Essay on Good Man Is Hard to Find

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Compare/Contrast Character Analysis Paper
A Good Man is Hard to Find: The Misfit and The Grandmother

"A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor, depicts a contrast of good and evil however, it shows how the enactment of good and evil is not as evident as it appears. The Grandmother perceives herself as a moralistically good character though her actions deem to create a downfall for the family. On the other hand the misfit is targeted at the audience as an evil character who is a cold-blooded killer; his intentions are justified by his unworldly perceptions of people.
The grandmother is the central character in the story. The grandmother is a manipulative, deceitful, and self-serving woman who lives in the past. She doesn't …show more content…
The grandmother displayed the proper image of an extremely conservative and narrow minded religious woman in the presence of other people. Her clothing, her perfection, and her attitude are perceived as truly religious. In reality, the grandmother is exceedingly selfish. She preaches and gives lectures throughout the story yet in the face of danger she thinks only of herself. The grandmother uses gender roles, "you wouldn't shoot a lady would you,"(1236) and religious images to try to save herself. She preaches and prays to the Misfit as if he is Jesus, "Jesus…you've got good blood, Jesus you ought not to shoot a lady" (1239). She perceives herself as a religious figurine at the same time sounding extremely self-serving. The Misfit on the other hand was very similar to the Grandmother; he displayed the image of a self-centered murderer. The Misfit exceedingly debated the Grandmother on what she said and let her know that it made no difference to him. The Misfit says that Grandmother "...would have been a good woman had somebody been there to shoot her every day of her life."
The enactment of good and evil is thoroughly portrayed by the characters of the novel especially the Grandmother and the Misfit. However the evident truth of who is good or evil can only be self prescribed. Therefore both of the main characters have characteristics that
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