If I did not read the article “Excerpt from ‘On Her Own Work’: The Element of Suspense in ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find’” I would likely have overlooked several critical aspects of the narrative. The author’s insights reveal the intricate layers of the grandmother’s self-deception, particularly how her superficial understanding of morality leads her to justify her flawed decisions. For instance, she often presents herself as a genteel lady while manipulating her family to get her way, highlighting the contradictions in her character.
Moreover, the portrayal of the Misfit challenges the conventional notion of a villain. Instead of being merely evil, he is depicted as a character grappling with existential questions about morality and existence. His dialogue with the grandmother reveals his deep internal conflicts regarding good and evil, prompting me to consider the complexities of human nature. This nuanced characterization pushed me to reflect on my own moral ambiguity and the challenges of distinguishing right from wrong in a complicated world.
2 thoughts on “Zaria Gordon Week #9 Discussion”
I really enjoy your thoughts on the complexity of the story’s world and characters. I completely agree that The Misfit wasn’t simply just a bad person, and I think the grandmother was just as complicated. Both of them had found clarity in her last moments, and it really shows how layered both of those characters are. The Misfit has his own internal conflicts, like you mentioned, and it became clear that there was more to him. It’s unfortunate that his vulnerability was cut short with his defensive mechanism of shooting the grandmother.
Zaria, this answer is abstract and generic. O’Connor’s article is pretty specific in its references to the story. Comments about the
“critical apects of the narrative,” “intricate layers of self-deception,” “the complexities of human nature,” or characters “grappling with existential questions” are unclear without actual illustrations of scenes/dialogue in the story that are referenced in the author’s article on suspense.