The Misfit

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Recommended: Does God truly exist

The question of if a supreme being exists is one that has been asked since the birth of Christianity. An ancient Greek philosopher by the name of Protagoras once wrote, "About the gods, I am not able to know whether they exist or do not exist, nor what they are like in form; for the factors preventing knowledge are many: the obscurity of the subject and the shortness of human life". In the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, the possibility of there not being a God impacts the perspective of a fugitive by the name of “The Misfit”. The Misfit is shown to have a troubled past, one in which he believes he was wrongly accused of murdering his father. This unjust imprisonment in the eyes of The Misfit has led to him requiring evidence for things, such as the murder of his father, in order for him to truly believe in anything. The Misfit rationalizes his murders through his belief that there is a lack of evidence to prove there is a God to punish him. The Misfit’s self-proclaimed wrongful time in prison is what led to his …show more content…

While the grandmother is talking to The Misfit about Jesus raising the dead, he remarks “It ain’t right I wasn’t there because if I had of been there I would of known … if I had of been there I would of known and I wouldn't be like I am now.” (308) In this quote The Misfit is clearly distraught over the fact he was not present to be a spectator to this miracle. The Misfit believes that if he had been a witness of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, he would have no doubt in his mind of a higher power. This act would have changed the life of The Misfit, who most likely would live a righteous life as a man of God. However, he himself has no evidence of this miracle ever happening, and thus has no reason to live that life. The Misfit’s reasoning in this moment highlights that he lives his life this way for a

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    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

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    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.

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  • Examples Of Grandmother In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

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    After the accident that the grandmother had unintentionally caused by manipulating the image of a nonexistent house into her family’s head, they run into the Misfit. No one else in the family knew who he was or anything about him. They all thought someone had come to their rescue and was going to fix the car, but nothing gets over on the grandmother. Blatantly putting the whole family in danger she blurts out, “’You’re the Misfit!’…’Yes’m…but it would have been better for all of you, lady, if you hadn’t of reckernized me’” (192). At this point in time, she knows that she is going to die, trying to save herself and not caring about the rest of her family clearly as she has witnessed the Misfit’s goons kill off her whole family, she tries to manipulate him. She brings up that he is a “good man at heart” (192) and telling him if he “would pray…Jesus would help” (194). That was just simply her trying to plea for her life, but when she realized she was getting nowhere her “head cleared for an instant” (196), she knew this was an opportunity to try and manipulate the Misfit into letting her go, to make him feel like he didn’t have to be a killer anymore, to comfort him “she reached out and touched him on the shoulder” (196). The Misfit jolted away and shot her three times in the chest because he saw through her manipulative ways which if clear when he

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    Misfit clearly understood the difference between good and bad unlike the grandmother but there philosophical positions, his by determination and hers by accident are not so far apart. Hence the statement “Why you are one of my babies” (135) indeed he is one of her babies for her lack of values is his lack as well. These two faces are so close like a mirror images. The Misfit can be said to be completely evolved from the

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  • Similarities Between The Misfit And A Good Man Is Hard To Find

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    The Misfit is clearly a criminal, but he calls himself “The Misfit” because he “can’t make what all I done wrong fit what all I gone through in punishment” (429). The Misfit deflected responsibility from himself and refuses to bear the results of his conflicts. Furthermore, the grandmother continuously declares that she is a so called “lady” though she is clearly racist, and is the reason why her family gets murdered. The grandmother made her son that she wanted to see until she realized that it was in a different state. In addition to all of this, she begs for her life, but never asks The Misfit to spare her family. In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, it says “Throw me that shirt, Bobby Lee,” The Misfit said. The shirt came flying at him and landed on his shoulder and he put it on. The grandmother couldn’t name what the shirt reminded her of” (429). The grandmother did not even recognize that The Misfit had killed her son and taken his

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    Throughout the world, most people believe in some type of god or gods, and the majority of them understand God as all-good, all-knowing (omniscient), and all-powerful (omnipotent). However, there is a major objection to the latter belief: the “problem of evil” (P.O.E.) argument. According to this theory, God’s existence is unlikely, if not illogical, because a good, omniscient, and omnipotent being would not allow unnecessary suffering, of which there are enormous amounts.

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  • Deciphering The Misfit: A Character Analysis

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    He was told he’d killed his father, but hismemory is that his father died of the flu (150). “I call myself The Misfit," he says, "because I can't make what all I done wrong fit what all I gone through in punishment" (151). His intelligence isn’t enough to let him understand the major features of his life. His family and his time in prison make no sense to him, and have no reason or meaning. He is a murderer, and seems amoral in his ability to kill without remorse, or even without memory of killing. But he is also oddly moral. He has killed people since he escaped from prison (137), it’s likely he killed his own father (150), and it’s clear he is going to kill the grandmother and her family – he says so, almost regretfully, when he says “it would have been better for all of you, lady, if you hadn't of reckernized me" (147). When the men return from murdering Bailey, theyare carrying Bailey’s shirt, which The Misfit puts on (150). For him, Bailey is a problem while alive, and in death only has meaning for the shirt The Misfit needs. The murder of the baby is a particularly amoral act, as the baby is too young to identify The Misfit. That murder is so meaningless that it isn’t even noted in the story except by the number of shots fired in the woods – the mother, June Star, and a third shot that must have been the shot that kills the baby

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  • Parasites And Perverts: A Good Man Is Hard To Find

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    I find it odd that at the end of the story the Misfit states, “It’s no real pleasure in life” (O’Connor, pg. 655). Seeing how the Misfit fits the categories of a parasite and a pervert one would think that he’d have some sort of gain for all of these unspeakable actions. Regardless of what he said, there is no denying that the Misfit is a pervert, as he is not considered as a normal individual. Him laying waste to the family that crossed his path as well as the sick mind games he played with the grandmother shows just how much of a monster he truly is in the story.

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  • The Misfit

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Misfit tells the reader “My daddy said I was a different breed of dog from my brothers and sisters. ‘You know,’ Daddy said, ‘it’s some that can live their whole life out without asking about it and it’s others has to know why it is, and this boy is one of the latters. He’s going to be into everything!’ ” (O’Connor 1312). The Misfit never backed down from anything which is why his life is the way it is. The Misfit was the one, not good but not the worst either, person to make a stand and to ask why to justice system and his religion. These are the two belief systems that most won’t ever question, which is why the Misfit is such a controversial character. He will never stop asking, and will go against whatever to do what he sees fit, whether it be killing a man or changing his tire.

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  • Literary Analysis Of A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    1459 Words  | 3 Pages

    Never once as the Grandmother was begging for her life, did she stop and beg for the life of her family. Her tactic to save herself went from “You wouldn’t shoot a lady would you?” (O’Connor), to “You’ve got good blood! I know you come from nice people” (O’Connor), then lastly to “If you would pray, Jesus would help you” (O’Connor). Yet to every beg the Grandmother made, the Misfit was completely honest with her, admitting that he would hate to have to kill a lady, but he would do it, admitting that he did come from good people but that he is not good, and admitting that he does not want Jesus’ help, that he is perfectly fine alone. Because the Misfit was so honest and open about who he was and his flaws, the Grandmother realized that she is not a “Good Man”. That she has been lying to herself and the people around her. The Misfit allowed the Grandmother to come to terms with who she really is a person. The Misfit giving her this eye opening realization before taking her life gave her the redemption she needed so

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