Theme Of A Good Man Is Hard To Find By Flannery O Connor

In Flannery O’Connor’s, short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” opens with a family scene in the kitchen. O’Connor sets the stage as an unnamed grandmother, her son Bailey and his family embarks on a vacation nightmare. The scene starts with the family going on vacation to Florida, but the grandmother’s eyes are in Tennessee. The grandmother views herself as a refined, polite, and well-spoken woman (a lady). This paper will show how violence affects the grandmother, her view of a lady and her rebirth at death. Throughout this story violence is the theme; O’Connor takes this unnamed grandmother and puts her through the inconceivable horror. The chain of events starts with the unnamed grandmother manipulating her son Bailey to change his

A grandmother that prides herself on being a lady is acting like anything but a lady. She is not honest with her family; she uses her selfishness and manipulation to get her way. Nevertheless, all she can say is you would not kill a lady? The Misfit response is “I would hate to have to” (O’Connor 502). Since she deems herself a lady, again she tries to influence The Misfit stating “I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have a common blood. I know you must come from nice people” (O’Connor 502)! At this point, the grandmother’s believes that her words will influence The Misfit, and he will spare her live. By now the other boy wearing a red shirt came up. The Misfit called him Bobby Lee, and said keep your eyes on the

She calls for her son and beacons, The Misfit to pray. The grandmother thinks she can navigate The Misfit out of the dark into the light. She and The Misfit are exchanging words, The Misfit thinking and talking to the grandmother looks at a cloudless sky. Just then, Bobby Lee drags Bailey’s shirt and Hiram the other two criminals came back from the woods. The wife and her daughter and the baby are next. The Misfit asks Bobby Lee and Hiram to take them to the woods. The grandmother alone with The Misfit is at a loss for words. She notices not a cloud in the sky; she tries to speak, but all that comes out is Jesus. The grandmother hears a loud, shrill sound, and then a gunshot follows. The grandmother says “Jesus!’ “You’ve got good blood! I know you wouldn’t shoot a lady! I know you come from nice people! Pray! Jesus, you ought not to shoot a lady” (O’Connor 505). Here the grandmother is praying to Jesus so hard it sounds like she is cursing Jesus. The Misfit says “If he did what He said, then it’s nothing for you to do but thow away everything and follow Him, and if He didn’t, then it’s nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can” (O’Connor 505). Leave it to O’Connor to mix violence with religion. The symbolism of the sky and higher power says through pain comes new a