StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor - Book Report/Review Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor" states that O'Connor made use of the character of the grandmother to communicate with the readers and to spread her views on the importance of faith in human life and the end result of self-centeredness and opportunism…
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96.3% of users find it useful
A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor"

Analysis of short story Flannery OConnor, the American short story is renowned for the usage of Southern Gothic style and morality/ ethics in her works. Within the context of Southern Gothic style, OConnor provided ample importance to horror/grotesque and violence. To be specific, OConnor made use of violence to evoke empathic pity in the minds of the readers. OConnor’s literary life is interconnected with her religious faith, i.e., Roman Catholicism. On the other side, OConnor did not ignore the scope of contemporary issues in the society during her lifetime (say, from 1925 to 1964). The short story named as A Good Man Is Hard to Find is one among the works by Flannery OConnor which deals with self-centeredness of human beings that leads to tragedy and the scope of redemption in the end. In the short story, OConnor unveils the grass root level reason behind the tragedy faced by Bailey and his family. Thesis statement: The character analysis of the grandmother in A Good Man is Hard to Find proves that the character’s her self-centered attitude, capacity to manipulate others, interest in the conduct/ discipline of other characters, complicated relationship with other characters, and interest in religious matters help her to transform/realize her fault in the end, but leads the whole family towards ultimate doom. Character analysis The character analysis section is divided into five: Self-centered attitude, capacity to manipulate others interest in the conduct/ discipline of other characters, complicated relationship with other characters, and interest in religious matters and transformation/ realization of fault in the end. Self-centered attitude: In the short story, the grandmother is portrayed as a self-centered individual, interested in her own happiness and safety. For instance, the grandmother neglects her son’s decision to spend their vacation in Florida. Instead, she forces her son and his family to spend their vacation in Tennessee. The speaker makes clear that, “She wanted to visit some of her connections in east Tennessee and she was seizing every chance to change Bailey’s mind” (97). Besides, she is aware of the fact that her daughter in law does not possess any influence upon her son. So, she cunningly influences her grandchildren and forces her son to act according to her interest. The grass root level reason behind her decision is that she never expects her own death. In addition, she tells the other members of her family about a criminal named as The Misfit, who might be heading to Tennessee. Within this scenario, one may misunderstand that the grandmother is deeply interested in the safety of her family. But, she thought that the criminal may attack her. At the same time, the grandmother is deeply interested in her appearance, especially dressing. The speaker makes clear that, “In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady”(98). She does not consider that keeping a cat while spending a family vacation is uncomfortable to others. Her self-centeredness is evident in her conversation with others during the trip. For instance, she continuously talks about her past life and never allows others to share their feelings. In the end of the story, she once more reveals her self-centeredness by pleading to the criminals not to kill her. To be specific, she is aware of the fact that all the members of the family are dead. But she pleads to the criminals to let her free. So, one can see that the grandmother’s self-centered attitude is evident in her behavior to other characters in the short story. Capacity to manipulate others: The grandmother is aware of the fact that she can manipulate her son by influencing her grandchildren. She simply ignores her daughter in law because she is busy with her baby. OConnor did not provide name to Bailey’s wife to prove that this character is less important in the short story. If this character is influential, the whole family will not face tragedy in the end. But OConnor consciously ignored this character and provided ample importance to the grandmother. The grandmother’s capacity to manipulate other characters is portrayed in three layers. In the first layer, she is able to manipulate her son. The speaker makes clear that, “She knew that Bailey would not be willing to lose any time looking at an old house, but the more she talked about it, the more she wanted to see it once again and find out if the little twin arbors were still standing” (101). In the second layer, she manipulates her grandchildren by telling stories about her past. In the third layer, she tries to manipulate the criminal, but for no use. But she did not realize the fact that her manipulative power will lead her family towards an accident and tragedy in the end. The speaker makes clear that, “The grandmother was curled up under the dashboard, hoping she was injured so that Bailey’s wrath would not come down on her all at once” (102). In the end, she tries to manipulate the criminals by revealing her faith in God. But the criminals were aware of the fact that the grandmother is the one and only witness of their criminal deed. So, they decide to kill her, by ignoring her final effort to manipulate/influence them by pointing out the importance of redemption. So, one can see that the