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Examples of southern gothic literature
Literary analysis of " A Good Man is Hard To Find
A good man is hard to find analysis essay introduction
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“A Good Man is Hard to Find” is an example of Southern Gothic literature because it has many disturbing and violent events taken place in the south. O 'Connor wrote this story in 1953 and uses this type of literature to convey the personalities of the unusual characters. O’Connor places two important characters in the story: the protagonist and antagonist. The Misfit, the antagonist, is represented as a philosopher with wise words to advise people about faith, and the grandmother, the protagonist, believes herself to be an idealized woman with her self obsession of her status of a “lady.” In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” O’Connor conveys how characterization can be the underlying concept of the story, and she makes the readers question the definition of a “good man.” First of all, O 'Connor portrays the grandmother as a selfish cranky old woman. In the beginning of the story, the grandmother dresses up just in case she and her family get into a car accident so she will be able to express she is a lady from her hat. It is ironic when they do manage to wreck their car, and her hat falls off her head, leaving her representation of a “lady” to fall to the ground. Additionally, the readers may feel that the blame is put on the grandmother for the circumstance they tumble into, such as, if she did …show more content…
That is to say, killing innocent people is considered “mean” to most people. However, after the Misfit murders all of the Grandmother’s family, he announces, “It’s no real pleasure in life” (O’Connor 153). This quote is extremely important because it means that he does not have any amusement in killing the family. On the other hand, the average criminal will take pleasure in breaking the laws. If the Misfit does not enjoy committing murder, perhaps he is trying to straighten up his actions, and maybe this will lead to ending his struggle with his
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.
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...
...articular particularly symbolic aspect of A Good Man is Hard to Find is the fact that O'Connor is a great deal more elusive in her interpretation than in her other works. The author relies considerably more upon intangible ideals and concepts in which to make her point, which is readily obvious by the style and tone she adopts for the story. "She had her own distinctive, totally unsparing voice, and this novella about a tough old lady and a tougher escaped convict is as black as it gets" (Anonymous 182). In one way, she is trying to encourage both her readers and her characters to take control of their lives, to become empowered by the very events that serve to break down the people in her tale. Yet in another way, she recognizes the fact that people will always be the way they are, and nothing that anyone can say or do will ultimately save them from themselves.
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.
Douglas, Ellen. "O'Connor's 'A Good Man is Hard to Find.'" Contemporary Literature Criticism. Eds. Carolyn Riley and Phyllis Carmel Mendelson. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1976. Vol. 6. 381.
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
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.
Throughout the United States’ history, a rift has existed between the North and the South. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, we receive the perspective of the grandmother, an old southern woman struggling to find people who share her sentiments. However, O’Connor does not mean for the reader to feel empathy for the grandmother. The grandmother frequently makes mistakes like causing the car to crash, or identifying the Misfit rather than keeping silent. O’Connor uses the negative aspects of the grandmother to criticize southern conservatism.
...le to help each other in these terms. However, when the grandmother observes the Misfit as he was about to cry. She reaches out to him and says, "Why you're one of my babies. You're one of my children." The Misfit, who is obviously affected, rears back and shoots her in the chest three times. Although the grandmother is dead they both have benefited from the encounter. The grandmother has returned to true Christianity by touching and forgiving the Misfit. The misfit comes to grips with himself when the grandmother reaches out toward him.
Someone might believe that the moral code they have set for themselves is good because it is based on these outside factors such as religion or the teachings of parents, so therefore it must be right. This is why the grandmother believes that her moral code is good. She believes that in order to be a good person that you must demonstrate an upholding of the moral code she has built. A person might also believe that what they are doing is okay because their moral code has been warped by physiological factors. The misfit feels that he must give his life meaning. He says that he thinks about Jesus a lot, but since he doesn’t know for sure that he is real, he decides to give his life meaning in a different way- by murdering people. In his mind, what he is doing is not wrong. He believes that the morally correct thing to do is to kill these people in order to give his life meaning. There is no guarantee of an afterlife for any human, only the guarantee of the life we currently have, so why not leave behind a legacy? Is what the misfit doing really wrong? These are the kinds of questions that O’ Connor leaves the reader to reflect on. The Misfit is only trying to leave his mark on the world just like everyone else, and killing just happens to be his way of doing it. O’ Connor wants the reader to consider that just maybe he is not a bad
In “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” the protagonist, the grandmother, is depicted as a selfish, irksome woman who constantly passes judgment on others. She manipulates her family into doing whatever bids her best, all the while claiming to be a religious woman. In order to test her character, O’Connor introduces the dynamic character “The Misfit” to the story. While the Misfit is a murderer and is in no way a “good man,” he is able to reveal a self-awareness that the grandmother is without. Immediately before the Misfit kills the grandmothe...
The grandma’s morals completely collapse the moment she is about to be shot, saying that The Misfit is a “good man” and he is “not a bit common!” (1071). However, earlier in the story she agrees with Red Sammy’s statement about how “a good man is hard to find” (1067). On the other hand, The Misfit uses his twisted but consistent morals and philosophies to guide him in his actions. The Misfit also deeply questions the meaning of life and his role in it. With the grandma constantly repeating that he needs to pray and that Jesus will help him, The Misfit shifts his tone and begins to relate everything in life to Jesus. After the grandma contradicts him in saying that Jesus may have not raised the dead, the Misfit replies that he “wasn’t there so I [The Misfit] can’t say He didn’t” (1074). Here, it shows that The Misfit actually doesn’t believe in Jesus. However, he continues by saying that it “ain’t right I [The Misfit] wasn’t there because if i had of been there [...] I would of known and I wouldn’t be like I am now” (1074). The Misfit does not believe in Jesus, but by mentioning this, it shows that he would like to believe. He believes that if he saw Jesus in real life, then he wouldn’t be the man he is today. He is blaming Jesus for the man he has become, which is why he becomes so angry and emotional when saying
The grandmother begins to transform into someone different. She no longer looks down on the Misfit, but sees him as her own child “Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children!” (O’Connor 1052) I think that with her finding God, it gave her a chance to get rid of the evil inside her. The Misfit has given up on everything, and feels that there is no purpose to his life, “it’s no real pleasure in life.” (O’Connor 1053) At this moment the grandmother’s true side comes out as she finally sees what she has done in her life. At this point the Misfit realizes this too, and notices how the grandmother was starting to persuade him, and then he finally shoots her in order for her to stop talking.
Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” discusses the definition of goodness within a few complicated characters. However, morality and human compassion seem to have very little to do with the definition of “good,” according to the key characters in the short story, least of all the grandmother. At first, the grandmother seems to be a caring and concerned mother and grandmother, begging her son to travel in the opposite direction from where a murderer has been rumored to be traveling. It becomes apparent later in the story that she is mostly concerned for herself and cares very little for the well being of anyone else. Her actions and beliefs call into question the meaning of decency and goodness. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find,”
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