A Good Man Is Hard To Find Moral Compass Essay

728 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Characters, plot, and setting of "A Good Man is Hard to Find

Flannery O'Connor writes a short story about a family and a misfit whose moral compasses stand at opposite poles. A story that takes us on a trip literally from Atlanta, Georgia to Florida, yet figuratively as there lies a story within this story. One simple journey leads to a tragic event that questions the moral compass of the main characters. Can a misfit, loner, and nonconformist have a moral compass or are only the typical everyday doers of society the ones that have true moral compasses? Each character in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” considers their personal moral compass to be true, but the Misfit, that just escaped from the federal penitentiary exhibits the truest moral compass of all. The grandmother believes that she has the best values in the family. She gets overdressed for the family trip in a “navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets, collars and cuffs were white organdy …show more content…

The Misfit has consistent true moral compass that he lives by, even if it is distorted and flawed. He keeps true to himself as he tells Grandmother, “I’m not a good man, but I’m not the worst either” (O’Connor 413). Throughout the story, he relies on his twisted moral compass to guide him throughout his life. The end of the story proves which character is true and which is fake. The Grandmother portrays herself as a family woman, but as her family is being killed one by one she never asked for them to be spared. She is just concerned with her own life. She tries to portray herself as a lady as she fans herself with a handkerchief. She asks the Misfit, “you wouldn’t shoot a lady, would you” (O’Connor 412). When all her dramatics don’t work on the Misfit, she tries to connect to him through religion. He is touched by their religious conversation, but he knows that he can’t allow her to live and he shoots

Show More
Related

  • A False Reality in Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man Is Hard to Find

    531 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Grandmother is a bit of a traditionalist, and like a few of O’Connor’s characters is still living in “the old days” with outdated morals and beliefs, she truly believes the way she thinks and the things she says and does is the right and only way, when in reality that was not the case. She tends to make herself believe she is doing the right thing and being a good person when in actuality it can be quite the opposite. David Allen Cook says in hi...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast A Good Man Is Hard To Find And Good Country People

    1427 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Misfit and Pointer both show interest to dislike when it comes to religion; however, both deal with religion differently. The Misfit states that he does not need Jesus and that he is capable of taking care of himself. This statement proves to be false, because the Misfit has struggled to be a law abiding citizen; the Misfit appears to know that he is wrong, because the more the Grandmother discusses religion the more he becomes upset with the woman. The Misfit appears to blame his life and actions on God saying that if there is truly a God then he would not be living the life of a criminal, the Misfit appears to have a more agnostic view. When it comes to religion, Manly Pointer shows a dislike to religion; however, he uses it as a ploy to earn people’s trust. Being a man who sells bibles, Pointer is able to gain communities trust and work his way into citizen’s homes and tricks people to believe he is a trustworthy man. When he reveals his true self he states, “ I hope you don’t think that I believe in that crap! I may sell Bibles but I know which end is up and I wasn’t born yesterday and I know where I’m going!” (O’Connor 9). Pointer shows his true dislike for religion, but portrays himself as a holy man in an attempt to get what he desires. While both men show a disinterest to religion, differing views, however, religion plays a part in both

    Read More

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

    941 Words  | 2 Pages

    The granny and the misfit are two completely opposite characters that possess two different beliefs. The grandmother puts herself on a high pedestal and the way she calls the misfit ‘a good person’ based upon his family background gives the reader an idea of what the grandmother acknowledges to be considered as ‘good’. Self absorbed as sh...

    Read More

  • Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man Is Hard to Find

    1255 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Misfit; is the epitome of the Godless man in a Godless society. He is a killer who is also raised without spirituality as the old woman's children. He is the representative of evil.

    Read More

  • Essay On A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    575 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Paul Tillich’s 1957 work Dynamics of Faith, he mentions that there are six major components of faith. These six components of faith describe the Franciscan perspective of “faith”. According to Tillich, the first component of faith is “the state of being ultimately concerned”. The second component of faith is that it is supposed to be at the center of all of our personal lives and everything that we do throughout our own individual lives. The third component of faith is that we should have an awareness for “infinite” things such as God himself. The fourth component of faith is that we need to understand that faith can act as fear, fascination, or both of these qualities at the same time. The fifth component of faith is that doubt is a major product that will always exist with faith. The last component of faith is that we need a community in order to have a “language of faith”.

