A Good Man is hard to Find

Introduction

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” is one of the stories written by Flannery O'Connor that was first published in his short story collection in 1955 by the same name. Ever since, it appeared, the writing has been regarded as one of the best works of O'Connor in short fiction. The story depicts all the features that the author is recognized for. It has a blend of violence and characters that have been sketched with humor and care. Most importantly, the story reflects the author's devout beliefs and firm faith in Roman Catholicism. The writing is both thought provoking, as well as, witty, which is a common attribute amongst many other works of O'Connor, such as “The Violent Bear it away” and “Wise Blood”. “A Good Man is hard to Find” explores the Catholic philosophy of God's grace, reflecting that it is for everyone who seeks it. Alternatively, it questions the beliefs of the people they live by that are nothing like the religious beliefs they claim to follow (O'Connor, p. 14).

Discussion

The story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” starts off on a light-hearted and innocent note. The author introduces one of the main characters of the story,” the Misfit” towards the end, who goes on to kill the entire family. O'Connor uses this character to probe into the concept of “grace” in Christianity, which implies that divine forgiveness from God is there for anyone and everyone who asks for it. The story depicts the Grandmother as a loathsome, unlikeable and arrogant individual, who receives the divine grace at the time of her death when she tries to reach out and touch the Misfit, exclaiming that he is her own child. O'Connor conveys that the grace of God is a force that comes from outside the character. He sees it as a moment of divine revelation that is both sudden and undeserved. However, the characters of the story fail to make any connection by missing out on moments of opportunity, and continue to overlook the truth because of their spiritual blindness.

The Grandmother tries to convince Bailey, her son, to change their travel destination from Florida to Tennessee, and completely ignored. “Here this fellow that calls himself The Misfit is a loose and headed toward Florida” (O'Connor, p. 48). “I would not take my children in any direction with a criminal like that a loose in it.” (O'Connor, p. 48). “Bailey did not look up from his reading, so she wheeled around then and faced the children's mother” (O'Connor, p. 49). As she pleads with the mother, again she ignored. “You all ought to take them somewhere else for a change, so they would see different parts of the world and be broad” (O'Connor, pp 49). The central fire of O'Connor's technique burns most brightly when the narrative focus shifts to The Misfit and a series of ritualistic, non-verbal moments that arise as if endemic to him. O'Connor convincingly depicts the modern monster that, ...