A Psychological Critique of “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” By Flannery O’ Connor On a day where the weather was not too cold or too hot and almost perfect for traveling, a family of six begins their journey to vacation in Florida (O’ Connor 450). Bailey, Bailey’s wife, the baby, John Wesley, June Star, and the grandmother all squeeze into the same car together. The grandmother is portrayed as the protagonist character of the story and is seen as being in the way and not being able to keep her opinions to herself. Unknown to the other individuals in the vehicle, the grandmother brought along her cat, Pitty Sing, who ended up being the main cause of their sudden wreck in Georgia (O’ Connor 449, 454). The accident created a chance meeting with a serial killer named the “Misfit” who was on the loose from federal prison, and each member of the family dies. The past events and present actions of the protagonist (the grandmother), the antagonist (the Misfit), and the foil (Bailey) characters of the story heavily influenced the deadly …show more content…
encounter and tragic end of a family. For example, the grandmother character in the story suffers from a psychological condition known as Narcissistic Personality Disorder. According to mayoclinic.org, this disorder is evident when people have an “inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others.” In the position of her character, it is clear that she is overly concerned about her outward appearance (O’ Connor 450). In order for her to gain attention from everyone in the vehicle, the grandmother constantly gives advice and tells animated stories about her treasured past times. Throughout the story one finds that she even uses lies to manipulate others into getting her way. An example of that is when she recalls an old plantation that she wants to revisit so she claims there is a secret panel inside the house with hidden silver in order to persuade the detour (O’ Connor 452). The grandmother’s psychological disorder leads both her and the other five members of her family on a path that ends their lives. Every choice she makes is made to benefit her even when it comes down to the death of her own relatives (O’ Connor 458). Next, the serial killer and antagonist of the story named the Misfit plays the main, key role in the family’s tragedy of an end. His thoughts and actions are what one may believe to be a result of Depressive Realism and Egocentrism. Depressive Realism means that he is not in a state of severe clinical depression but lacks the ability to see any positive outcomes in his life and the world around him. Egocentrism is when a person “regards themselves as the object of all experience and acts” (F&W 203). The Misfit is like a narcissist, but does not receive gratification by his own appreciation. An example of an egocentric symptom in the story is when he smiles with pleasure because the grandmother recognizes him by his infamous name even though he is ashamed of the criminal deeds that made him famous (O’ Connor 455). His Depressive Realism is expressed when he tells one of his partners to “shut up, there is no real pleasure in life” in reference to killing the family and describing it as fun (O’ Connor 459). The Misfit’s upbringing and past experiences created several disorders causing him to be a horiffic danger to society. In addition, as the foil character of the story, Bailey’s actions and beliefs help the reader better recognize the protagonist’s (the grandmother) main traits. Some of his qualities are that he is quiet, stubborn, and some-what controlling. These traits make a concluding statement about his passive-aggressive nature. Wisegeek.org states, “Passive-aggressive means that a person finds ways to express himself indirectly so that he does not have to admit how he really feels or thinks.” During the plot of the story, Bailey is a man of very few words, but he uses his silence in order to communicate the direction that he is determined to go (O’ Connor 449). A further explanation of him includes his actions and his mindset, which show him to be short-tempered and extremely uptight under pressure. Bailey’s protective and worrisome attitude does not at all help the situation that he and his family are faced with, but instead worsens it. In conclusion, the imprint of past experiences has a direct effect on how one acts and reacts in current situations.
When pertaining to the story, this concept is evident in the life style of the grandmother, the Misfit, and Bailey. The grandmother’s inflated sense of self-worth and selfish desire to get her own way by means of manipulation leads to a pathway of destruction. The Misfit’s twisted view of reality due to his broken childhood memories and past events make him a socially withdrawn, homicidal danger to humanity. Bailey’s inability to verbally communicate and stern attitude towards others leave him adding unconscious chaos to the unwanted problem. The combination of personality traits in the protagonist, antagonist, and foil character increased the possibilities of causing the deadly encounter. In the end, being aware of certain psychological disorders is useful, but will not necessarily change or prevent the hand of
fate.
As I read Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, I find myself being completely consumed by the rich tale that the author weaves; a tragic and ironic tale that concisely and precisely utilizes irony and foreshadowing with expert skill. As the story progresses, it is readily apparent that the story will end in a tragic and predictable state due to the devices which O’Connor expertly employs and thusly, I find that I cannot stop reading it; the plot grows thicker with every sentence and by doing so, the characters within the story are infinitely real in my mind’s eye. As I consider these factors, the story focuses on two main characters; that of the grandmother, who comes across as self-centered and self-serving and The Misfit, a man, who quite ingeniously, also appears to be self-centered and self-serving. It is the story behind the grandmother, however, that evidence appears to demonstrate the extreme differences between her superficial self and the true character of her persona; as the story unfolds, and proof of my thought process becomes apparently clear.
O'Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." 1955. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. 4th ed. Ed. Robert DiYanni. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1998. 193-203.
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”.
The grandmother and The Misfit of Flannery O'Connor's 'A Good Man is Hard to Find' are backward, opposite images of each other. However, the grandmother does have similarities with the character, Ruby Turpin in O'Connor's short story, 'Revelation'.
Flannery O’Connor is a master of the ironic, the twisted, and the real. Life is filled with tragic irony, and she perfectly orchestrates situations which demonstrate this to the fullest extent. A Good Man is Hard to Find is an excellent example of the mangled viewpoint which makes her work as compelling and striking as it is.
The story of A Good Man Is Hard to Find begins as a family road trip, but tragically ends when a family of six cross paths with an escaped convict. Set in rural Georgia around the 1940s, Grandmother, her son Bailey, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren plan a vacation to Florida. While en route, they’re involved in a car accident that leads to a chance encounter with a murderous convict, The Misfit, and his two companions. Confronted with their own mortality, can this somewhat dysfunctional family escape with their lives from these unfavorable circumstances? Dictionary.com defines the word mortality as the state or condition of being subject to death; mortal character, nature or existence. The idea of mortality in this story not only signifies physical death, but also calls into question the condition of the character’s virtue. The writer of A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Flannery O’Connor, explores the concepts of mortality and salvation through her use of foreshadowing, characters, and symbolism.
O'Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." 1955. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. 4th ed. Ed. Robert DiYanni. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1998.
Bandy, Stephen C. "One of my babies": The Misfit and the Grandmother in Flannery O'Connor's short story 'A Good Man Is Hard to Find'. Studies in Short Fiction; Winter 1996, v33, n1, p107(11)
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. I 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.
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
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
O'Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." The Story and Its Writer An Introduction to Short Fiction. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin's, 2011. 1042-053. Print.
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
The Misfit knew that he wasn’t good. At the point that The Misfit became visibly distressed, the grandmother finally putting the well-being of someone else ahead of hers, reached out to the man that had just murdered her family and tried to comfort him. This act of compassion startled The Misfit and he killed the grandmother by shooting her in the chest. “Hiram and Bobby Lee returned from the woods and stood over the ditch, looking down at the grandmother who half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child's and her face smiling up at the cloudless sky”
To what extent is it worth to manipulate someone in order to satisfy one’s own desire? This is what we find out through the characters in Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace” which shows us the main character’s unhappiness to be born in a family of clerks and who feels she is entitled to be wealthy, and “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O'Connor where the main character, just described as “the grandmother”, tries to persuade her son not to go on a family trip to Florida so that she can visit some acquaintances she has in Tennessee. The characters reasons for being so manipulative are clearly very different in both stories, but they both show us what one is capable of to fulfill his or her wishes. Through a comparison of Mathilde