A “good” person is generally defined as a person who acts in compassion, integrity, and honesty. Yet, when living in a society that is composed of difference in social class, the meaning of “good” can often be misunderstood. David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Good People,” is a play detailing the struggles of Margie, a woman who resides in South Boston’s working class neighborhood. Lindsay-Abaire use of setting, dialogue, characterization, plot and structureconveys the theme of luck versus free will, a theme which I have endlessly encountered in my personal life. As I reflect upon my own personal experiences of battling such a mind-bending dilemma, I am able to understand Lindsay-Abaire’s overall message – the cycle of misfortunate events can only end if human charity endures – in a different lens.
Lindsay-Abaire’s use of South Boston as the primary setting expresses how such a grim setting plagues a person’s soul with hopelessness, a feeling justified by the idea that luck determines one’s fate, as I understand from my own encounters with the plague. “Where? You think everybody can get a job. Not everybody is Remy Hayes!” It was near impossible for the main character, Margie, to find a job within her community as the lucky ones – young people, veterans, and “chow funs” - dominated the job force with their abilities, unfortunate pasts, and acceptance of minimum wages. Margie resided in South Boston, a working-class neighborhood composed of poverty. When living in an impoverished environment, the feeling of hope is bleak. People accept the fact that they are not lucky and thus their circumstances will never change for the better. In Act 1, Lindsay-Abaire makes it clear that there is a divide of the lucky and not so lucky within the South Bos...
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... Still, we may have a higher chance of surviving tomorrow if a person willingly guides us and directs us through the dark path. We all have a duty to help others in need. When a person helps another in need, the receiver often returns the favor by willingly donating their help and support to others. Thus, the cycle of fortunate events continues on and on. The flickering light can become lasting if one person choses to serve humanity as a warrior for human righteousness.
David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Good People,” is an authentic yet stunning play depicting the divide between the lucky and unlucky. Readers and audience members alike learn the importance of kindness and charity through Lindsay-Abaire’s graceful strategies of play. By helping just one person, the helper’s kindness can spread on and on, continuing the cycle of choices, blessings, and complete happiness.
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.
This whole play by Arthur Miller shows how our community will turn on each other to save ourselves no matter if it’s right or wrong and it’s true in our society today. It also shows how a good man regained his happiness and holiness by standing up for what’s right against the lies and sacrificed himself for the truth.
In A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Flannery O’Connor utilizes foreshadowing, characters and symbolism to impart her lesson of mortality and salvation. We are able to observe minor details within the story through these academic instruments, urging the reader continue on to see how the story will come to conclusion. The knowledge that evil exists in the world, and that stories like this are not uncommon, brings to mind thoughts of my own mortality and salvation. Does this accidental meeting with the grandmother and her family lead to a personal and spiritual growth for The Misfit? The ability to recognize and apply literary tools when reading stories can greatly enhance a reader’s overall
The tenement was the biggest hindrance to achieving the American myth of rags to riches. It becomes impossible for one to rise up in the social structure when it can be considered a miracle to live passed the age of five. Children under the age of five living in tenements had a death rate of 139.83 compared to the city’s overall death rate of 26.67. Even if one did live past the age of five it was highly probable he’d become a criminal, since virtually all of them originate from the tenements. They are forced to steal and murder, they’ll do anything to survive, Riis appropriately calls it the “survival of the unfittest”. (Pg.
Wallace, David F. "Good People." The Norton Introduction to Literature. 11th ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2014. 149-55. Print.
Michael MacDonald’S All Souls is a heart wrenching insider account of growing up in Old Country housing projects located in the south of Boston, also known as Southie to the locals. The memoir takes the reader deep inside the world of Southie through the eyes of MacDonald. MacDonald was one of 11 children to grow up and deal with the many tribulations of Southie, Boston. Southie is characterized by high levels of crime, racism, and violence; all things that fall under the category of social problem. Social problems can be defined as “societal induced conditions that harms any segment of the population. Social problems are also related to acts and conditions that violate the norms and values found in society” (Long). The social problems that are present in Southie are the very reasons why the living conditions are so bad as well as why Southie is considered one of the poorest towns in Boston. Macdonald’s along with his family have to overcome the presence of crime, racism, and violence in order to survive in the town they consider the best place in the world.
The thought of good people brings warmth and joy to my heart. On a daily basis I would like to think that most, if not all, of the people we surround ourselves with strive to be good people. My initial thought that came to mind before I began to read David Foster Wallace’s “Good People” was that this would be a story about all the people around each other doing good for one another bringing happiness to me as a reader. The story took a huge turn as it did not talk about the good of the people, but the expectations and judgments we hold for others to be good people. My eyes and my heart opened up, as Wallace’s story unfolded, in which he used a controversial issue to make a point by tugging at the emotions of the reader. I now know that this story was not to make a statement about a very controversial issue, but to make us realize that being a good person doesn’t always mean we have to follow by the expectations or rules that have been set for us, but by being who we truly are and having an understanding for one another.
