“A Good Man is Hard to Find” tells the story of redemptive grace in the fallen world. We follow Grandmother and her family on a road trip to their impending doom delivered by the Misfit and his fellow convicts. Grandmother and her family suffer from a severe breakdown in moral values. Flannery O’Conner uses exaggerations in her characters to exemplify their perverted sense of self. We believe the central theme is revealed through a last minute epiphany, where O’Conner gives the reader a startling new point of view on the values and religion explored in the relationship between Grandmother and the Misfit.
The narrator reveals that while Grandmother may think of herself as a lady and a good Christian, she puts more focus on appearance rather than her actions. She is careful to wear her best clothes when traveling so that “In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once she was a lady” (p. 679). She is completely indifferent to the sufferings of others, as she is fascinated by the “negro child standing in the door of a shack” (p. 679). She effortlessly tells untruths several times throughout the story. She sneaks the cat on the journey (p. 678), she lies about the panel in the house (p. 682) and she exaggerates the number of times the car overturned during the accident (p. 684). Her final and probably greatest sin, is denying the works of Jesus when she says to the Misfit that “maybe he didn’t raise the dead” (p. 688). Grandmother gives a bad representation of a morally sound individual, much less a lady.
The Misfit, the villain of the story, demonstrates a deep conviction that the other characters lack. He makes no excuses for his current state or previous actions. About himself, he says, “I ain’t a good man…but I ain’t the worst in the world neither” (p. 686). He seems to have a vast knowledge of society because of his many experiences. These have afforded him the ability to examine himself and justify his actions because there is “no pleasure but meanness” (p. 688) and”…the crime don’t matter…you’re going to forget what it was you done and just be punished for it” (p. 687). Despite his overt lack of passion, he realizes he is morally corrupt, but had he pursued a deeper religious understanding, his path might have been different.
Both Grandmother and the Misfit share a denial of reality. The Misfit believes his father died of the flu, when there is evidence that proves otherwise (p. 687). Grandmother tries to convince herself and the Misfit that he is “a good man,” when obviously he is not (p. 686-688). She doesn’t acknowledge any of the events surrounding her family’s demise as she is experiencing them. It is not until Grandmother hears the Misfit’s voice crack over his admitted despair about his chosen path, that she accepts her fate and experiences her epiphany. More importantly, at a state where love and soulful connection transcend all obstacles, the Misfit’s “twisted face close to her own” (p. 688) moves her to her final act of grace. She acknowledges her flaws, helping close the gap between murderer and victim and bond them in kinship.
Francheska and Cydney
You made great points that I didn't see!
ReplyDeleteI did notice the family's selfishness and rudeness. The children are rude to their Grandmother and parents throughout the story. The father seems to be an unhappy man who only cares about himself. I think you described the grandmother perfectly.
The grandmother at was making a last desperate attempt to to save her life by saying the Misfit was a good man and telling him to pray. The weird think was that she did not react the way a normal person would if they knew their family was being murdered. I would have thought she'd gone into hysteria knowing this. The Misfit does understand where the old lady is coming from but continues with his own ways. He does understand that his path could have been different if he'd made other choices.
I agree with everything you two said! :)
Wonderful analysis. I hadn't thought of the story as a narrative of redemption, but your points help to make it clear.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that was most interesting to me was the role the grandmother played in the story. She comes across as a sort of prophet and continually alludes to what eventually happens to the family at the end of the story. In the very first paragraph she says that it is unwise to vacation in Florida because "the Misfit" has escaped from prison and it could be dangerous. She also says on page 678 "Yes and what would you do if this fellow, The Misfit, caught you?" Even though she is not entirely serious about what she is saying, she is foreshadowing the fate of the family.
The conversation she has with Red Sammy on page 681 about how hard it is to find a good man implies that finding a bad one isn't so difficult. This is ironic because later in the story when The Misfit and his companions begin to take members of the family into the woods she insists that he is "a good man", even though she doesn't really think so.
So it seems that O'Connor used the grandmother as an example of what the Bible says in Proverbs 18:21 about how "the tongue has the power of life and death" and how the words we speak can actually influence the events around us.
Because the story has so much religious influence in it, I believe it is safe to make these assumptions.
Everything thats been said so far hits the most significant points about the religion references.
ReplyDeleteOne random thing that I noticed was that June Star was the only female name mentioned throughout the entire story. The mother, the grandmother, and Red Sammy's wife were referred to as just that. What makes June Star significant enough to mention her name? The story obviously revolves around the grandmother and the Misfit, but yet they're never named. O'Connor even chooses to reveal the cat's name! Weird.
I think that the biggest foreshadowing moment was when the family stopped to eat at Red Sammy's. Red Sammy says, "People certainly aren't nice like they used to be." (681) Later on same page, Red Sammy's wife says, "It isn't a soul in this green world of God's that you can trust. And I don't count nobody out of that, not nobody."
