A good man is hard to find Free Essays

Even before the story unfolds there is simple irony that in Just the title of A Good Man Is Hard To Find, where a nice family vacation turns Into a disastrous murder. When I first began reading, I never thought that the story would have such an ending. The mood of the story went from normal to sad fairly quickly. We will write a custom essay sample on A good man is hard to find or any similar topic only for you Order Now There was an example of foreshadowing at the beginning of the story when the grandma dressed up nicely so f there was an accident anyone seeing her in death will know that she was a lady. The grandma seems to believe that her morals for life are correct and her thoughts and beliefs are superior to that of anyone else’s. She could see everyone’s flaws except her own. I don’t think the grandmother Is a good person, with her uppity attitude, and constant ridicule of her son, and how she made the statement † Oh look at the cute little picnicking shows how she’s really oblivious of the world beyond her own mind. The grandmas perception of good is obviously of her own morals as she stated That Red Sam had been a good man for letting someone cheat him out of his money. Obviously getting cheated out of your money is not a good thing. There is situational Irony in the story because as the grandma talks about not going to Florida because there Is a misfit, nobody pays attention to her, even dismissing what she was saying and them not listening to her put them on deaths path. The grandmother warns that The Misfit is on the loose, but the family chooses to head towards Florida anyway. The way the situation happened not listening to her and listening to her brought about their demise. Another example of irony is that even though the grandmother said she would never take her family to a place where a Misfit is running a lose she ends up leading them to the Misfit anyway. While driving the grandma becoming nostalgic from seeing a dirt road and thinks about an old plantation and wanting to see It again lies about the house have trapped doors making the children beg to see it. At this point in the story the grandma leads the family into their death because she didn’t mentioned that she made a mistake about the plantation that she remember was in Tennessee and they were in Georgia. After remembering her feet Jumps scaring the cat that she wasn’t supposed to bring on the trip to Jump onto Bailey causing him to spin, thus leading Into the fated accident. There was another example of situational Irony because the help that the family received after the accident happens to be the Misfit the grandma originally warned bout, but they just happen to be in Georgia and were supposed to be in Florida. I think the Grandma knew she was going to die because as the Misfit lead her son and his family away she called the Misfit a good man† and that he wouldn’t shoot a lady. She begged for her life and did not care to try and save her son or grandchildren. She Just kept claiming to the misfit that he was â€Å"a good man†, even though he stated which is why he went around killing people in order to fulfill his life. He knew what he was doing was wrong but he killed the grandma anyway. How to cite A good man is hard to find, Papers A Good Man Is Hard To find Free Essays The title itself caused prejudice upon my mind on the theme of the story. I have been expecting, from the very beginning, the idea that indeed â€Å"a good man is hard to find† theme would be all throughout the story. Indeed my insights were correct. We will write a custom essay sample on A Good Man Is Hard To find or any similar topic only for you Order Now The reasons why my perceptions have stayed intact and have not been swayed can be attributed to the way the story itself have progressed. In fact, at the start, I never had the faintest idea how and why Flannery O’Connor gave such title to her story. With the presence of the â€Å"wicked grandmother† in the story as I may say, I have drawn conclusions on how humanity or a person can really be bad. In the story, I have observed the absence of heavenly guidance on the characters, especially to the old woman, the grandmother. In her alone, I have imagined the reality of an evil act and evil’s existence. Moreover, I have learned that in many occasions, human beings cannot really make better decisions and how their thinking can be influenced by the things they believe and by their ambitions: materialism. I have seen this specific situation when the old woman believed that nicely dressed men are better and good-hearted than those that are haggard looking and dirty ones. Moreover, I can see the bulging ego of the characters and how material world have influenced the lives of humanity in general. I see egocentricities and heavy pride in the old woman as well in the dominant hard character of the son. In the presence of the Misfit, I have perceived lack of respect and a strong absence of beliefs to the supreme being. Again, a good man is in fact difficult to find. Man is generally evil, proud, materialistic and lost. Only with God’s grace and guidance they can be led in a correct pathway of life. In the story, these ideas were emphasized making me stay with my thoughts regarding the story. As the grandmother and the Misfit found something uncommon, it was actually not as uncommon as they have thought. It was sin and suffering in life. Certainly the grandmother â€Å"would have been a   good woman†¦ if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.† Reference Castle A. (2007). â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†. The Literary Encyclopedia, 14 October 2007. Accessed 16 May 2008 from http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=trueUID=7139. How to cite A Good Man Is Hard To find, Papers A Good Man Is Hard To Find Free Essays The story is about a family from Georgia who is on a trip to Tennessee.   In the midst of the journey, the grandmother mentions an old plantation which her grandchildren wanted to see.   Despite Bailey’s hesitation, the family proceeds based on the grandmother’s instructions. We will write a custom essay sample on A Good Man Is Hard To Find or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, on their way to the said plantation, the grandmother suddenly remembers that the plantation she was talking about was in Tennessee and not in Georgia, where they were.   The family meets in an accident which damages their car. They see a passing vehicle on the road and call for help. The people riding it, unfortunately, are The Misfit and his companions who just recently escaped from prison.   In the end, The Misfit ordered his companions to kill the entire family, except the grandmother who he killed himself. The themes of this story are grace and redemption.   In the beginning of the story, the distinction is simple.   The grandmother represents the good, while the Misfit represents the bad.   However, in actuality, both characters have a negative side (â€Å"Interpretations,† n.d.). Their negative side was reflected by their selfishness and their fixation with it. The Misfit was preoccupied with his penchant for killing, while the grandmother was absorbed with her efforts to save herself (â€Å"Interpretations,† n.d.) The grandmother was immersed with her own concerns until her encounter with The Misfit.   Her transformation to goodness only started when she was in danger (â€Å"Interpretations,† n.d.).   She began to pray, and succumbed to faith in the face of death.   At that point, she reached her moment of grace before she died (â€Å"Interpretations,† n.d.). On the other hand, The Misfit addresses his desire for grace when he answers grandmother’s question—whether Jesus can raise the dead.   When she reached out to him and declared him as one of his children, the grandmother gave him an opportunity for redemption.   Thus, the story conveys that everyone has a chance for grace and redemption. References Interpretations of â€Å"A Good Man is Hard To Find.† Retrieved February 15, 2008, from http://astro.armstrong.edu/~archerki/essay/interpretations.html    How to cite A Good Man Is Hard To Find, Papers A Good Man Is Hard to Find Free Essays A Good Man is Hard to Find Flannery O’Connor’s story, A Good Man is Hard to Find, brings a story in which she connects her experience as a victim of lupus erythematosus with her writings. The story begins with an ordinary family that embarks on a journey that becomes the last of their lives as the journey approaches to an end, as well as their imminent death, yet something astounding happens with the main character. The main character, the Grandmother, changes her heart by the cruel ways of the â€Å"Misfit†, who is a criminal that escaped from the penitentiary. We will write a custom essay sample on A Good Man Is Hard to Find or any similar topic only for you Order Now One might think that Grandmothers are sweet and loving, and often innocent due to their advanced age and condition. We, as society, think of them as great examples of people that radiate love, mentors, and defenders of morality and good manners. However, this is not the case in A Good Man Is Hard to Find, by Flannery O’Connor. As the story unfolds, her personality reflects that hidden evil we all carry inside and how detouring on a route takes a whole family to face disastrous consequences, yet one person finds redemption from that evil. A Good Man Is Hard to Find is a story that symbolizes redemption, because there is a sinner, there is a journey, and there is redemption. In our society we tend to minimize, and sometimes erase the word â€Å"sin† because, for the most part, it bothers people’s conscience. Although the word â€Å"sin† is not explicitly exposed in the story A Good Man is Hard to Find, the action and consequences of sin are vividly present throughout the story, in all the characters, especially the Grandmother. The main character and sinner in the story is the Grandmother because she is described as an egocentric person, since the situation they face is that they are all captives of the serial killer, â€Å"The Misfit†, and she bargains for her life only. The grandmother said, â€Å"You wouldn’t shoot a lady, would you? † (Flannery O’Connor 313). This is an obvious example of how she doesn’t stop to think about the rest of her family. In addition, one might think that in various occasions the Grandmother makes simple comments that compare different times of her life, the present and how things used to be. On the other hand, Grandmothers’ comments represent the comparison between the dark past of society and the reality that it hasn’t changed much. During the trip, Grandmother makes a comment that reflects her comparisons; she said â€Å"In my time, children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else. People did right then† (Flannery O’Connor 308). In the same scene, Grandmother contradicts herself by saying, â€Å"Little niggers in the country don’t have things like we do. If I could paint, I’d paint that picture,† (Flannery O’Connor 308). No argument, she is a barefaced hypocrite. Furthermore, the way she dressed to go on a road trip, as the author describes the grandmother, â€Å"Had on a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on a brim and a navy dress with a small white dot on print. †(Flannery O’Connor 307). Also, her jewelry â€Å"her collars and cuffs where white organdy trimmed with lace and her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet. (Flannery O’Connor 307). Her exaggerated outfit, plus the extreme jewelry for a road trip reflects her ego and her desire to be noticed as a lady. Whether one believes in God, or not, we all embark on the journey of life, in which we experience an inner transformation. Any journey has a destination; however, decisions made during the trip may alter the destination and its outcome. Flannery O’Connor uses the road trip to represent the pilgrimage Grandmother and her family must go through. Since the beginning of the trip, Grandmother took unnecessary stuff, â€Å"her big black valise that looked like a head of a hippopotamus†, and her mascot â€Å"Pitty Sing, the cat† (Flannery O’Connor 307), knowing that this action will incommode the family and eventually be a factor of the cause of the accident. One might think that the baggage represents only inconvenience; nonetheless, this represents ones’ regrets or transgressions that haven’t been forgiven nor forgotten. During the trip, the Grandmother makes an important remark about her past when she used to date Mr. Teagarden by saying, â€Å"She would of have done well to marry Mr. Teagarden because he was a gentleman and had bought Coca-Cola stock when first came out and that he had died only a few years ago, a very wealthy man. † (Flannery O’Connor 309). It shows her nostalgia and regret of not marrying that man but it certainly also shows her ambition. She evidently hasn’t experienced true love. Thus, it certainly shows that her baggage did not consist only of clothing and jewelry, but of nostalgia and regret. In addition, the same illusion of her romance with Mr. Teagarden triggered the inner desire in her dream to go visit the plantation and the house where, as Grandmother said, â€Å"You sat down with your suitor after a stroll in the garden. † (Flannery O’Connor 311). Eventually, in a self-centered act, she â€Å"craftily† (Flannery O’Connor 311) lies, causing the detouring of the route. They have taken a dangerous dirty road, as the author describes it â€Å"was hilly and there were sudden washes in it and sharp curves on dangerous embankments† (Flannery O’Connor 312). As a result, while driving on that dangerous road, the accident happened due to Grandmother’s recklessness. This situation metaphors the choices one makes in life and their consequences. The accident is just a sign of how one falls through the journey. There could not be a redemption story without a Savior, and a sinner to whom needs to be redeemed. After the accident, everyone got out of the car and saw the car approaching far away, â€Å"on top of a hill†, giving the sense that help is coming from above, which in a Biblical way, is symbolically showing that help is coming from heaven. In addition, when they arrived, â€Å"the Misfit† gets out, standing in front of them, â€Å"looking down at them† (Flannery O’Connor 313). He is accompanied by two fellows; one wearing a â€Å"shirt with a silver stallion†. All of these details represent a Redeemer, or a Godly figure. In addition, the Redeemer quickly finds who is in need to be redeemed when Grandmother makes a terrible mistake by recognizing the criminal â€Å"You’re the Misfit† she said (Flannery O’Connor 313). At this point, she has commended her whole family and The Misfit confirms that saying â€Å"it would have been better for all of you, lady, if you hadn’t reckernized me. † (Flannery O’Connor 313). Grandmother responds, â€Å"You wouldn’t shoot a lady, would you? † (Flannery O’Connor 313). This action confirms the Misfit that she is the sinner who hasn’t repented from all her sins since she reflects the egocentrism of worrying about her life only, without any given thought about the whole family, not even the children. The Misfit uses the desperation and impotence of the lady to make her realize that there is no escape from the inevitable. As he starts killing the family using the help from his assistants, Grandmother starts to appeal to the Misfit’s heart by saying, â€Å"You’ve got good blood! I know you wouldn’t shoot a lady! † (Flannery O’Connor 316). As the other half of the family was killed, Grandmother tells the Misfit, â€Å"You are one of my own children† (Flannery O’Connor 317) appealing that he would feel loved and would let her live. Nonetheless, she got shot and the Misfit said, â€Å"She would have been a good woman, if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life. † (Flannery O’Connor 317). This is the vivid example of redemption because in order to know good, and be good, we must face that adversary that puts one to the test and pulls out the good from within. One might relate to the Grandmothers’ feelings of impotence and desperation because when suffering, or facing death, one realizes the true beauty of life and its richness that most of the time are unnoticed due to one’s blindness from sin. In conclusion, A Goodman is Hard to Find is a story that symbolizes redemption because there is a sinner, there is a journey, and there is redemption. As the story unfolds, her personality reflects that hidden evil we all carry inside and how a route’s detour takes a whole family to face disastrous consequences, yet one person finds redemption from that evil. One might think that Grandmothers are all sweet, loving, often innocent, mentors, and defenders of morality and good manners. Nonetheless, this was not the case in this story. How to cite A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Essay examples