the results of his conflicts. Furthermore, the grandmother continuously declares that she is a so called “lady” though she is clearly racist, and is the reason why her family gets murdered. The grandmother made her son that she wanted to see until she realized that it was in a different state. In addition to all of this, she begs for her life, but never asks The Misfit to spare her family. In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, it says “Throw me that shirt, Bobby Lee,” The Misfit said. The shirt came flying at him and landed on his shoulder and he put it on. The grandmother couldn’t name what the shirt reminded her of” (429). The grandmother did not even recognize that The Misfit had killed her son and taken his

    Read More

  • Archetypes In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    An archetype in literature is defined as a typical example of a certain type of person. A character in a poem or play can be placed into many different archetype categories. Archetypes help a reader to gain a better understanding of who a character in the work is on the inside. This deeper insight into the character allows the reader to follow the flow of the story easier and more effectively. There are many different archetypes that can help advance the story.

    Read More

  • Diction In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    The grandmother says “I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people,” showing how she is trying to find a shred of hope in a murderer. O’Connor’s use of southern diction and religious banter develop the grandmother away from superficiality and towards genuineness. The grandmother says “’Listen,’…’you shouldn’t call yourself The Misfit because I know you’re a good man at heart. I can just look at you and tell.’” The Misfit replies “I pre-chate that, lady,’” by using the phonetic spelling instead of proper diction O’Connor is showing that the grandmother believes he is a fellow southerner. The grandmother is talking to The Misfit about salvation and she has an epiphany, O’Connor writes “His voice seemed to crack and the grandmother’s head cleared for an instant. She saw the man’s face twisted close to her own as if he were going to cry and she murmured, ‘Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children!’” After discussing religion and seeing his perspective the grandmother finally feels real sympathy for The Misfit; up until that point the grandmother had been trying to compliment and talk her way out of being killed along with the rest of her family. Unfortunately this is also when the struggle between good and evil ends with the grandmother being killed, “The Misfit sprang back as if a snake had bitten him and shot her three times through the chest.” The Misfit then says “‘She would of been a good woman’ … ‘if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.’” He realized that her gesture at that moment was out of pure kindness and

    Read More

  • Symbolism in A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor

    1953 Words  | 4 Pages

    in "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" Flannery O' Connor uses symbolism to give more meaning to her short story. O'Connor writes a story of a Grandmother versus a Misfit, or good versus evil. This short story is about a family going to Florida, who takes a turn down a dirt road, which only causes them to get in an accident, and be found by the Misfit. This encounter prevented them from ever arriving Florida, because the Misfit ends their lives. Using symbolism, O'Connor creates a story with much meaning to the Grandmother, nature, sky, woods, their surroundings, roads, and cars to portray the constant battle between good and evil.

    Read More

  • Symbolism in A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor is a short story that depicts a family's vacation to Florida that turned into an abysmal tragedy when they met with the Misfit, a convict who escaped from prison. This story is meant to be interpreted as a parable, whereby O'Connor made skilful use of symbolism to bring about messages such as the class-consciousness and the lack of spiritual faith that exist amongst human.

    Read More

  • Irony in a Good Man is Hard to Find

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    Irony in a Good Man is Hard to Find 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. In 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. The story begins with the grandmother trying to persuade the family not to travel towards Florida but perhaps go to Tennessee instead.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    1459 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” the readers are lead to believe that the Grandmother is a good Southern woman who lives her life by God’s grace, and the Misfit is a horrendous, murderous, mad man that believes in nothing. Although these first impressions seem spot on at a first glance, the actual characteristics and traits of these characters are far more complex. The Grandmother and Misfit have a very intriguing conversation before he murders her, but in the short time before her death, the readers see the grandmothers need for redemption and how the murderous Misfit gave her the redemption she so desperately needed,

    Read More

More about The Journey in A Good Man Is Hard to Find

Open Document