Flannery O Connor's A Good Man Is Hard To Find

Flannery O’Connor One of the most compelling and provocative authors of the 20th century, Flannery O’ Connor is known for her violent, yet symbolic short stories. Unfortunately, we only got to see a small selection of writings from her, as she died in 1964 at the young age of 39 from lupus erythematosus. Although she was largely unknown during her short life, she has been posthumously recognized as one of the greatest writers of her time. Terry Teachout, chief culture critic and drama critic with the Wall Street Journal, acknowledges O’Connor as “one of the foremost American fiction writers of the 20th century (55).” Teachout goes on to say, “she is by far the most critically acclaimed of the many Catholic writers who came to prominence
Throughout the story, the grandmother’s selfish attitude is apparent. She believes from the beginning that she is the voice of reason and everything she says is right. In response to taking the children to Florida instead of Tennessee, she insists “You all ought to take them somewhere else for a change so they would see different parts of the world and be broad. They never have been to east Tennessee” (59). However, in saying this she has no intentions on helping the children be broad, she says this so the children’s parents will take them to Tennessee, away from The Misfit. Eventually, it is this self-centered attitude that leads to the family’s demise, as she suggests that they take a detour to visit an old plantation in her neighborhood from when she was a young lady. It is in this segment of the story that O’Connor’s religious overtones come into effect. Once The Misfit and his crew of fellow prison escapees shoot the rest of the family, he and the grandmother are alone and she begins to attempt to bring him to Jesus. However, the irony at this point is that The Misfit may be more in touch with Jesus than she is. He says, “Jesus was the only One that ever raised the dead,” The Misfit continued, “and he shouldn’t have done it. He thrown everything off balance. If He did what He said, then it’s nothing for you to do but throw away everything and follow Him, and if He
Mitchell, Professor of philosophy and political theory at Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia compares The Misfit to Plato’s tyrant. Mitchell also compares the grandmother to Alexis de Tocqueville’s democrat, as equality has undermined her ability to see beyond the immediate and the physical (212). Mitchell believes that the grandmother has a vague memory of aristocratic ideals, which serve to turn the mind towards things that transcend one’s self (211), but she is living in a democratic age that is impairing her ability to believe in that transcendence (213). Mitchell sees The Misfit as Plato’s tyrant, a solitary figure who shuns meaningful relationships and blatantly rejects the Good (212). Mitchell calls upon the altercation between the grandmother and The Misfit, and sees his rejection of the grandmother’s gesture of love as a rejection of the Good (216). Mitchell states, “And it is at this moment that The Misfit is confronted with transcendent love: he must either accept and, in accepting, submit to its power and constraints, or he must reject and, in rejecting destroy. He chooses the latter (216).” According to Mitchell, the grandmother recognizes the transcendent value in The Misfit and acts upon it, in effect becoming better than she has ever been