Analysis Of Flannery O ' Conner 's ' A Good Man

A literal interpretation of the grandmother portrays an elderly southern woman attempting to maintain the proper and genteel values of the South. The grandmother places great importance on her appearance and the opinions of others. This importance is revealed at the beginning of their journey when the story compares the grandmother, a reflection of the past, to the daughter-in-law, a reflection of the present:

As the family is driving along, the grandmother awakens from a nap and recalls “an old plantation that she had visited in this neighborhood once when she was a young lady” (189). This recollection happens while the family is driving through the town of Toomsboro, GA. The grandmother is extremely manipulative and selfish and coaxes the family into visiting the old plantation by lying to them with the possibility of finding hidden treasure. The name of the town is only a slight indication of the terrible tragedy that is yet to come. It is no

Flanner O’Connor, author of “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, has an underlying theme within her writing, which is Christianity. If a reader does not keep O’Connor’s Christian background in focus, it will be impossible to fully interpret/understand O’Connor’s stories. In Flannery O’Connor’s writing, she leans more towards the subjects of: the search for Jesus, the meaning of ‘prophecy’ and the struggle for redemption, per Nazaryn, A. Out of these three subjects, coming from Nazaryn, the most important to Flannery would be the struggle for redemption and the search for Jesus, since these are the most vital to a searching spiritual life. O’Connor’s character, for example, the grandmother, in “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, follows her journey of a person in need of salvation and then the violence she endures awakens her towards a spiritual need. O’Connor creates a violence which leads to a personal crisis, which then leads to someone waking up to spiritual salvation. Taking into consideration on how a person goes through life, through trials and tribulations, he or she is bound to reach that point in their life of reaching salvation. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, it is critical to understand that O’Connor’s Christian values are embodied in the message that her characters tell

In the beginning, the grandmother is reading the newspaper where she then learns about the Misfit who escaped prison. The grandmother says, “I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn’t answer to my conscious if it did” (O’Connor 485). This quote foreshadows as the accident happened with her guidance on the road it is what led them to steer off the main road. They were on and into the arms of who they call the Misfit and his

As the family is getting ready to head out to their desired destination, the grandmother brings up a newspaper article about the Misfit in attempt of changing the family’s destination instead of wanting the family to be safe and happy. Her selfishness and able to manipulate others in order to achieve what she wants is demonstrated through that small part of the story. Also, she makes a great effort to look well-dressed even though her family is dressed casual. She mentions that “In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.” She is dressed in her best outfit, as if she were going to meet the lord which is ironic since before the day is out she will actually meet the lord. Having a suitable and ladylike appearance mattered more to her than anything else, even her own life. Despite her personality, the grandmother has important contradictions of her character. From her references to Jesus, the bible, and praying, it appears that she thinks of herself as a Christian

Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a literary piece that strategically intertwines her strong religious Roman Catholic upbringing and her work. As with her other pieces, O’Connor’s incorporation of religion allows the reader to interpret her short stories on a broader scale. One of her famous literary techniques is to combine her religious beliefs with foreshadowing as a way to prepare the reader for what is to come next. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a perfect example of how O’Connor uses these techniques in her short stories. However, intertwining religion is not the only thing that O’Connor was good at. When it comes to incorporating themes in her short stories,

The intriguing question that puzzles the audience on the debate at what declares a person to be good. In Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” The protagonist, the grandmother, is an old-fashioned character that lives with her only son named bailey. The grandmother, who portrays to be a conniving manipulator, whom leads them to their demise. O’Connor foreshadows the twist that the story is not what it appears to be, the morality of good and evil, and a moment of redemption.

O’Connors, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a story about faith, sin, forgiveness, peace, and finding grace in the eyes of god. Using grotesque characters and placing them in violent circumstances with seemingly innocent people O’Conner may desire to assault our consciousness but I believe that I can make a better argument than one based on religion.

The symbolism present in “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” by Flannery O’Connor conveys the importance of living with moral integrity and not living your life at gunpoint. Many of the characters present in this portray how important moral integrity really is. The articles shown in this paper help prove that living your life at gunpoint is not only a horrible quality, but also a statement towards all human beings. "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" shows how it is not until our final moments that we find ourself and at that point, it is too late.

Exploring the idea that all men are born sinners, O’Connor demonstrates immoral indulgences entertained by various characters. Readers are introduced to grandmother, an elderly woman whose consistent unscrupulous behavior exhibits her inner motives. Grandmother uses subtle, indirect confrontation to get her way until she is faced with The Misfit, a runaway criminal who believes that crime is a justifiable. In “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” Flannery O’Connor uses characterization to display a loss of morals, imagery to portray evil in society, and symbolism to emphasize the struggle of obtaining grace to prove how life is nihilistic without religion.

    “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” one of O’Connor’s best works, describes a family on a trip to Florida and their encounter with an escaped prisoner, The Misfit. Although “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is an early work in O’Connor’s career, it contains many of the elements which are used in the majority of her short stories. The grandmother, a selfish and deceitful woman, is a recipient of a moment of grace, despite her many flaws and sins. A moment of grace is a revelation of truth. When the grandmother calls The Misfit her child and reaches out to touch him, the grandmother has a moment of grace that enabled her to see The Misfit as a suffering human being who she is obligated to love. The grandmother realizes that nothing will stop The Misfit from killing her but she reaches out to him despite this. The Misfit rejects her love and kills her anyway. This moment of grace is very important

Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find’ tells of a seemingly normal family with a bit of dysfunction. Throughout this tale, the author fabricates a number of characters, some inconsiderable, others full of depth and history that present themselves wildly open to interpretation. Looking into O’Connor’s past, it is clear to see her relationship with a number of these fictional minds and pull from these the meaning behind her hidden pain and anguish. We are therefore presented with a mother and sons family who are prisoners in a manipulative, destructive relationship.

An intricately written short story titled “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” explores the perspectives of various kinds of people because its author, Flannery O’Connor, believes that it is better to comprehend a story when it is experienced. Looking through the eyes of the characters is an effective way to know how they understand certain things. The settings, motif and characters of the story were the literary devices that helped to represent the theme of good versus evil.

In the short story A Good Man Is Hard to Find, written by Flannery O’Connor, the theme that the definition of a ‘good man’ is mysterious and flawed is apparent. The reader must realize that it is difficult to universalize the definition of a good man because every person goes through different experiences. Thus, these experiences affect his or her viewpoint and in turn flaw ones view on a good man. O’Connor conveys this theme through her excellent use of diction, imagery, foreshadowing, and symbolism as well as through a creative use of repetition and an omniscient point of view.

In the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” O’Conner, tries to make us understand the meaning of grace. The Misfit and the Grandma are the two main characters that show us what grace is and how it can be applied to a person’s everyday life. In Flannery O’Conner’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” the Grandma tries to save her family by convincing them to visit a place she recommends to keep them away from the Misfit, whom with they later come in contact. Neither the Grandma nor the Misfit deserves grace but it is given to them anyway.