The story “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” by Flannery O’ Connor rides on suspense heavily. Throughout the whole story we get very interesting and telling bits of characterization. None of these people are supposed to be likeable. Our tension and hate between these characters just builds and builds with every other paragraph.
To me, the grandmother, right off the bat, comes off whiny and unapologetic. She’s stubborn, manipulative, and stuck in her old ways. We’re introduced to the rest of the family and it seems like the norm is to ignore the grandmother. I think this is their way of handling her stubborn antics. It’s definitely not the healthiest or most proactive way but it’s telling of the rest of the family. The grandmother warns them of some criminal gone rampant in Florida; the Misfit.
Soon after, they are caught by the Misfit. Surprisingly, out of all the characters, the grandmother shows compassion towards the him and acknowledges him as a human being. He shares one last melancholic word with her that her ignorance and lack of self awareness is innate to her character — creating a hideously ironic ending.
3 thoughts on “WEEK 8 ISABELLA SENA”
Isabella, these are wonderful observations about the characters, but have you addressed the prompt given for this week’s discussion?
Oh, I see now! Sorry about that… I should have mentioned that the title acts as central foreshadowing of the entire story. Each piece conveniently falls in place and in turn, everything dissolved into an inevitable recipe for disaster.
I also thought it was important to note that the story aims to create a very weird and uncomfortable feeling for the reader depending on whether they root for the Misfit.
The quote from the author that is the basis of this week’s prompt doesn’t relate to foreshadowing. On the surface, this is a story about a family that is killed on a trip to Florida. The question is what the story is about under the surface, in its interior.