A Good Man is Hard to Find analysis By Flannery OConnor

The tale:
The short story A Good Man is Hard to Find written by the very talented Flannery OConnor tell the story of an ordinary family, the Wesleys, who travelled to Florida in three days trip. They decided to change their destination to see the houses secret panel; which was supposed to be in Georgia, but the house was in west Tennessee. Indeed, in their way to Florida the grandmother, the principal actor of the story, changed their minds, which dramatically put an end to their lives. The story gives us a good lesson of life, principally of respect of others and the place that take religion in our lives. The end of the story is a set of tragic events and indeed very ironic. After an accident that did not kill them, they had to face the Misfit, a criminal a loose from the Federal Pen, and one of the main characters and antagonist of the short story, who made them go to heaven. The story is based on human values and also on religious beliefs, and the killing of the grandmother, I think, highlights the death of religion in the one hand, and the death good values in the other hand.

The themes:
A Man is Hard to Find the tittle of the short story, gives us a big hint about the main theme of the tale, which is, I believe, the importance of humanity values, of manliness, and of goodness in the hearts of the citizens. It is shown first through the arrogance of Baileys children, John Wesley and June Star. Flannery OConnor wrote: She wouldnt stay at

home to be queen for a day, and also Id smack his face and then she wouldnt stay at home for a million bucks there are also lots of other quotations that show perfectly the absence or the disappearance of these important values. This theme is actually present all over the story, even when the grandmother was talking to Red Sammy Butts one of the characters of

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the story; these days you dont know who to trust, [] Yesm, I suppose so, Red Sam said as if he were stuck with his answer. These quoted sentences are also emphasizing on values in general which push us to think automatically that could be the main theme of the story, according to the authors ideology, values are very important things, that are being loosed nowadays.

Another important theme has light shed on it, which is, I believe, is very important, and can take a big place in our lives; I mean religion. Indeed, the author of this short story A Good Man is Hard to Find put very explicit words, but only in the end of the story, when the grandmother was talking to the Misfit telling him to pray God and Jesus to help him. I dont know if this position in the story means something, but, I think, it wants to say that religion is recalled only in some situations and not all the time. When the grandmother, the lessons-giver, was at her ease and not in danger, she did not mention God or Jesus, but once she was in danger she remembered them. Almost all the dialogue between the Misfit and the grandmother speaks about religion. The sentences speaking about religion are: [do you every pray? she asked; Pray, pray, the grandmother began pray, pray,; thats when you should have started to pray, she said; if you would pray, the old lady said, Jesus would help you, and also well then, why dont you pray?.]. These sentences are showing well the religious side of the story.

The characters:
The grandmother: in this short story the grandmother is the protagonist and the most important character. She is an old woman who lives with his only one son Bailey, her personality is not very hard to grasp. All over the work she is

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shown as a very talkative person who loves herself and who gives a big importance to humility, to goodness of the heart and human values generally speaking. Her way of behaving is a little bit selfish, and it is shown through her whims and her vicious way of thinking as she was mentally manipulating her sons family minds, to go to visit an old house supposedly close to Georgia. She gives lesson for everyone and seems to be the purest person ever. She gives also an importance of appearance of others on her, which may say that she was a hypocrite person and we can easily see it through this following quoted sentence: but the grandmother had on, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady. The grandmother is dramatically the cause of her family disappearance, as she wanted to visit the old house, Bailey accepted to go there and they encountered the Misfit and his gang who killed them all. The grandmother is showing a racist behavior when she called the poor black child: "a pickaninny ... Wouldn't that make a picture, now?" and she reveals a superior moral attitude. To conclude with, Flannery OConnor demonstrates her strong belief in the capacity of religion to save every lost human being through the grandmother strong religious thinking, and belief in God and Jesus Christ.

The Misfit: the Misfit is the second most important character and the antagonist of the short story. He is introduced in the very beginning of the story in a static way, but this introduction is important in the happening of the story, and plays a role from the start of tale. He is the murderer aloose from the Federal Panel who kills the family at the end of the story and the killer of the grandmother by three shots on the chest. He is mentally disturbed and in contrast with the grandmother hes not a religious person, and has almost no feelings. He is described wearing almost nothing except shoes, no socks, no

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shirt and he is an old man wearing glasses. The Misfit, I believe, by killing the family and principally the grandmother is the symbol of the death of religion and humanity in our hearts. The embodiment of the evil and the opposite of Jesus Christ, who is the only one who can make people live again after death, I mean he shows certain superiority and thinks he has the power to take others lives.

The other characters: Bailey: bailey is the only son of the childrens grandmother, and he is almost a static actor in the whole story. He is the decisions taker, a devoted father but also impatient and rigid person Bailey was looking straight ahead. His jaw was as rigid as a horseshoe. no he said. He is also shown to be a nervous person and can say things that could not be repeated and we can see it through these quoted words: Bailey turned his head sharply and said something to his mother that chocked even the children. He cares a lot about his family and in contrast to his mother hes not talkative at all. He was wearing a yellow shirt with a blue parrot drawn on it. The shirt is described to show that the father was really afraid when they had the accident as he wore the yellow color on his face after this accident. He is choleric person and it is shown also after the accident when he throws the grandmothers cat out of the car.

John Wesley: he a little lad of 8 years old and the grandson of the main character of the story. He is described as: a stocky child with glasses he is interested in adventure as he wanted to see the house with the secret panel it contains. We can see that he was a capricious child who influenced his father decision and convinced him to make a detour to see the house.

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June Star: she is a little yellow headed girl, with a very arrogant and rude personality. And she almost disappointed to see everyone alive after the accident. She is an insulting little girl as she insulted Red Sammy Butts way of living saying: "No I certainly wouldn't ... I wouldn't live in a broken-down place like this for a million bucks!" she is influenced by her brother and I think she has good relations with him. June Star is a very annoying girl and seemed to play a big role in the first theme of the story.

The ideology of the author: the author Flannery OConnor has a great belief in human being and I think through the text she tries to portray the possibility of human salvation through religion. Her philosophy is not really easy to grasp, it is indeed very elusive. But we can understand that she is a woman of principles, what can be seen through the whole work.