The Misfit By Flannery O Connor s A Good Man - 1590 Words

The word evil is most often associated with death or physically harmful things. But in Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find† the Misfit shows that evil is not only in physical actions but by also how you judge and treat people as demonstrated by the Grandmother in the story. The Misfit although is not seen as a fully developed character, he brings contradiction to the definition of evil and is also a main character of the story. The Misfit is talked about by critics as being evil and also having no sense behind his madness, but in contradiction the Misfit has a larger view on life than any of the other characters in O’Connor’s story. The Misfit himself acknowledges that he is indeed evil as he said â€Å"Nome, I ain’t a good†¦show more content†¦The Misfit â€Å"is not a monster , but a tragic figure†(202 Hendricks). O’Connor chooses The Misfit as a prophet to show how the families of today are not spir itual enough, and someone with an obvious mental issue could be close to god. This is demonstrated by the families of Bailey and Sammy. In Bailey’s family the only authority is Bailey himself, the children do not have respect for any others, they barely contain respect for Bailey. The children aren t even baptised, meaning that the children including the parents have lost their connection to God. Red Sammy has at one point became unfaithful to his wife showing the lack of spiritual influence in his household. The Misfit is a sort of â€Å"spoiled prophet†(202), he is loyal to God but has taken his teachings the opposite direction and believes what he is doing is somewhat justified by God. Towards the end of the story as the grandmother believes she has made a breakthrough with The Misfit she reaches out to touch him and â€Å"he retaliates by jumping up and shooting her†(2 Sparrow). Basically The Misfit feels threatened by the grandmother’s impurity, her last minute display of faith sealed her destiny by showing false faith. When the Grandmother said â€Å"You’ve got good blood†(412 O’Connor) she signals that by the way he is talking and â€Å"praying† with the grandmother, she can tell that he is not all bad only the circumstances he is put in. Although theShow MoreRelatedFlannery OConner and the use of grotesque character in Good country people and a good man is hard to find1226 Words   |  5 Pageswriting (Holman 61). Almost all of O Connor s short stories usually end in horrendous, freak fatalities or, at the very least, a character s emotional devastation. People have categorized O Connor s work as Southern Gothic (Walters 30). In Many of her short stories, A Good Man Is Hard To Find for example, Flannery O Connor creates grotesque characters to illustrate the evil in people. Written in 1953, A Good Man Is Hard To Find is one of O Connor s most known pieces of work and has receivedRead MoreA Proposal1240 Words   |  5 PagesSeiter 1 Allison Seiter Introduction to Literature Brian Leingang April 1, 2013 A Proposal: A Good Man is Hard to Find In 1953, the short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† was published in the anthology Modern Writing I by Avon Publications. Around the year 1955, a collection of short stories by Flannery O’Connor became published. The themes of these stories range from baptism to serial killers and then to human greed and exploration. For theRead MoreSummary Of A Good Man Is Hard And Find By Flannery O Connor1114 Words   |  5 Pages Man is Hard to Find Theme Essay: Religion ENG1300/ Literature Anthony Copeland December 16, 2014 In the short story, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† by Flannery O’ Connor, the major theme in this story to me is how religion plays such a larger role in some lives more than others. 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In their wayRead MoreGra ndmother vs. the Misfit in A Good Man Is Hard to Find987 Words   |  4 PagesGrandmother vs. The Misfit in A Good Man is Hard to Find In the story A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O Connor, the theme is strongly supported throughout the story and is stated in the title of the story itself. In A Good Man is Hard to Find, O Connor uses symbolism throughout the entire story to represent faith and death. O Connor foreshadows death when the family goes to the town Toomsboro. The graveyard in the plantation is a symbol of death, and O Connor also writes, ItRead MoreO Connor s Life1323 Words   |  6 PagesKnown for her short stories and well known novels, author Flannery O’Connor has been a vision of American literature for the last eighty years. Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia during the Great Depression, O’Connor grew up during an era of hardship and trouble trying to focus on her studies while her family was battling financial difficulties. During this time of O’Connor’s life is where her short stories begin to form and her desire to share her experiences of love, friendship, and life blossomedRead MoreAmbiguity in OConnor1203 Words   |  5 PagesAmbiguity in ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find In most short stories ambiguity is used to some extent. The level of ambiguity in each story varies, however the importance and value of that vagueness does not. Ambiguity often leads to elevating the thought put into reading the text, as well as numerous interpretations. In Flannery O Connor s short story, ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find , the ambiguous theme causes both deeper thought and different opinions about the text. Through the charactersRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of O Connor s A Good Man 1166 Words   |  5 PagesFlannery O Connor is a writer who is well known for stories like A Good Man Is Hard To Find and The Life You Save May Be Your Own. Although both stories rely heavily on theme and foreshadowing, she uses these elements to pick at a larger meaning. Whether her stories depict violence and or redemption, there is always a lesson in the end. O Connor uses irony in order to foreshadow to readers her inevitable endings. In A Good Man Is Hard To Find, a family vacation suddenly ends violently.Read MoreLiterary Analysis1773 Words   |  8 PagesLiterary Analysis on Flanner O Connor s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† Written by ShaLynn M. Andrews Flannery O Connor s short story, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is about a Georgia family on their way to Florida for a vacation and the day ending in disaster and murder. The story opens with the grandmother, also being the main character, trying to convince her son, Bailey, not to go to Florida; she had just read an article about a recently escaped convict, the Misfit, who was supposedly headingRead MoreA Good Man Is Hard To Find By Flannery OConnor1127 Words   |  5 PagesA Good Man is Hard to Find is one of the most controversial short stories written in the 1950s. Written by Flannery O’Connor, the story is about a family who takes a roadtrip to Florida when it takes a turn for the worst. During their trip, they get into a car accident and encounter a dangerous fugitive. The story deals with many themes, but there is one theme that is more prominent than the rest. The theme of moral decay is exhibited throughout the story through the characters of the children, the