Preview

A Good Man Is Hard To Find Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
717 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Good Man Is Hard To Find Analysis
A Good Man Is Hard to Find - Flannery O'Connor
A woman who views herself as God and a man who views himself as Jesus Christ. This man didn't go as far as to say he's bigger than Jesus as a legendary Beatle once did; he however stated the following "Jesus thown everything off balance. It was the same case with Him as with me…" As the above briefly demonstrates, O'Connor's "A good man is hard to find" not only deals with the controversy of society and the way it mold it's citizens, but focuses mainly on religion and her characters strive for self acceptance as well as survival.
In order to fully comprehend the themes that Flannery O'Conner tries to get out, the story would definitely have to be understood, especially the characters based on the fact that they have so much to do with her development of her story. O'Connor chooses to explore themes of spiritual beliefs as well as society and more intriguing concepts through the use of a family led by a somewhat misguided as well as maniacal grandmother of two annoying children. The grandmother ultimately causes the death of the family when her cat jumps on her son and causes him to crash the car of a lonely road. Not to mention, the reason why the family ended up on the road of the accident is
…show more content…
She's honest about the grandmother in the sense that the reader is not being misled about the type of woman being dealt with. The grandmother character, vile and selfish as she may be, O'Connor attempts to portray her as the character who is not so horrible. It almost seems as if the fight to portray the grandmother as not being a nasty witch is not to impress the reader and to change the reader's feelings about her, but it is instead to have the grandmother justify her actions to herself, much like the Misfit. The prime example of where the grandmother tries to prove to herself that she is not such a horrible person is when she attempts to save the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, O’Connor seems to suggest that only through conflicts can the “good” in people be found. The way that the grandmother seems to dwell in the past suggests that she believes that it would’ve been easier to find a “good” man a long time ago. To the grandmother, trying to find goodness today would prove to be very challenging and possibly even useless. Through the use of symbolism, foreshadowing, and metaphors, O’Connor develops the story’s theme.…

    • 946 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    O’Connor purposely wanted readers to think this way to distracted what it’s actually meant to mean. If your one of the reader’s who fall into this trap then the story’s conclusion will leave you completely shocked. So what does O’Connor mean by a good man is hard to find? Several clues, if not carefully read, presents us with an idea of what the main character means by “good.” One would be when the grandmother and her family are at a small restaurant called Red Sammy’s. Her and the owner get to talking about how good men are hard to find. ”A good man is hard to find.....I remember the day you could go off and leave your screen door unlatched. Not no more.” Here, the owner says exactly what the reader believes the title to be, but when the grandmother speaks her interpretation of “good man” is different. The first clue is how she…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, a family plans a vacation to Florida, in which it does not turn out as they had expected. The story begins with a family from Georgia consisting of the father Bailey, his wife, baby, two kids John Wesley and June Star, and their grandmother whose name is never announced. Among planning their trip to Florida, the Grandmother suggest they go elsewhere, justifying herself saying that there is a misfit on the loose and he’s heading that direction. The rest of the family does not take her suggestion seriously, and so the next day they all leave for Florida, including the grandmother. The grandmother makes the decision to bring her cat along for the trip as well while not telling any of the other family. During the trip, the grandmother tells the children stories and plays games with…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find follows a peculiar Grandmother as a string of events she is responsible for eventually lead to the death of her loved ones and herself. First and foremost, the grandmother, a manipulative and self-interested lady with no intention of compromising, suggests the family take their vacation through Tennessee rather than Florida, partly in an attempt to avoid a so-called Misfit who appears to be “aloose from the Federal Pen” (3) in Florida. Unfortunately, the Misfit is actually in Tennessee, and thus begins the implausible sequence of events peaking in the murder of the grandmother’s family.…

    • 2190 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In two of Flannery O?Connor?s short stories, ?Revelation? and ?A Good Man is Hard to find? we find a lot of similarities in the author?s portrayal of the characters as well as themes. ?O?Connor?s stories are challenging because her characters, who initially seem radically different from people we know, turn out to be, by the end of each story, somehow familiar- somehow connected to us.? (424) However, each story also depicts it?s own unique tell of spirituality and understanding. O?Connor?s ?Revelation? is a tale of a middle class women, Ruby Turpin, who is certain about her place in society, as well as the rest of the town?s social standing. She judges people instantly and reflects on what kind of person she would be if given a choice between two equally undignified options. ?A Good Man is Hard to Find? tells the story of a family that prepares to go on vacation but before they reach their destination they take a detour prompted by the grandmother and after a car accident come in counter with a serial killer who has recently been released from jail. Both stories take place in the south and take the reader on a journey to a deeper emotional awareness, as well as beg empathy of the reader for both the protagonist as well as the…

