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Analysis: The Misfit

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When the grandmother is left alone with The Misfit after his goons kill her family, she seems to be searching for some humanity in him in an attempt to protect herself. She relies on statements about “good blood” and religion to convince her own attacker he is an amiable man; therefore wouldn’t hurt an old woman. While he continues to discuss what exactly he thinks went wrong in his life to lead him to his current path, the grandmother almost deliriously claims that he is one of her own children. The first time I read this scene, I figured it was because of the trauma she had just received. Perhaps seeing this man talk about his feelings while wearing her actual son`s shirt confused her. I had thought the ending of the conversation to be extremely
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The speaker’s grandmother is originally presented in a way that causes the ending to be a surprise, saying, “Her apron flapping in a breeze, her hair mussed, and said, ‘Let me help you’” (21-22). The imagery of the apron blowing in the wind characterizes her as calm, and when she offers to help her grandson, she seems to be caring and helpful. Once she punches the speaker, this description of her changes entirely from one of serenity and care to a sarcastic description with much more meaning than before. The fact that the grandmother handles her grandson’s behavior in this witty, decisive way raises the possibility that this behavior is very common and she has grown accustomed to handling it in a way that she deems to be effective; however, it is clearly an ineffective method, evidenced by the continued behavior that causes her to punish the speaker in this manner in the first place.

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You're one of my own children." (Pg. 302) The Misfit, who is moved by her words, jumps back and shoots her three times. I think O'Connor explains when she writes that, The Grandmother is at last alone, facing the Misfit. Her head clears for an instant and she realizes, even in her limited way, that she is responsible for the man before her.

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As discussed in class, there are three aspects of looks in cinema: the camera that records, the audience that watches, and the characters’ interaction with one another in the film. In any film, the camera especially holds a significant amount of power, often more than viewers tend to realize in the moment. The usage of the camera controls the perception of the audience, with the director and producer deciding what message they want to convey in each scene. In the films My Cousin Vinny and Married to the Mob, the viewer can also understand the time period in which these movies take place, and not just by the visual quality of the film. Both these films cater to gender stereotypes at the time of their releases.

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She extends an invitation of grace and endearment to him remarking “Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children!” (O’Connor, 132). O’Connor places a hefty amount of emphasis on this statement as it is the main tension point of the story. It represents the dismantling of the grandma’s selfish character and the introduction of a new altruistic and forgiving character.

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1041 Words | 5 Pages

The grandmother cries, “Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children!” (O’Connor 28). O’Connor displays that the grandmother finally realizes with epiphany, that she is very sinful

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She tells the misfit “Why you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children”. The grandmother reaches out to touch him, as if to comfort him and recoiling

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Although it may seem like the grandmother is helping the family by trying to convince The Misfit that he is a good man, she is only doing it for “purely selfish reasons” (Mitchell). She has no reaction and is cold-hearted when her family members are murdered. Another reason why she is selfish is because of how she believes that she deserves special treatment because she is a “lady”. In the beginning of the story, O’Connor makes it a point to illustrate how lady-like the grandmother is dressed compared to the mother by stating that anyone who saw her “would know at once that she was a lady” (617). The grandmother wants to make it clear that she is a lady and has expectations to be treated like royalty solely because of her

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451 Words | 2 Pages

Noteworthy experiences can set off the track of your life. In the novel The Misfits by James Howe, the protagonist undergoes a moving emotional change. Bobby faces bullying and self-doubt which causes a journey of self-exploration. Although Bobby Goodspeed was solicitous towards others, he could never inspire himself.

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The grandmother is trying to save herself by constantly talking and trying to convince the Misfit not to shoot her, saying, "You've got good blood! I Know you wouldn't shoot a lady! Pray!" (408). Her constant rambling and attempt to make the Misfit feel guilty eventually leads to the death of her family and herself.

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This ending is ironic considering that the grandmother never makes any reference to being religious before facing death. Also, she continuously reminds the Misfit of the fact that she is a lady in the hopes that it will have the same meaning to him as it does to her. However, not once does she try to spare the rest of her family. She is too busy groveling for her own life to give her family a second thought, even after the first gunshots have gone off. In the face of death, the grandmother constantly tries to convince the Misfit that he is a good man, even after he has ordered his men to kill her family, and presumably many others.

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The old woman mumbled, “Maybe he didn’t raise the dead.” He said with sorrow, “I wasn’t there, so I can’t say he didn’t.” As his fist hit the ground, he said,” I wisht I had been there.” He continued, “It ain’t right

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O’Connor uses more symbolism throughout the short story, some are easier to find then others but they all represent something very important. The author created The Misfit as a character who was out and about killing people just because he wanted to. With that being said, The Misfit drives a car to the scene where the family is stranded, and the car is symbolic. The car he drives is symbolic because “A few minutes after the accident with all of the shaken adults huddled in the ditch, the family notices a hearse-like automobile approaching slowly from the top of the hill” (Bloom). This is symbolic in the fact that the color black symbolizes death, evil, and power in which all of those make sense.

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1094 Words | 5 Pages

In "A Good Man is Hard to Find," despite the grandmother's apparent belief in her moral supremacy-which she expresses through her self-proclaimed identification as a

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As they shoot her family, she almost does not care but is trying to save her own life. She claims that he is a good man, “”Listen,” the grandmother almost screamed I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from a nice family” (O’Connor, 477), but he is the farthest thing from a good man. He kills people and commits serious crimes.

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786 Words | 4 Pages

She is only trying to convince the misfit that he is a good man because she wants to be freed, and her life is in shambles. Also, the grandmother has already gone back on her word multiple of times, calling the misfit a big, bad, and scary man. Now all of the sudden he is a good man. Therefore, the grandmother still has not changed a

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