The Misfit Analysis

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I had to google what catholic realism was, but my understanding of it relates to perception and how we can not be naïve and blinded by faith and believe that everything is cupcakes and rainbows. Instead, we need to be able to recognize that every person can commit the same sins and that not everything is good in the world. For my analysis, I will base catholic realism as such. Catholic realism was present in the story near the end when “The Misfit” and his comrades came upon the family’s car. After realizing who the strange man before her was, the grandmother, begins a conversation with ‘the Misfit’, begging him to pray and appeal to his better nature. The grandmother, who appears to be deeply religious, attempts to press her faith upon the criminal and for him to have mercy on her. This represents a naivety in the old woman as she believes that this committed criminal is a …show more content…

With the story being through the grandmother’s perspective, the reader can infer the cause and effect the grandmother’s actions have on the entire family. The grandmother holds a lot of responsibility for the outcome of the story as she is the one who refuses to go without her family, even if it meant she could be “queen for a day” according to June Star (O’Connor 425). As well, the grandmother is responsible for bringing along the pet cat and for encouraging a detour down an uncommon dirt road. Through the perception and view point of the grandmother, her requests and wants appear valid as she just wants to contribute to the family outing—however, though another viewpoint the grandmother comes across as self-involved and annoying. If the story were told through another character’s point of view, then the outcome of the story may have been recognized as less of an unfortunate tragedy and more as an annoying, unnecessary endeavor that takes the family off their original

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    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

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    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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