A Good Grandmother Can be Hard to Find Essay - 1500 Words

In Flannery OConnor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find, a family trying to go on a trip to Florida plans and lives come to a tragic end because of one person in their family: Their manipulative Grandmother. Even though she says in the beginning â€Å"I wouldnt take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it† (O’Conner pg), she does the complete opposite of her word and leads them all in to the way of danger; The hands of the criminal, The Misfit. If she would have just stayed home, no one would have died in the end and the trip would have went as smoothly as it has before. Yet, the tragedy of their grandmother’s choices and commitment of many of the deadly sins are what lead them to their fates, and the grandmother to†¦show more content†¦They never have been to east Tennessee. (O’Conner pg). One can see the beginning of her manipulative and egotistic ways. She tries to put a toll on the families vacation of where they wanted to travel and make it more about what she wants for herself without thinking of what the others may want. Yet, they did not listen to her, so in the end she had no choice but to summit to going, but she continued to rebel by bringing her cat, Pitty Sing, along giving the excuses â€Å"he would miss her too much and she was afraid he might brush against one of her gas burners and accidentally asphyxiate himself.† (O’Conner pg). Another example of her self-centeredness was when she noticed the african american boy standing in the door of a shack. â€Å"Oh look at the cute little pickaninny! she said and pointed to a Negro child standing in the door of a shack. Wouldnt that make a picture, now?† Her granddaughter June Star, points out that he did not have any pants on. She then says Little niggers in the country dont have things like we do. If I could paint, Id paint that picture, (O’Conner pg). The grandmother demonstrates a sense of prejudice and self-righteousness about the situation. She appears to act and talk as if she is above the child. Yet, she comments later to Red Sam â€Å"the way Europe acted you would think we were made of money [...]† She judges others of their lifestyles without looking at her own appearance,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Flannery O Connor s A Good Man Is Hard Essay1426 Words   |  6 PagesResearch Analysis for A Good Man is Hard to Find Flannery O Connor s A Good Man is Hard to Find is certainly a surprising work of literature. With this story having a not so happy ending, it goes against all of the conventional ideas on what a typical storybook ending should be. Another unusual thing about A Good Man is Hard to Find is the use of the term good. It is thrown around excessively through the entire tale by the grandmother and even the Misfit seems to use this word as wellRead MoreThe Spiritual Awakening1265 Words   |  5 PagesO’Connor’s â€Å"Good Country People† and â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† demonstrates how a person can be brought to their redemption by unlikely characters. Hulga, from â€Å"Good Country People,† goes from being a woman who states to believe in nothing, to a woman who loses everything and is left at a place of confusion. The grandmother from â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is similar to Hulga in that she also loses everything in order to find h er faith. Although both Hulga and the grandmother seem to haveRead MoreConceited Judgment and the Pitfall of Pride1298 Words   |  5 PagesIn both of Flannery O’ Connor’s short stories â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† and â€Å"Good Country People,† there is a central theme about the negative effects of trusting one’s own judgment too readily, as well as using religion to manipulate people. It is easy to see multiple connections to this theme in the two short stories, although the specific events themselves are different. For instance, Hulga from â€Å"Good Country People† believes her intelligence allows her to see people’s true character, butRead MoreEssay on A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor1564 Words   |  7 PagesA Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor A Good Man is Hard to Find is an extremely powerful commentary that elucidates Flannery OConnors opinions about religion and society. Like the majority of her other works, A Good Man is Hard to Find has attracted many interpretations based on Christian dogma (Bandy 1). These Christian explications are justified because Miss OConnor is notorious for expressing Catholic doctrines through her fiction. Once she even remarked I see fromRead More Flannery OConnors A Good Man is Hard To Find Essay1144 Words   |  5 PagesFlannery O’Connor’s A Good Man Is Hard to Find is one of the most well-known short stories in American history. A Good Man Is Hard to Find is a disturbing short story that exemplifies grace in extremity as well as the threat of an intruder. The story tells of an elderly grandmother and her family who embark on a road trip to Florida. The grandmother is a stubborn old woman with a low sense of morality. While on the trip, the grandmother convinces he r son to take a detour which results in a brokenRead MoreThemes of A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O ´connor Essay862 Words   |  4 PagesIn A Good Man is Hard to Find there are a variety of themes. The themes in this short story are: the grace of the grandmother and The Misfit, the vague definition of a â€Å"good man†, and the class of the grandmother. All of these themes are apparent to any reader, but it does not quite seem to match O’Connor’s depth style way of writing. The two characters, the Grandmother and the Misfit change from beginning to end. Even though they are both different as night and day, they both have principles andRead MoreEssay on Mercy in Flannery OConnors A Good Man Is Hard to Find995 Words   |  4 PagesFinding Mercy in A Good Man Is Hard to Find In A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Flannery OConnor represents her style of writing very accurately. She includes her themes and methods - comedy, violence, theological concern - and thus makes them quickly and unmistakably available (Asals 177). In the beginning of the story OConnor represents the theme of comedy by describing the typical grandmother. Then OConnor moves on to include the violent aspect by bringing the Misfit into the story. AtRead MoreIs It Hard For Find A Good Man?1739 Words   |  7 PagesHadleigh Garza Ms. Vernon English 1302.05 March 26, 2015 Is it Hard to Find a Good Man? In the short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† Flannery O’Conner introduces the story with the characters, the grandmother, her son Bailey, his wife, his two children June Star and John Wesley, and the baby, on the way to Florida for a vacation. Soon after the trip begins, the grandmother states that she wants to go Georgia to see a friend, but with her awful memory, she remembers it is actually in TennesseeRead MoreEssay On A Good Man Is Hard To Find885 Words   |  4 PagesIn the short story essay, I will talk about two stories. The first one is â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† by Flannery O’Connor. The article that I will talk about is â€Å" O’Connor’s A Good Man Is Hard To Find† by Nancy L Nester. Before I read the critic’s view, I focus on their trip because the author talks a lot of the plan of their trip. For example, the grandmother did not want to go to Florida. She wants to east Tennessee in the begin. I thi nk they will talk more details in the story. However, afterRead MoreA Good Woman is Hard to Find Essay565 Words   |  3 PagesCharacterization Essay A Good Woman is Hard To Find In the story A Good Man is Hard to Find the grandmother displays several qualities that make her a villain. Throughout the story the author Flannery OConnor gives details of the grandmothers imperfections. OConnor describes many different aspects of the lifestyle that this family lives portrayed by the life of the wicked grandmother, giving numerous examples of her bad character. In the story the grandmother clearly states that she does