The story ”A Good Man Is Hard To Find” by Flannery O’Conner definitely took a sudden turn I was not expecting. I probably should have expected it based on the foreshadowing in the beginning with the grandmother talking about The Misfit headed toward Florida and the family going on the trip to Florida anyway despite her suggestion to go to Tennessee instead.
On its interior, the story portrays prejudicial ideations. The grandmother seems to be unaware of the internalized racism she is exhibiting on the drive. She has also proven to be manipulative by her actions leading up to the accident, but turns into a completely different person in the face of death.
The story also portrays tense relationships between family members. This can be seen throughout the story with the constant disrespect Bailey exhibits toward his mother – especially at the end of the story, “Bailey turned his head sharply and said something to his mother that shocked even the children. The old lady began to cry and The Misfit reddened.” Interestingly, there is an aspect of psychology that can be seen in this quote because while we know The Misfit to be a murderer, he seems to be equally offended by the way Bailey speaks to his mother.
To further this point, the Misfit implies the possibility of religion having been able to save him, “The Misfit said. ‘I wisht I had of been there,’ he said, hitting the ground with his fist. ‘It ain’t right I wasn’t there because if I had of been there I would of known. Listen lady,’ he said in a high voice, ‘if I had of been there I would of known and I wouldn’t be like I am now.’ His voice seemed about to crack…” In this quote, The Misfit is saying if he’d seen Jesus raise the dead, he wouldn’t be spending the time he has killing people. In this moment, you see him become vulnerable for a split second and when The Grandmother touches him, he snaps out of it and kills her. This is a very fascinating presentation of personality disorder.
Overall the story seems to combine different aspects of American society with suspense and a morbid sense of humor.
One thought on “Sophia Morales Discussion 8”
Hi Sophia I completely agree that the story is based on different point of views that people in a family can have, it also tells us about how we misunderstand our religion and think that everything we are is correct and we will not be held responsible for our actions even though we can get away from them in the world but after we die we will have to face the consequences.