A specific idea from “A Good Man is Hard to Find” that I would’ve missed if I hadn’t read the article was the idea of violence being used for a character’s “moment of grace.” Typically, I would expect violence to be used for an adrenaline-pumped action scene or a simple victory/loss. However, O’Connor says that violence is “strangely capable of returning (her) characters to reality.” It was interesting to see this idea fleshed out when I reached the end of the story, because it completely shifted my view of the grandmother. I viewed her as a desperate old lady whose biggest concern was her own safety; although, the use of violence gave her a moment of clarity that redeemed her. Being moments away from death, she finally felt actual sympathy for The Misfit, whereas before she was just trying to convince him to let her live. One would think she simply wanted to capitalize off The Misfit’s emotions, but O’Connor makes it clear that her final words were her genuine return to reality.
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2 thoughts on “Jakob Yacker Discussion 9”
Jakob, I think O’Connor would like reading this post. She uses violence a lot in her stories, and in her essay she does try to explain why she does so. She also concedes that many modern-day readers do not have very spiritual outlooks and don’t quite “buy” her rationale for the use of violence. And yes, while for most of the story the grandmother is capitalizing (good word!) on everyone’s emotions, she is given her moment of grace, as O’Connor puts it, at the end and for once, is able to feel genuine sympathy for another human being.
Hi Jakob, I liked your comments. O’Connor’s idea of using violence to bring her characters to a “moment of grace” is really unique. When the grandmother faces death, all her usual concerns just fall away, and she finally sees The Misfit as a real person. It is a powerful shift from being focused on saving herself to feeling sympathy for him. Without O’Connor’s explanation, it could be easy to miss that the violence is not just to shock the reader, it is what brings out her moment of clarity.