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A good man is hard to find character analysis
Character analysis essay A good man is hard to find
A good man is hard to find character analysis
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The story examines fate and code of conduct of the Misfit and the grandmother. The story is thought provoking, disturbing and challenges one's perspective of what one may consider right or wrong. There is also a degree of selfishness behaviors that raises questions about the characters ability to show empathy freely despite their disposition. The Misfit affirmed his code of conduct by an injustice, he is not able to recall the crime and there is no paperwork to substantiate the crime. He said, "I call myself The Misfit, because I can't make what all I done wrong fit what all I gone through in punishment" (O'Connor, 1953). Therefore, his moral code is not about what is right or wrong, but what he perceived as gratifying. The question is, whether …show more content…
This is because what may be gratifying or acceptable by one person is not necessarily acceptable by another, but most importantly, one tends to develop a code that meets their personal agenda. The Misfit was unable to come to terms with things he cannot see, and so he remains consistent and true to himself by holding his moral crown. His actions and beliefs are congruent unlike the grandmother who wavered in her beliefs when pushed. The thought that we control the direction of our actions is false. If this were true, why this family did not escape this horrifying death? What seemed clear is that we are shaped by influences that are beyond our control and no matter how one may fight to escape against that order; one is drawn or tied to forces that are not clearly understood. Clearly the Misfit and the grandmother paths crossing were necessary in order for them to come to a clearer understanding of self. Despite the fact, that their moral compass may differ and were unlikely to cross paths path, their state of cloudiness require a meeting to obtain clarity. The grandmother was able to see beyond her artificial life and own her truth. As a result she was able to connect with someone who is flawed. Her epiphany brought clarity and allowed her to think about someone other than herself. This was seen by the Misfit when he said, "She would have been a good woman, if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life" (O'Connor,
The Misfit was the victim of society, but Arnold was not. “‘But I know what it is. I know your name and all about you, lots of things...’” he has had to investigate Connie, and wait her family all left; He knew she like night outing and date with boys. The car and radio present he has a good home economics. He could survey all about Connie that is mean he was very powerful. “‘but it would have been better for all of you, lady, if you hadn’t of recognized me.’” in unsuitable time and place the grandmother met and accepted him, that is not any conscious. “‘I forget what I done, lady. I set there and set there, trying to remember what it was I done and I ain’t recalled it to this day...’” he was the victim of society, that unjust treatment let him to sold his soul to traded with the
The Grandmother is an elderly woman who believes she possesses all of the qualities to be a lady. However, she passes judgement on to others thinking only highly of herself. Ironically, the Grandmother’s own actions are the ones that lead to her encounter with the Misfit and consequently leads to the death of her family and herself. Moments leading up to her death the Misfit helps lead the Grandmother into realizing that she is not better than anyone else. Her true moment of clarity is stating that the Misfit is one of her own children. Grandmother stating this shows she does not see herself as someone who is better than the Misfit. Moments after this realization the Misfit murders the Grandmother. After murdering the Grandmother the Misfit states, “‘She would of been a good woman,’ The Misfit said, “if it had been somebody to shoot her every minute of her life’” (O’Connor 430). The Grandmother lived a life where she only revealed her true kindness in moments of death. In Good Country People Hulga is a thirty-year-old overweight woman with a disability who still lives with her mother. Hulga has a doctorate in philosophy which leads her to have a much different outlook on life than those around her. She does not believe in religion and believes that she knows all there is to know about life and that she has society figured out.
In this short story, O’Connor depicts a violent character to the reader known as ‘The Misfit.’ The Misfit can be described as a distorted, violent character that questions the true meaning of life and his role within it. The Misfit uses the anger that he possesses inside of him as a form of violence, and this is why he is known to be a wanted murderer, ever since he escaped from the penitentiary. This Misfit was put into the penitentiary when he was accused of murdering his own father, which might have been a lie based upon the head-doctors accusations. O’Connor reveals violence in a very peculiar way, and this is based upon the struggle of living in a world where finding a good man is hard to find in our society.
...d both of them do not quite understand what being saved actually means. In the end, “when she saw the man’s face twisted close to her own (367).” the grandmother realizes that she and The Misfit are both on the same level and she is no worse than the latter. Almost like taking a look into a mirror and pondering upon one’s own reflection. The story takes a quick pause, when the author writes the line, “His voice seemed to crack and the grandmother’s head cleared for an instance (367).” What were the thoughts that went through the grandmother’s head? What happened during the “instance” that changed the grandmother’s view on her beliefs? The sole purpose of the phrase drowns a reader with questions and uncertainty. The story makes a final closure with The Misfit’s remark on how his source of happiness by performing violent acts brings “no real pleasure in life.”
The grandmother has never truly understood what being saved means. She is also ignorant to what salvation is. The Misfit is missing the ability to empathize and bind with other people. He does not hold respect for human life. In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, it says “She would of been a good woman, The Misfit said, if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life” (430). In “‘One of My Babies’: The misfit and the grandmother”, written by Stephen C. Bandy, it says “The Misfit has already directed the execution of the Grandmother’s entire family, and it must be obvious to all including reader and the Grandmother, that she is next to die” (108). These example justifies that The Misfit does not have any regard for human life. The only people that he has are the two goons that help him murder people. The grandmother sees that The Misfit has never had anyone to take care of him. At the end of this story she tries reach out to him on a spiritual level, but he shoots her three times in the chest as soon as she touches
In both Jack Kerouac’s, On the Road, and Thomas Pynchon’s Crying of Lot 49 the characters act in a deviant manner outside of social norms. This in turn leads to a deviant sub-cultural group which competes with the institutionalized authorities for power. Deviance in both novels is usually defined as a certain type of behaviour, such as an inebriated professor babbling on in a lecture hall filled with students or a group of teenagers frolicking naked in a city park on a hot and sunny afternoon. However, deviance can also encompass both ideas and attributes (Sagarin, 1975). The primary understanding of deviance rests in the reactions of observers, something becomes deviant because an individual, group or society takes offense and reacts negatively (Cohen, 1966, Lofland, 1969). These negative reactions occur because onlookers interpret what they see and hear as being bad, insane, strange, immoral, non-conforming, or wrong. Negative responses do more than define deviance; they serve as mechanisms of social control and power. In examining these novels from a sociological perspective, both Kerouac and Pynchon examine conflicts between mainstream society and sub-cultural groups. The deviant behaviour, thoughts, and attributes observed from the characters within the novels provide a strong argument for Austin Turk’s conflict theory of deviance, which examines power and cultural conflict as a basis for deviant behaviour.
