A Good Man Is Hard To Find Grandmother Essay

Words: 885

Pages: 4

Open Document

Flannery O’Connor’s characterization of the Grandmother in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” depends on her biases gained by growing up in a religious, Southern household. These biases allow O’Connor to be exceptionally forgiving of the Grandmother’s sins, blind to the true nature of a character she herself created. This willingness to forgive, a sentiment not necessarily shared by her readers, significantly alters the interpretation of the Grandmother’s role in the story and the meaning of the ending scene. Flannery O’Connor’s failure to imbue her intended thematic ideals into the story itself, specifically through her inability to characterize the Grandmother as a selfless woman, lead readers to derive negative meaning from the ending instead of her intended visions of religious grace and redemption.
Based on the actual text of the story, the Grandmother is a …show more content…
Given only the text itself, “if one reads the story without prejudice, there would seem to be little here to inspire hope for redemption of any of its characters” and “no wishful search for evidence of grace or for epiphanies of salvation, by author or reader, can soften the harsh truth” (Bandy). Without the context of O’Connor’s views and thoughts, there is insufficient evidence in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” to support a religious theme of grace and redemption. Lacking this insight, the Grandmother is characterized instead as a fierce, self-centered woman who fights only for her own life, and any religious pleas she makes to the Misfit are appeals for her own good rather than attempts to save him from himself. O’Connor’s failure to characterize the Grandmother as a moral woman destroys any possibility that the reader can naturally interpret a theme of religious salvation and

Research Paper on A Good Man Is Hard To Find

Good Men Are Hard to Find Do good men really exist? A good man really is hard to find. But what is the real definition of a good man? Maybe it is not just the prince charming you see in fairy tales or the perfect guy walking down Sixth Ave. that you pass by everyday on your way to work. Maybe a good guy is simply a man that is good at what he does. “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” by Flannery O’Connor uses many different tactics to portray the south in the 1950’s. O’Connor incorporates her style, themes…

Words 2309 - Pages 10

A Good Man Is Hard To Find Analysis

A Good Man Is Hard to Find A Good Man is Hard to Find was an eye opening story, but, upon my first read on it, I was too narrow-minded to realize this. The story involves a family heading to Florida for vacation when on their way there they run into a malicious serial killer, who murders them all. However, after much research on the story and the author, I discovered there was much more to the story than just that. My initial response, changes in viewpoints, and reinforced viewpoints, showcased…

Words 2068 - Pages 9

Revelations By Flannery O Connor Analysis

The Essay of Revelations: The B- Analysis Susan Nicasio once said, “Many people would rather get hit in the face than get hit with reality.” This statement would prove true to Flannery O’Connor’s three protagonists in the short stories of: “Good Country People,” “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” and “Revelation.” In these three stories, the main characters do not see eye to eye with their peers. In fact, they do not even amount to their own standards. In O’Connor’s short stories, each protagonist is…

Words 1380 - Pages 6

Liberalism and Modern Society Essay

Mankind In both medieval and modern society humans have always made second guesses on their actions to think if they did or did not do the right thing. Even in out two stories the characters do bad things and our author’s “attempt to define the good man and good women of their age with a Christian context. Whereas Chaucer’s microcosmic group contains all classes of the church and secular personages, O’Connor limits her “pilgrims” to one lower-class family.” (Blythe, Sweet 1) The author’s may seem that…

Words 853 - Pages 4

Fiction Paper Final

was merely adopted by Nolan though. Forces of evil can be seen everywhere, however it appears in fiction the most. Evil will be found regardless of whether the story is written as a novel or short story. In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” the author, Flannery O’Connor, shows how there is no good in the world, but instead just different forms of evil. June Star and John Wesley, the children, represent one form of evil as chaos. Chaos is an extreme unorganized state in which nothing is normal. Children…

Words 1896 - Pages 8

A Good Man Is Hard To Find Analysis

Salvation For The Misguided Flannery O’ Connor’s, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” is a short story about a family’s trip to Florida that goes sour when the encounter an escaped convict called The Misfit. This may seem like a typical slightly quirky horror story with no purpose but to shock audiences, however, upon further evaluation adds up to more than it appears to be. Being the protagonist, the grandmother goes through a chain of events throughout the story which leads to transforming herself…

Words 1199 - Pages 5

Their Eyes Were Watching God Quotes

Eyes Quotes and Essay questions Quote 1 (paragraph 1): “Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to remember, and remember everything they don’t want to forget.” This quote is discussing what women do with their memories. When their memories are bad, they will try very hard to forget it, but when their memories are good, then they will do everything in their power to remember it. An example of this in the novel “Their Eyes were Watching God” is when Janie leaves her bad relationship…

Words 474 - Pages 2

Comparison Essay

Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and Alice Munro’s “Boys and Girls” both use symbols to highlight significant meanings in the characters’ lives. This essay will examine two differences and one similarity in the authors’ use of symbols: * O’Connor uses a gun to symbolize fear, whereas Munro uses a gun to characterize shame. * O’Connor uses a specific animal to signify death, while Munro uses a specific animal to represent freedom. * In both stories, the house symbolizes…

Words 1183 - Pages 5

A Love in La and Good Man Hard to Find Essays

one similarity in both stories, which they were on a road and crash cars, this is an only similarity in those two stories which I can think of it. I did not notice any of the characters of both stories in the sense of similarity. But the jack and grandmother were kind of same sense of selfness. The both character think only for them self and want all the intension towards them. Love in L.A, a story of the person whose name is jack and seems like he is very lazy and disappointed from his lifestyle,…

Words 1276 - Pages 6

Jose Honey Essay

Jose Minaya Mr.Eaton American Literature Compare and Contrast Essay #1 30 March 2015 Escaping Racism in America Racism has been around for a very long time throughout history but not all African-Americans succumbed to racism. Ever since the first black man to come to United States as a slave there has always been racism. Through history racism simply has taken new forms. Somehow this discrimination has made it into the minds of numerous writers which some have then spoken about it in their literary…

Words 813 - Pages 4