Flannery O’Connor’s multitude of literary works attracts much attention from critics. In some instances, readers have been astonished “by her characters’ lack of inferiority” (Ellie 83). This portrayal holds true as stories, such as “Good Country People” and “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” boast characters with notable pride and ego. In general, these traits are not associated with a positive feeling, leading to a more understandable view of flaws. In addition to this perspective, it can be easily observed that “all [of] her characters are flawed in some way,” some physically and some mentally (Oliver 233). It can be argued that O’Connor makes these characteristics very obvious to the unsuspecting reader, further emphasizing her ‘ugly’…show more content… Throughout “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” the grandmother’s selfish actions kept the story’s mood low until it hit the climax during the encounter with the misfit. However, even then, the story forebodes a horrid feeling, like the foreshadowing of death when the hearse appears (O’Connor). In addition to these themes, all of her works have a religious undertone. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” the grandmother begins to pray by chanting Jesus’ name in hopes of convincing the Misfit to not kill her by getting him to believe that the power of God would subdue his murderous intent (O’Connor). Unfortunately, the grandmother’s attempts prove to be futile; her attempt regardless explores O’Connor’s belief in Christian redemption. O’Connor writes about a variety of characters in her literary works who follow the main themes of grotesqueness. A great example of such a character is Joy Hulga from “Good Country People”. Joy-Hulga has a wooden leg and when walking, is described to ‘stump’ around, clearly showing how the author meant for Joy-Hulga to be portrayed as ugly