Flannery O’Connors’s “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” is filled with irony. Verbal, dramatic, and cosmic, without irony of these kinds, this short story would not be as powerful as it is. O’Connor’s use of several different kinds of irony helps in communicating a strong message about humans and human condition and to successfully engage her readers.
In Flannery O’Connor’s stories, “Good Country People”, “Everything that Rises Must Converge”, ”A Good Man is Hard to Find”, and “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”, there are many similar characters and situations. Few, if any of the characters are likeable, and most of them are grotesque. Two of the stories have characters that view themselves as superior in one way or another to those around them, and in some cases these characters experience a downfall, illustrating the old proverb, “Pride goeth before a fall” (King James Bible ,Proverbs 16:18). Two of the stories include a character that has some type of disability, three of the stories showcase a very turbulent relationship between a parent and child, and three of the stories contain a character that could easily be described as evil.
After reading from the novels The Last Hurrah and The Living is Easy, both surrounding the city of Boston in similar eras with similar views on public and political life, what comes to mind most of all is the portrayal of the middle class. This middle class is not the idea conjured from traditional historical figures, but rather a constantly fluctuating zone of monetary and social value. Being vague by definition, the middle class arises as people move from the inner city to the suburbs and form newly constructed neighborhoods, which were previously held by the wealthy. In The Living is Easy, Cleo desperately tries to rid herself of the stigmatism surrounding her race and the stereotypes, which follow it. By moving to Brookline, she attempts to move up in the world. The Irish immigrants in West’s novel are even more visible in The Last Hurrah. O’Connor’s novel fast-forwards to the beginning of the Irish expansion to the suburbs and into a state of normalcy and association with the middle class. Race is a prevalent issue in both novels and surrounds the commencement of moving to a new social and political stature within city society. While Cleo looks inward and remains aware of the state of her appearance and that of others around her, Skeffington is maintaining his own image and does not wish to evolve towards any new horizon. Racially, the novels’ protagonists share a differentiation from other people in their society. Cleo is of a minority among the middle class and Skeffington has made his life to serve and be idolized by them. With each story coming into contact with racial migration, it’s fair to say that the construction of each of these novels leaves the reader with a view of a changed city, where neighborhoods are changing...
The story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery begins as a comedy but quickly shifts to a gruesome tale of multiple murders. The author uses the southern dialects of the characters and a little comedy of a southern nature in this story. Marxist criticism offers a unique understanding of the story by comparing the economic class differences of the characters The Grandmother and The Misfit, while it describes a time when money was of utmost importance.
In the short story, “The Good Man Is Hard to Find” the grandmother describes a “good man” vaguely. The grandmother pertains the label “good” broadly, putting a shadow over the definition of a “good man” until it loses its meaning completely. She first applies it to Red Sammy after he furiously complains of the universal untrustworthiness of people. Red Sammy states, “Two fellers come in here last week, driving a Chrysler. It was an old beat-up car but it was a good one and these boys looked all right to me. Said they worked at the mill and you know I let them charge the gas they bought? Now why did I do that?” (1,045). The grandmother said he did this because he is “a good man.” She next relates the label “good” to the Misfit. After she identifies him, the grandmother asks, “You wouldn’t shoot a lady, would you?” (1,049). Even though he hates to admit it, The Misfit says, “I would hate to have to” (1,049). Because being a lady is such a meaningful part of what the grandmother believes as being ethical, the Misfit’s answer confirms to her that he does not share the same moral principles as she does. The grandmother begins to desperately call him a good man and that he comes from ...
“A Good Man is Hard to Find,” written by Flannery O’Connor tells the story of a dysfunctional family headed to vacation and their inevitable death. The family, including their matriarch, the grandmother, represents the delusion perfection that many modern Christians have. The family displays an extreme sense of vanity, self-centeredness, and disobedience during the first half of the story. The first half of the story does not follow a specific pattern nor does it hold significance to the family’s lives. O’Connor uses the first half of the story to show her audience that the family is heading down a path of destruction due to their narcissism and current lifestyle. In the second half of the story, O’Connor quickly introduces the Misfit and he makes only intelligent and logical actions in order to fulfill his ultimate goal, killing the family.
When people go to extremes in the name of selfless kindness, or in the case of Lloyd and Harry from Dumb and Dumber, when people who are motivated by attraction, desperation and kindness, go to extremes, more often then not something good happens in the end. Hollywood has a long standing tradition of lauding the bumbling hero who, though misguided, saves the day with little more than a kind heart and a strong will. Two examples of goodness conquering all are Tommy Boy and Dumb and Dumber. Both movies are highly comical, and play to the worst case scenario in the name of laughs, but underneath the comical exterior, the moral of both stories says, when people attempt to serve others or causes greater than themselves, goodness usually triumphs.
...f the way, more doors will be opened and more light shone on the better things in life.