    Read More

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

    581 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Misfit In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    842 Words  | 2 Pages

    Misfit clearly understood the difference between good and bad unlike the grandmother but there philosophical positions, his by determination and hers by accident are not so far apart. Hence the statement “Why you are one of my babies” (135) indeed he is one of her babies for her lack of values is his lack as well. These two faces are so close like a mirror images. The Misfit can be said to be completely evolved from the

    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

  • Irony in a Good Man is Hard to Find

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    This is based on the grounds that “the Misfit”, an escaped criminal, is on the loose somewhere in Florida. The ironic part of this is that the grandmother is the only family member to conceive of bad things happening to the family. She bases this solely on the fact that they were traveling in the same direction as the Misfit. This negative thinking quite possibly could have led to the eventual rendezvous between the convict and the family. The following day, the family heads off to Florida.

    Read More

  • The Misfit

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Misfit tells the reader “My daddy said I was a different breed of dog from my brothers and sisters. ‘You know,’ Daddy said, ‘it’s some that can live their whole life out without asking about it and it’s others has to know why it is, and this boy is one of the latters. He’s going to be into everything!’ ” (O’Connor 1312). The Misfit never backed down from anything which is why his life is the way it is. The Misfit was the one, not good but not the worst either, person to make a stand and to ask why to justice system and his religion. These are the two belief systems that most won’t ever question, which is why the Misfit is such a controversial character. He will never stop asking, and will go against whatever to do what he sees fit, whether it be killing a man or changing his tire.

    Read More

  • A Good Man Is Hard To Find Analysis Essay

    1095 Words  | 3 Pages

    All in all, there will always be people that will judge every move everyone else does in life just like the grandmother did in the story. As a result, people will just have to learn how to deal with it because if others decide to judge them they are probably doing something right. However, if you decide to judge someone else before you do it turn the critical eye on yourself and judge your personal life and ask yourself how is your life doing?

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Good And Evil In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • A Good Man Is Hard To Find Essay

    1579 Words  | 4 Pages

    The book, A Good Man Is Hard to Find is a collection of short stories by Flannery O’Connor. The stories all have very different plots but are all loosely based around the ideas of Catholicism. The first short story is “ A Good Man Is Hard to Find”. A grandmother convinces her son, Bailey, to take the family to east Tennessee for vacation instead of Florida. Her reasoning behind this is that there is an escaped convict heading toward Florida, also pointing out that the children have already seen Florida.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    1459 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Misfit is the complete opposite of a typical hero, or “Good Man”, but he is honest, he is true to himself, and he knows that he is not good. When the Grandmother and the Misfit are talking, the Misfit is very mannerly towards the family he even apologizes towards the family: “I’m sorry I don’t have on a shirt before you ladies” (Ochshorn). The Misfit never lies about who he really is. He knows that he is not a good man, and he does not try to be something he is unable to be. The Grandmother is the complete opposite, she truly believes that she is good and lies to herself and everyone around her so she will be accepted. The Grandmother says to the Misfit, “I just know you’re a good man. You’re not a bit common” (O’Connor), to which he replies, “Nome, I ain’t a good man, but I ain’t the worst neither” (O’Connor). It is refreshing to see someone admit and know that they are not good, and that they will never be

    Read More

  • Antagonist In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    (144). The Grandmother calls the Misfit good numerous times to reassure herself that he is good and she is doing the right thing. Though the protagonist began as a manipulative person, she grows weak and loses her power during the story. The antagonist in the story, The Misfit, has an effect on the change in the Grandmother’s personality because she wants to save him and provide him with grace. Since the Grandmother wants to redeem The Misfit and give him grace so bad she is willing to do whatever it takes, leading to her death.

    Read More

More about A Good Man Is Hard To Find Moral Compass Essay

Open Document