The Misfit is a complex character created by Flannery O’Connor. He is talked about first when the Grandmother reads his criminal background at the breakfast table. Right when the Misfit meets the family the Grandmother starts questioning his faith and past, and through the Grandmother’s persistent behavior that you find out the truth behind the Misfits hard exterior. The reader understands that the Misfit was brought up by parents who were the “finest people in the world” (O’Connor 1312). With this type of background, how can one expect the Misfit to be such a cold blooded killer? Because of his kind nature in the beginning of the story, it’s almost impossible to understand how he could just kill. Through deeper analysis one can characterize the Misfit with a heart of gold, but the mind of a villain. This characterization is true because somewhere along the line he was wrongly accused of murdering his father and was brutally punished and he was mistreated by the justice system. The Misfit knows he was innocent and neither Jesus nor the justice system could rid him of the punish he received. It’s not because he is an evil person, he says himself “I never was a bad boy that I remember of… but somewhere along the line I done something wrong and got sent to the penitentiary. I was buried alive” (1314). The Misfit states he was never the worst person, but he also says himself that he was never good either, so the reason behind the Misfit’s homicidal condition is not because he is an evil person but due to his distrust in Jesus Christ and the justice system.
All of the quotations provide evidence showing that The Misfit is a very confused and disturbed individual. The majority of his thoughts are based on a fantasy point of view. He overlooks the reality of situations and because of these thoughts he becomes a threat to society. This fantasy life makes The Misfit stressed, angry and very agitated. All of these violent emotions contribute to The Misfits killer mentality and his lack of mercy. He could not remember or understand why he was sent to the penitentiary.
In this week’s reading, we have had the ability to read about what drives people to be good and moral. Plato divided the human soul into three parts, thus creating the tri-partite soul. These three parts are the rational, the spirited and the appetite. These three parts assist in understanding police deviance and how to account for such behaviors. Before delving into Plato’s tri-partite soul, we will discuss the differences between misfeasance, malfeasance, and nonfeasance, as they relate to police deviance.
In the following summary, “The Misfits”, written by James Howe, states that Bobby Goodspeed is working at his very first shift as a tie salesman at the awkworth and Ames department store. The main characters are Bobby, Skeezie, Addie, and Joe. However, the setting of this story takes place in a little town, paintbrush falls, New York. To begin with, the opening situation of “the misfits” is all mostly about Bobby’s first shift. On the other hand, Bobby has a new boss and his name is Mr.Kellerman, it's called killer man behind his back, because he's so mean and grumpy.
In O’Connor’s short story, “The Misfit”, a grandmother, her son, and his wife and children go on a family field trip. There is a criminal on the loose but the family decides to proceed with their plans anyway. The criminal is called the Misfit, and as with the rest of the story, this is full of irony. The thwarted family road trip might symbolize the choices a person makes and the consequences they bring.
Some people feel justified for their actions, even though they know what they are doing is unethical. In Shirley Jackson’s Short story “The Possibility of Evil” the main character named Miss Adela Strangeworth is like this. Miss Strangeworth is indirectly characterized as being egocentric, sanctimonious, and for being self-indulgent.
The grandmother pleads with him and says that she knows he is a good man and wouldn’t harm a lady. The Misfit disagrees and even says “I can't make what all I done wrong fit what all I gone through in punishment. (O'Connor, F. 1988) There is some irony in that the grandmother spends the whole story speaking about what a lady she is and how a good man is hard to find, yet throughout the story she continues to display characteristics such as hypocrisy, dishonesty, and selfishness. We can see said qualities in actions such as her lack of sympathy as her family is slaughtered around her. (SparkNotes Editors, 2007) The Misfit, on the other hand, is more sensible with his lot in life.
The mutual commitment to society’s rules can be a major unifying force between two individuals in a relationship. Both of these entities know that society will look at them favorably for together conforming to the rules. Thus, they agree to commit to them. Consequently, this desire to conform to the status quo becomes a part of these individuals’ identities. It shapes their sense of right and wrong and influences their everyday actions. However, when one party falters in this commitment the obedient other feels cheated because the image and sense of purpose she/he derived from this conformity is now tarnished. Having lost a major part of their identities the obedient persons use the “shock and awe” tactic and commit an out of character act to force their transgressing partners to contemplate their wrong actions. This theme of “shock and awe” is exhibited in the actions of the character “Stevie” in Edward Albee’s play “The Goat, or, Who is Sylvia?” and N.S.A whistleblower Edward Snowden.
It could be said that it’s human nature to be attracted and attempt to understand to something new and unusual. The misfit is an example of a character who is very unusual and doesn't fit the stereotypical image of an evil psychopathic killer displayed on mainstream crime television. In “A good man is hard to find”