Great analysis! I agree with everything that has been said so far. Something I found really interesting that no one has mentioned yet was something the grandmother said at the end of the story. On page 688, she says, "Why you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children!" I thought this was really strange. Why would she say this? I know it's a stretch, but is she referring to herself as God or is he really a long lost child of hers? And, if she is channeling God in some way then why does she flip-flop her views on religion and God when shes says, "maybe he didn't raise the dead,"? I liked this story but it had a bizarre ending.
ReplyDeleteFirst I would like to say that I agree with what you two said and that it was an awesome analysis!
ReplyDeleteI found the title of the story very interesting considering the roles the males had in the story. They dad was a grumpy and bitter guy that was very self absorbed, "The Misfit" was a murderer and the little boy was just plain rude. It almost seemed as though all the males were the example of what men should NOT be. hence the name, "A Good Man is Hard to Find". the only good guy throughout the entire story seemed to be Red Sam, a guy that was in a deserted place out in the boonies which would be a "hard" place to find. (irony)
I also found the grandmother quite interesting. She was so anxious to go to Tennessee that she imagined and actually believed that the house they were searching for was in Georgia. "The horrible thought she had had before the accident was that the house she had remembered so vividly was not in Georgia but in Tennessee." That whole accident seemed to be the whole cause of what happened but its almost as thought it were a good thing. The whole family had a sense of every man for himself in a way, the dad didn't seem to care much about anything, the mom (who barely said two lines) didn't seem to care, and the kids were horrible. They talked backthe entire story and when "The Misfit" told her what to do she said, "I don't want to hold hands with him," June Star said. "He reminds me of a pig." She was talking to a MURDERER with plain disrespect and didnt seem to understand the risks she was taking.
What most stood out to me was, as Alyssa said, the religious references. The grandmother, a "devout christian" didn't live up to the standards a person would generally set for a Christian. She seemed more worried about what clothes she had on and seemed to "admire" the Negro child standing outside. "Oh look at the cute little pickaninny!" she said and pointed to a Negro child standing in the door of a shack. "Wouldn't that make a picture, now?" she asked and they all turned and looked at the little Negro out of the back window." Wow, I found that sentence very horrible, as a Christian she admired a child standing outside with nothing on and wanted to paint him?! That's some wonderful values to teach kids that already seem to have no respect for anyone, not even their own parents. But as soon as she runs into "The Misfit" it seems as though she turned her Christian "switch" from off to on. "There was nothing around her but woods. She wanted to tell him that he must pray. She opened and closed her mouth several times before anything came out. Finally she found herself saying, "Jesus. Jesus," meaning, Jesus will help you, but the way she was saying it, it sounded as if she might be cursing." That line seemed to show a sort of epiphany that both the grandmother and "the Misfit" were having.
I agree with your analysis.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the Grandmother has no connection to the family except her son Bailey. In the beginning, she refers to her daughter-in-law as "the children's mother" and her grandchildren as "the eight-year-old boy...and the little girl" (678). I think this can also support the argument that she considers herself a lady and separates herself from others. Another example is when she says "'You wouldn't shoot a lady, would you?'" to the Misfit (685). I would think a truly loving Grandmother would be more protective of her family than herself.
I also agree with the analysis and comments so far. I was having a hard time understanding the grandmother in this story and this analysis really helped. One thing I noticed was the disrespect that the whole family showed for one another. The children were extremely rude and disobedient, the wife and Bailey were uncaring and inattentive to the grandmother, and the grandmother seemed to nag and not be as affectionate as a mother or grandmother should be. I wouldn't consider anyone in this family to be "good" which leads me to believe the author isn't just referring to the fact that a good upstanding man is hard to come by but people in general instead.
ReplyDeleteO'Connor is an author who is know for the social and moral aspects of her work. Knowing that, the key moral aspect of this story seems to focus around moral codes. The grandmother's moral code is centered around her "being a lady" and she is willing to provide the label of "good man" to anyone who fits into her world-view. Red Sam is labeled a "good man", but what makes the grandmother call him one? All she knows about Red is that he is gullible and they are both nostalgic. She next labels The Misfit a "good man" even though he is clearly murdering her family. The title "Good Man" as provided by the grandmother is clearly meaningless. In addition to there being no clear "good guy" no character is able to live up to their moral code, with the exception of Misfit and his code is twisted.
ReplyDeleteGreat job!
ReplyDeleteI also noticed the families rudeness, especially June Star and John Wesley. All throughout the story they are rude to their elders, mostly their grandmother. It seems as though their parents never told them manners like most people learn as they are growing up. At the beginning of the story John Wesley says, "If you don't want to go to Florida, why dontcha stay at home?" (678). He is so rude to his grandmother, which is surprising to me because I would never dare to say something like that to my grandmother. Also, when Red Sam's wife asks June Star if she would like to be her little girl she is extremely rude to a stranger, which I would never think someone so young would do. It is just so strange to me how weird they are because I myself would never imagine being like that to people.