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

In two short stories, A Good Man is Hard to Find and Good Country People written by Flannery O’Connor, we are introduced to two antagonists, the Misfit and Manley Pointer. The Misfit, in A Good Man is Hard to Find, is a criminal on the run who comes across a family who has gotten in a car crash on their road trip. In Good Country People, Manly Pointer is a well to-do christian who travels across the south and tricks people into trusting him and then steals from them. These two villains in these stories share similar traits such as their dislike for religion and forcing the antagonist of the two stories to see who they really are. However, they also differ greatly from their approach to others and how they deal with their own cruel actions.

The Misfit is presented as a man who is an outlaw and mighty dangerous. The protagonist, the Grandmother, takes note that she would not want to come in contact with this man. She fears the idea of crossing paths with him on her road trip with her family When the family encounters the Misfit, because of the Grandmother’s actions, we see someone who is softer, but still has a strong authority over the family. The Grandmother fears the misfit, but she shows a kinder side trying to plead with him in her attempt to live. The Grandmother strikes a chord with the Misfit several times. He reveals some of his thoughts and how he struggles with the fact that he is a man running away from the law. The Misfit admits he has no interest in hurting the family, but the Grandma continually irks him and this leads him to murdering her. The Misfit did not want to murder the Grandmother, but her continually attempts to redeem herself so she could live only lead to her murder. After murdering the Grandmother the Misfit states that murdering is, “‘no real pleasure in life’” (430). The Misfit states he dislikes to hurt others, but continues to do so as he goes against his own words and will likely do so again. In contrast, when O’Connor introduces Manly Pointer he comes across as a religious young man who strives to make a difference through spreading his love for Christ. He charms Hulga acting kind and understanding to her and her disability. They bond over the fact that they both will not live long lives. However, when Pointer shows his true colors by stealing Hulga’s wooden leg it becomes clear he shows no sympathy for his actions. Pointer finds pleasure in stealing and tormenting others and makes it clear that he has stolen from others and will do so again in the future. Pointer showing no remorse for his actions makes him equal to the Misfit who rather feels remorse for his actions. Both these men share the characteristics of a criminal from murdering and stealing from others; however, their own dealings with the actions are polar opposites but equally dangerous.
O’Connor has a common theme of religion in her stories, often with the antagonist showing disinterest in religion as a whole.

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

stories as an element that leads up to climacity moment in the stories.
Both men come across protagonist, Grandmother and Hulga, both women believe that they have life figured out and are better than those around them.

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.

Hulga chooses to have a negative outlook on life in an attempt to cover up her sadness she has over her disability. When Hulga meets Manly, she finds him interesting and finds herself attracted to him. The two bond over their likelihood of not living long. As Pointer earns Hulga’s trust and seduces her he reveals his true colors of being a thief. Hulga is taken back by Pointer’s action claiming that he is good Christian boy. Pointer quickly reveals that it was all a scam. He steals Hulga’s wooden leg and leaves her abandoned in a barn. His actions prove to Hulga that she does not know everything there is to know in the world, she is left weak and vulnerable. In a critical analysis on O’Connor called What Flannery O’Connor Got Right: Epiphanies Aren’t Permanent by Joe Fassler, Flasser refers to the quote, “She could have been a good woman,” The Misfit said, “if it has been someone there to shoot her every minute of her life” as he states, “If human beings can muster startling flashes of selflessness and generosity, why do we revert so quickly to our flawed, limited selves? And does he fact that we do relapse into old patterns diminish what we are in our best moments?” (Flassler 2). This quote applies to both The Grandmother and Hulga. The Grandmother only has a moment where she was a truly good person; however, if she would have lived she would have likely gone back to the way she was before which Hulga likely did. In Hulga’s moment of clarity she is weak and fragile, but as time passed she likely reverted back to her old actions and habits as a cynical woman. However, if the Misfit and Manly were constantly there to remind the women of their actions they could only be their true selves with these men. The two men prove to the women that they are weak and are rather the worst people in society because of their attitude.
The Misfit and Manly Pointer are two men who may appear different to society; however, both men equally mirror one another as they are truly equal no matter their actions, but rather how they deal with their own internal thoughts.