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Character Analysis in the story A good man is hard to find
Character Analysis in the story A good man is hard to find
A good man is hard to find character analysis essay
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The Misfit is a particularly intriguing and strange character in the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor. He escapes from the federal prison after being convicted for murdering his own father. The Misfit, however, claims this to be untrue; he calls himself “The Misfit” because he “can’t make what all I [The Misfit] done wrong fit what all I [The Misfit] gone through in punishment” (1073). He also says that his daddy “died in nineteen ought nineteen of the epidemic flu [...] He was buried in the Mount Hopewell Baptist churchyard,” (1072). The Misfit says that he doesn’t understand why he was punished, which is why he has given himself this nickname. He claims to have tried remembering why he was put in prison, but …show more content…
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 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.
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing and inwardly are ravening wolves," (Matthew 7:15 New testament KJV). Matthew, from the New Testament, preached to those around about false teachers, who will lie and deceit others. O'Connor was a strong believer in her faith, due to her strong beliefs O'Connor incorporates her beliefs through archetypes, themes, and symbols.
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.
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
When Grandmother is alone with the Misfit, he tells her, “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 151). The Grandmother could also be
He has named himself the misfit due to the fact he was never capable of weighing his punishment against the crime he committed. The family comes face to face with the misfit after getting into an accident caused by them venturing off to see a plantation. That the grandmother believed was in Georgia but in fact located in Tennessee. The misfit proceeds to delegate to his two partners which family members will proceed to the woods and meet their end. The misfit indeed does not fit the ideals stated to be a good man. He has no money and currently isn’t sporting a shirt, and states he has no needs for items. The grandmother insist that he is a good man due to the fact that he looks like he didn’t come from common blood, then that he had a good heart. Which only in turn dilutes her depiction for a Goodman. In an attempt to butter up the criminal so her family could escape. Yet to no avail she then tries to state he can still be forgiving if he prayed, but even this does not assist. Her futile attempt fall on deaf ears as she meets her
The term “lady” in southern society during this time was someone who was well put together and who took care of her family. A Lady was also someone who was well respected and respected others. I think the grandmother is a lady because of the way she interacted with her family at the beginning. She explains to the children about being more respectful, like the children were in her time. The grandmother and the misfit begin talking about Jesus and the grandmother continuously encourages him to pray. The misfit explains he was always good, but was at one point sent to the penitentiary. He also explains he does not pray because he doesn’t need help from anyone. I think, even though everyone was killed by the misfit, both the grandmother and 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.
Just moments after his first interaction with the family, the grandmother said something that The Misfit did not like. She recognized his face and said, “You’re The Misfit! I recognized you at once!” (O’Connor 687). The Misfit then replied, “Yes’m, … but it would have been better for all of you lady, if you hadn’t of recognized me” (O’Connor 687). The grandmother had clearly identified him as a fugitive from the law. Since The Misfit recently escaped from jail, he didn’t want anyone to know his true identity. Since the grandmother and the rest of the family knew who this mystery man was, The Misfit immediately considered all of them to be a threat. He makes this assumption without conside...
The portions of this passage that I'd like to focus on are when the grandmother calls the Misfit one of her own children, and when the Misfit is talking about if he was there with Jesus. Beginning with the latter, I believe that this mostly one sided conversation that the Misfit has with the grandmother discussing Jesus and what he would have known if had been there is supposed to act as a parallel with Bailey, and possibly the grandkids, and not being at the house to see the secret panel with the silver hidden behind it. It is quite understandable that this is a stretch and more likely that this is meant to mean something else in O'Connor's eyes, but my explanation still makes a little bit of sense.
In "A Good Man is Hard to Find" The Misfit and the Grandmother had two different views on religion. The Misfit believes we live on free will. He believes that people do what they want because they want to. The Grandmother believes that Jesus is the reason for everything. Both of the characters contradicted their selves throughout the story. The Misfit for the Misfit not to believe in a higher power he seems to know a lot about him. The grandmother contradicts herself by her lack of knowledge on Jesus. The reader is aware of the Grand mothers lack of knowledge because of her conversation with the Misfit.
As he proceeds through brief insights on his past, he illuminates the reader and the grandmother on clues as to where he began losing this faith. A large portion of The Misfit’s expulsion of religion is due to the way he feels he was wrongly treated when regarding his conviction for murder. “I was never a bad boy that I remember of,” (18) and that authorities “said what I had done was kill my daddy but I known that for a lie” (18-19) The Misfit claims, yet he was punished regardless, indicating to him a sort of inconsistency with the Christian promise that morally good people do not suffer as he did in the way of his jailing. or cut last sentence and separate to be more concise) He acknowledges that praying would most likely grant him some sort of moral satisfaction or salvation from sin, yet claims “I don’t want no help” (19). This shows how he has lost touch with religion and no longer sees the benefit to having faith in Christianity as a result of the lack of help he received while enduring hard times in jail. The Misfit concludes his denunciation of Christianity by claiming that Jesus had “thrown everything off balance” (21) and made a mistake in raising the dead. The fact that a man would make the life’s work of Jesus out to be an issue in society proves a loss of faith in Christianity, a belief system founded on the idea that Jesus Christ saved society. The heart of The Misfit’s conflict with religion lies in the opinion that he, a morally sound and religiously faithful man, was wronged, punished, and left out to dry by the promises to save him from suffering made by the religion he once trusted. In this way, The Misfit has lost his faith in religion as a result of the emotionally and physically challenging times he endured throughout the process of his
In the story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the Misfit is openly evil. Even though he kills people he doesn’t view himself as an evil person. When the Misfit comes across the family, the Misfit’s look as if he wants to help the family after their car accident. But his demeanor changes once the grandmother recognize him and call him the Misfit. While he in the Grandma conversate the rest of the family is murdered. After the Misfit has the entire family murdered, he then kills the Grandma after she tells him he could be her son and touches his shoulder. He shows little pity for what he has done.
As he declares his innocence the reader is left to wonder if what he says might hold some truth. He recalls memories of being married, and a gospel singer. "I never was a bad boy that I remember of," makes it seem as if he really might be a good person willing to forgive the lives of this family. That ray of hope is quickly shadowed by the grandmother’s mention of Jesus. For the Misfit Jesus was not a savior but had “thown everything off balance”. It is here that we begin to understand that the Misfit was fully capable of being guilty of his crimes. His lack of faith, his unwillingness to believe in anything he has not himself witnessed shows very clear in this moment. We see, as Stephen C. Bandy put it, how it has “destroyed his humanity”. It is often said that faith of any kind not just religious is taught in childhood. It is taught when a child is told to wait on presents from a Santa Claus or Tooth Fairy that doesn’t exist. The child is inherently taught to believe in something they cannot see or touch. Is this not the exact definition of faith? If then, the Misfit, has no faith, it is proof that he has not changed from a “good boy” into this man with such a violent nature. He has simply evolved from what he already was all
With his violent, deliberate killing, the Misfit seems to be an unlikely person to look to as a role model or to look to for spiritual or moral guidance, but he does demonstrate a deep conviction that the other characters lack. His beliefs and actions are not moral or widely accepted by others, but they are strong and consistent, if he had applied his moral integrity to a less wicked lifestyle, he could have been considered a preacher or even a teacher.