grandmother’s misuse of influence on others is the reason behind the tragedy. Interest in the conduct/ discipline of other characters: One can easily identify that the grandmother is deeply interested in the conduct/ discipline of other characters in the short story. She tries to be a disciplinarian grandmother to her grandchildren. She is of the opinion that children must obey the elders and treat them with due care and attention. But the real sarcasm is in the fact that her aim is not to guide her grandchildren. Instead, she exploits their childish curiosity and satisfies her selfish motives. Her opinion on the respect towards parents is not an advice for her grandchildren, but towards her son to obey her. From a different angle of view, OConnor allows the grandmother to be interested in the conduct/ discipline of other characters to expose her fear on death and loneliness. In the short story, the grandmother considers that she is a role model to others. Besides, she considers that her grandchildren must learn the lessons on conduct/discipline from her. The grandmother opines that, “Children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else” (98). But she does not realize the fact that she is ruining the happiness of her family. Some of the characters in the short story like Bailey and his wife obey her to reduce the risk of internal problems in their family. But the grandmother considers that all the other members are under her control and they must obey her without any question. Complicated relationship with other characters: The grandmother’s complicated relationship with other characters in the short story is deeply rooted in her attitude towards humanity. She considers the other members of her family as tools to make her life more comfortable. She intrudes into the private affairs of her son’s family. She tries to be a disciplinarian but creates trouble in her son’s family. She loves her son but is jealous of his warm relationship with his wife. She does not try to create a healthy relationship with her daughter in law. For instance, in the short story, Bailey’s wife is nursing her little child, but the grandmother is not interested to help her. On the other side, the grandmother realizes the fact that she can easily influence her grandchildren. But the grandmother does not try to control her grandchildren, but tires to co-operate with their mischievous deeds. In addition, she considers criminals as the personification of sin in the world. She wants to save herself from the criminals but they provide less importance to her request. The speaker makes clear that, “She wanted to tell him that he must pray” (107). So, the grandmother’s complicated relationship with other characters is interconnected with her narrow-minded view on others. Interest in religious matters and transformation/ realization of fault in the end: The grandmother is deeply interested in religious matters, especially in her own salvation. She acts like a religious woman to save herself from worldly troubles. She does not provide importance to others, but shows utmost interest to exhibit herself as a person who is deeply interested in religious matters. For instance, the grandmother’s theological discussion with The Misfit proves that her real aim is to save herself from further troubles. So, one can see that the grandmother exploits religious belief to fulfill her selfish motives. While pleading to the thieves/prisoners, she acts like a religious woman. But The Misfit was aware of the fact that she is trying to exploit his (say, The Misfit’s) religious identity to save herself from death. In the short story, the notorious criminal named as The Misfit opines that, “If it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life” (108). On the other side, she did not try to save her son and his family. In the end, the grandmother came to realize that pretending as a religious woman cannot save one from troubles in real life. To be specific, her transformation from pretension to real faith in God does not save her life. One can see that her tragic end is symbolic of her transformation, but for no use. Summing, OConnor’s short story proves that pretension cannot save an individual from troubles in daily life. Besides, one must be aware of the fact that acting like a religious individual to fulfill one’s selfish motives cannot lead one towards redemption. The grandmother in the short story is the embodiment of selfishness, manipulation and pretension. But this does not help her to be victorious in the end because somebody else was there to teach her the lesson on the difference between pretension and genuine faith in the God. The grandmother was an opportunist who was deeply interested in the conduct/ discipline of other characters. She was not interested to maintain warm relationship with other characters. Her interest in religious matters was to gain importance in her private and public domains. But her attitude towards humanity, added with opportunism, eventually led her family and her towards tragedy in the end. In short, OConnor made use of the character of the grandmother to communicate with the readers and to spread her views on the importance of faith in human life and the end result of self centeredness and opportunism. Works Cited Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Analysis of short story Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1614180-analysis-of-short-story
(Analysis of Short Story Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 Words)
https://studentshare.org/literature/1614180-analysis-of-short-story.
“Analysis of Short Story Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1614180-analysis-of-short-story.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor

Absence of Faith - Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find

Order 528539 Topic: Flannery O'Connor's "a good man is hard to find" Absence of Faith__________________________________ Introduction Flannery understands the working of the pairs of opposites well—good and evil, how they function in tandem to outsmart the influence of each other.... In the story, “a good man is hard to find,” Flannery writes, how the grandmother has lost faith in the present generation as she recalls the good old days.... Works Cited O'Connor, Flannery; a good man is hard to find and Other Stories, Mariner Books, August 23, 1977 ....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

An Ounce Of Cure By Alice Munro and A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery OConnor

“An Ounce Of Cure” By Alice Munro and “a good man is hard to find” by Flannery O'Connor Two short stories by two different writers are so very different.... Flannery O'Connor's “a good man is hard to find” is short story where the writer, using only simple short sentences is able to build the plot in such a way, that the reader knows about emotions of the main character without the author telling about it.... “An Ounce Of Cure” By Alice Munro and “a good man is hard to find” by Flannery O'Connor Two short stories by two different are so very different....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Religious Theme in Flannery O'Connor's

The following will examine the theme of religion in 'a good man is hard to find'.... Religion and in particular, Christianity was very important personally to flannery o'connor [Kirk 6].... What o'connor is conveying through this story in regard to religion, is that we have to accept the good with the bad in God's universe, and further, that all of us embody the qualities of both 'good' and 'evil'.... o'connor's view of faith, is that one has faith as a Christian in the action of Jesus when and where he performed miracles as miracles are a defiance or inversion of the natural order....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Compare and Contrast Fire and Ice by Robert Frost and A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'connor

Compare and Contrast “Fire and ice” by Robert Frost and “a good man is hard to find” by Flannery O' Connor Introduction First published in 1920, Robert Frost's “Fire and ice” raises the issue of the end of the world.... hellip; On the other hand, Flannery O'Connor's “a good man is hard to find” was published in 1953.... Indeed, where “a good man is hard to find” examines a family “Fire and ice” describes the end of the whole universe....
3 Pages (750 words) Research Paper

Life and Faith of Flannery O'Connor

Name Professor Course Date Life and faith of flannery o'connor Outline Introduction: flannery o'connor had developed the American literal style through application of southern Gothic technique.... hellip; Thesis: Through flannery o'connor's short stories, the readers are able to gain incentive on her faith and the lifestyle that the she had upheld.... flannery o'connor had advanced the American literature style to include aspects that accorded the identity needed to advance the development of stories and literal skills....
3 Pages (750 words) Research Paper

A Good Man is Hard to Find

The short story, a good man is hard to find, is written by Flannery O'Connor.... The story, a good man is hard to find is found in the compilation of short stories, a good man is hard to find.... The short story, a good man is hard to find, is written by Flannery O'Connor.... The story, a good man is hard to find is found in the compilation of short stories, a good man is hard to find.... a good man is hard to find begins with the old grandmother protesting to her son, Bailey that she wants to go to Tennessee and not Florida, for the family holiday....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

Reflections of observing a self serving life

Flannery O'Connor's story, "a good man is hard to find" brings to light,the author's opinion that faith can blind individuals from the truth.... hroughout the story, the grandmother is described as a pessimistic, selfish, and devious woman Flannery O'Connor's story, "a good man is hard to find" brings to light, the author's opinion that faith can blind individuals from the truth.... he story is narrated by a Grandmother who travels with her family for a vacation in Florida and the eventual murder of the entire family by the Misfit,an ex-murder who the family runs into by chance… o'connor 's use of religion in the story points to her opinions that religion can become a devious tool in the hands of those who use it only for their own selfish means....
3 Pages (750 words) Book Report/Review

Literature Analysis

The short stories Where are you going, Where have you been by Joyce Carol Oates and A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor describe events and social life, values and human relations dominated in the middle of the XX century.... In Where are you going, Where have you been Connie escapes with a stranger while in a good man is hard to find the grandmother is killed by the criminal.... The grandmother replies: "Just remember that the next time you want me to curl your hair" (o'connor n....
4 Pages (1000 words) Book Report/Review
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us