In Flannery O’Connor’s short stories, “A good man is hard to find” and “Good country people”, O’Connor utilizes multiple stylistic elements in her writing to create a complex and compelling plot line. These elements, such as moments of growing tension and resolve or relying on faith when a character experiences extreme fear, are key components that add direction and meaning to both of her short stories. Other examples such as headstrong females, like the grandmother from “A good man is hard to find” and Joy/Hulga from “Good country people”, shows how two different types of women can still have dignity despite their own faults. In short, Flannery O’Connor utilizes multiple stylistic elements in her short stories to create a meaningful and compelling tale of people from the south. One example of O’Connor’s stylistic elements is the presence of headstrong women as the main focus in her stories. For example, the grandmother in “A good man is hard to find” is …show more content…
For instance, the scene between Hulga and the bible salesman in the barn loft gradually intensifies as the bible salesman is revealed to be quite forceful and not as god-fearing as Hulga believed, stating “I hope you don’t think…that I believe in that crap!” (451) Likewise in “A good man is hard to find”, the final scene between the misfit and the grandmother, in which the grandmother becomes desperate to appeal to the misfit’s Christian past, yelling “You've got good blood! I know you wouldn't shoot a lady!..Pray! Jesus, you ought not to shoot a lady!” (436) Both of these scenes are important because it shows how, when at their lowest points, both characters become dependent on faith as a means of self-preservation (Chapnick). This is one of O’Connor’s most important elements because they create an atmosphere of urgency and dread that accompanies and foreshadows the outcome of the situation; the failure of faith to aid in