    • 220 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A family endeavor changes into a road of discovery and grace in Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. This southern gothic gives a tragic look at self-discovery. The story allows us to focus on the negative aspects of characters. As the plot rises the reader discovers grace behind the worst of faces. This ordinary road trip and talk of an estranged criminal turns deadly as the story unravels.…

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    One of the utmost unforgettable lines from “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” originates 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).” Flannery O’Connor’s illustration of Christianity can be seen in within this text. Certainly, the plot ends with an appalling conclusion, and this leaves the reader with liberty to understand the central idea of this story. “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is largely influenced by divine authority and other elements within the story.…

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the author, Flannery O’Connor communicates literary symbols and prominence of Southern culture. Within the story, there are subtle yet important details that make the entirety of the piece as iconic as it is. The reoccurring theme of being a lady and moral codes both are important to the overall concept of the story.…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Towards the end of the story after losing the necklace and spending ten years of her life paying off her debts, she works hard throughout the years, gives up her dreams of being rich, accepts the lifestyle that she is forced to live, and learns to take pride with her hardships. The grandmother on the other hand, is described as a manipulator and considers herself morally superior to others. Throughout the story, her deception caused the car accident which led to their encounter with the Misfit. However, the grandmother doesn’t change until her final moments before her death as she realizes that she is flawed just like everyone else and shows her ability to see others with understanding and compassion when she tells the Misfit that he is one of her own…

    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Good Man is Hard to Find

    • 1397 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor is a short story that depicts a family road trip to Florida that ends in an abysmal tragedy when they meet the Misfit, a remorseless convict who has escaped from prison. In the beginning, the Grandmother is obsessed with everything worldly and superficial. She is completely focused on herself in relation to how others think of her. Towards the end of the story, the grandmother finds herself in ominous dialogue with 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 agrees nor disagrees with the grandmother, and in the end, he is the one who kills her. At the end of the story, before the Grandmother meets her fate, she has a moment of redemption. She finally distinguishes The Misfit for who he really is, not a psychopathic killer on the loose; but a person just like herself. The Misfit, being a man who is not created from social class; he is a simple human being just like the grandmother. At this point she sees herself in relation to everyone else. She finally realizes that she is not made by her class. Society makes the class, and she just fits into it. She shows this by claiming that The Misfit could be one of her own children. 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 social-superiority and the lack of spiritual faith that exist amongst common people; and the grace in humans is exposed, only when facing adverse and fatal circumstances.…

    • 1397 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The grandmother in the story is described as an idiosyncratic and demanding character. Those traits are the opposite of what people imagine a grandmother to be. A grandmother is someone who is caring, believes in family, and would do anything for her family. Bailey, the son of the grandmother, decides to take the family on a road trip to Florida bringing his wife, their three children, and of course the grandmother.The grandmother insists on not going due to the fact there is a person known as the Misfit, who is a criminal where she read in the paper he is headed to Florida. The grandmother tries to convince Bailey to reconsider the trip to Florida and to think of what is best for the…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “A good man is hard to find” is a narrative that Flannery O’Connor, a spiritual southern writer, uses to illustrate the simplicity of religion. O’Connor narrates how the fate of a family is doomed by the actions of their grandmother and their encounter with the misfit on a family vacation trip. O’ Connor with excellent diction and imagery tells this tragicomedy to a climax, that creates room for debates among her readers. O’ Connor uses her main grotesque characters (the grandmother and misfit) that are parallel in the ideas of life to demonstrate a relationship between grotesque and grace. This juxtaposition creates surrealism, suspense and humor as O’Connor uses excellent symbolism and allusion to reveal how her grotesque characters receive grace after dooming the existence of a family. O’Connor uses excellent symbolism and allusion to reveal how her grotesque characters receive grace after dooming the existence of a family.…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He asks her why he let two strangers charge their gasoline—he’s obviously had been cheated because those prople were never coming back to pay for their gasoline, and the grandmother says he did it because he’s “a good man.” In this case, her definition of “good” seems to include gullibility, poor judgment, and blind faith, none of which are inherently “good.” The way the grandma died was the way young kids sit crossing their legs made it seem like when she died she was like an innocent child at the time of her…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Have values really change over the years? In Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” values are really portrayed as being a thing in the past. Values such as family values and people values are really important and O’Connor really tries to get her point across by using the character from the family to show how they have lost respect towards each other and other people as well. The worst thing is that the characters don’t even realize how they act with each is actually wrong and don’t seem to do anything about it because of the lack of discipline.…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hard To Find Symbolism

    • 875 Words
    • 4 Pages

    All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this short story. Flannery O’Connor is spectacular at using foreshadowing, irony, and symbolism in all her stories and many more literary elements. These stuck out to me the most in the story because they represent such big moments that are happening and going to happen. The story taught me that no matter how hard one tries to reason with someone it will probably not turn out good. I believe that to be a strong moral and I never would have been able to realize it without the use of the literary elements in…

    • 875 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays