Flannery O Connor s A Good Man - 1493 Words

Flannery O’Connor’s background had a dramatic impact on her writing. Born in Savannah, Georgia, she utilized her familiarity with the region as a reference to implement a richly descriptive southern setting in her short stories. She was raised by devout Roman Catholics; her faith was deeply intertwined with the overall theme and character development in her writings. O’Connor portrays moments of grace for her main characters at a time of utter shock and devastation. In â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find†, the grandmother is enlightened when a mass murderer’s gun is pointing at her. In â€Å"Good Country People†, Hulga’s salvation comes when Manley Pointer, a con artist, steals her artificial leg and glasses. In these traumatic events, Flannery†¦show more content†¦As a gesture of love, acceptance, and forgiveness, the grandmother goes to touch the Misfit; he, however, shoots her dead. The Misfit is aware that â€Å"grace worked through him to strengthen the woman’s faith† (108). This scene defines the moment of grace in the grandmother’s life as she was able to fill her conscious with compassion by viewing him as one of her own children. An interesting remark is that the Misfit In the midst of such heartbreak and violence, the grandmother was able to feel love and sympathy towards the criminal. O’Connor emphasizes the dramatic transformation of the grandma in traumatic times from selfish and manipulative to benevolent and warmhearted. In regards to O’Connor’s Good Country People, the protagonist Hulga also experiences a moment of enlightenment during a dreadful experience. Physically, Hulga has very poor health; she has a heart condition, a missing leg, and diminished eyesight. Intellectually, Hulga has an extensive erudition and has earned a doctoral degree in philosophy. Through her life experiences and study, she became an Atheist. Her interactions with others around her are always riddled with exasperation and condescension because she believes she is smarter and not led blindly by religion. This arrogance is the reason she falls victim to Manley Pointer. Pointer was a seemingly harmless BibleShow MoreRelatedFlannery O Connor s A Good Man1275 Words   |  6 PagesFlannery O’Connor has written multiple books about the two topics she knows best, southern living and the Catholic religion. Most of her writings focus on humanity s biggest question. â€Å"What is required to attain salvation?† Growing up as a devout Roman-Catholic, O’Connor is able to shed some light into a question that even scholars in the Christian faith are unable to answer. Although O Connor has multiple books, the one that answers the many questions surrounding salvation best, is A Good ManRead MoreAn Analysis Of Flannery O Connor s A Good Man1425 Words   |  6 PagesBakane Franca Dr. Lorna Wiedmann English 202-025 December 12, 2014 The Devious Grandmother Have you ever noticed that, many individuals never awaken to reality unless they are exposed to violence? In Flannery O’Connor’s short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† his main character, the grandmother is a master manipulator. In the story, a family is destroyed not only because of accidents caused by the grandmother, but also because the grandmother is inconsiderate and self-centered; they are all killedRead MoreAnalysis 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 Misfit By Flannery O Connor s A Good Man1590 Words   |  7 PagesThe 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 andRead MoreFlannery O Connor s A Good Man Is Hard1601 Words   |  7 PagesThousands of men are imprisoned each year due to theft, assault, and so many other horrific deeds. Everyone knows the most extreme is murder. Flannery O’Connor, the author of â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find,† tells a horrific story of a deceiving grandmother who takes a road trip to Tennessee with her family. Evidently, the lie she told ends up leading her whole family including herself to a horrible death by â€Å"The Misfit†. The antagonist in the story, the Misfit, is an escape convict on the run and willRead MoreAn Analysis Of Flannery O Connor s A Good Man933 Words   |  4 PagesIn Flannery O’Connor’s short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, the fate of the family is foreshadowed within the very first few paragraphs. The grandmother in the story tries to convince the family that going to Tennessee w ould be much more suitable for the family vacation not only because had the children been to Florida before, but there is a criminal who has escaped from federal prison and is headed that way (1076). She tries to inform her son, Bailey, and his wife of the convict who claimsRead MoreA Good Man Is Hard For Find By Flannery O Connor s `` The Necklace `` And ``909 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find† â€Å"The Necklace† In today s society we tend to see people live above their means. The reason why I may be picked or even chose. In the short story by author Guy De Maupassant, â€Å"The Necklace† and the story â€Å"Good Man Is Hard to Find† by Flannery O Connor is because both stories have many similarities that we can say that they are combined. The ladies show that they see themselves as important in these stories. These ladies are more concernedRead MoreThe Characters Of Flannery O Connor s A Good Man Is Hard1677 Words   |  7 PagesThe Characters of Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† The Grandmother and the Misfit are O’Connor’s major characters in â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†. Even though there are other characters a part of this story, the unnamed grandmother and the Misfit are the round characters as well as the main focus of the story. We are introduced to both characters early on because it’s coming from the grandmother’s point of view and we also discover that The Misfit is an escaped murderer but, we doRead MoreVanity, By Flannery O Connor s A Good Man Is Hard1868 Words   |  8 Pagesegocentric mindsets, and eloquent judgment comprise some of the qualities that society in the 1950’s and now embrace in common because of moral superiority. This â€Å"belief or attitude that one’s position and actions are justified by having higher moral values than others,† invades present society. Such lifestyle appears in Flannery O’Connor’s short story, â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find.† The grandmother in â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find,† lives blindfolded to the thought that she stands morally superior to thoseRead MoreFlannery O Connor s Faith And A Good Man Is Hard Essay1795 Words   |  8 Pages Jada Silverhorn Flannery O’Connor’s Faith and â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† Research Essay Dr. Jeff Conine English Comp. II 12/10/16 â€Æ' Flannery O’Connor’s Faith and â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† Flanner O’Connor, author of â€Å"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