...I think that Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is written partially in order to “convert” people who have not yet fully accepted the Christian faith. O’Conner, herself being a strong believer in Christianity, probably thought that writing this story will help make people who aren’t really living by the Christian rules to seriously consider doing so. Flannery O'Connor was deeply concerned with the values and the direction of the youth at the time. She believed that Christ was no longer enough of a priority to the people of her generation. "A Good Man is Hard to Find" is representative of Flannery O'Connor's concern for the priorities and values of the 1940s. An example of this, in "A Good Man is Hard to Find," involves the grandmother's strong, southern heritage. She dresses with the intention that anyone who finds her dead on the road will know she was a lady, and she is always telling stories of southern gentlemen courting her. Then, the Misfit, whom she "knows" is of quality, southern blood, shoots her and her family, despite her belief in southern hospitality. Grandma is a woman who believes in God, but it seems that her belief isn’t really strong up until her confrontation with the Misfit. From what I understand, most of her works follow a similar pattern. The main character(s) are in some kind of trouble and at the end they see “the light” of God’s ways and have their redemption. Christians have often criticized her works for...
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...The southern gothic style is one that employs the use of macabre, ironic events to examine the values of the American south. Two of the most iconic writers to use this style are Flannery O’ Conner and William Faulkner. O’Conner’s short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” which depicts a southern family’s demise at the hands of a ruthless murderer, and Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” in which a well-to-do woman is discovered to have the rotting corpse of her lover in her bedroom, are two perfect examples of southern gothic stories. While both O’Conner and Faulkner use the southern gothic style, however, they use it to illuminate different aspects of southern culture. The most important and defining aspect of southern gothic writing is the use of macabre, or grotesque, events. Such events are easily identified in both stories. “A Rose for Emily, told through the eyes of an entire southern town, depicts a woman named Emily, who is the last remaining member of a once great family. The town watches as Emily grows more and more estranged as years pass. Eventually, when she dies alone, the town enters the house and is shocked to find the badly decomposed body of her lover, who had been assumed to have left Emily years before, in the bed of an upstairs room. Faulkner ends the story on a decidedly gruesome note, writing “Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head. One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that faint and invisible...
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...Lawson 1 Courteneye Lawson Mrs. McCaster AP English 12 September 8, 2011 Gothic Elements in “A Rose for Emily” Novelist, William Faulkner, in his short story “A Rose for Emily” Illustrates several Southern Gothic Elements. This particular story has a moody and forbidding atmosphere. Throughout the short story Faulkner depicts images of a cold dark neighbor and a dilapidated mansion. Through these elements this creates a dark and ominous feeling throughout the story. The story begins describing the funeral of Miss Emily. Miss Emily and her family had once been the center of the town and now Miss Emily’s reputation had died right along with the rest of the old men and women of the town. The narrator explains that the men attended her funeral out of obligation while the women came because no one had seen the inside of her house in years. Miss. Emily lived a very shelter life. Miss Emily was always alone and eventually the neighborhood starts to make rude comments about her. They begin to connote her as” crazy” but she was really not use to living on her own and was still morning the lost of her father. The story goes on to illustrate Emily’s house as “an eyesore among eyesores”. This house had once been white “the best looking house in the neighborhood” but is still decorated with the style of the seventies. She lived in a neighborhood that once was the best neighborhood in town, now deserted. The only house that was left was the one of Miss Emily. This...
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...Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man Is Hard to Find Having a third-person perspective when reading through this short story gave more depth to it than if it were viewed through the eyes of one sole character. Reading the story more than once provided an attention to the irony when O’Connor wrote, “In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady. (267)” That one quote encompasses the genres that the she was trying to portray with this story: tragedy and comedy. I don’t agree that O’Connor did a magnificent fusion of the two in this story, the contradictory tone took away from the overall effect that A Good Man is Hard to Find could have had. Some of the impact that came with having a dual genre was brushed off because of the passivity in The Misfits’ character. The most noticeable shift in the story came out choppily done because of the predictability of what was going to happen. While I can’t argue that the humor was present in the story, I have to comment that it was a more subdued version due to the nature in which the story takes a sharp left turn to. If I had to choose between which of the genres was most prominent throughout the story, I’d have to say that they were almost equally split done the center. There was no merging of the two to have made the author’s effort more recognizable. On a more personal note, speaking as the reader, the more attractive of the two genres was the tragedy because The Misfits’ character...
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...Personal Identity in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor The unnamed grandmother in the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Conner, considers herself to be a lady because of her heritage in the Old South, and believes that she is superior to those around her. In this work, the grandmother puts her family into dangerous situations because of her personal identity, eventually leading them to their death. As the story progresses, she leads her family down a dirt road, off of their intended route. She startles her cat as they continue down the dirt road, which jumps up and frightens her son, Bailey, causing them to go off the road. This series of events leads to their conflict with the Misfit, and eventually their murder. She maintains her personal identity throughout the story regardless of the consequences of these actions. Even at the brink of death, she continues to uphold her belief that she is superior, going as far as to call herself a lady when the Misfit is going to kill her. The grandmother considers herself superior to Bailey and his family because she deems herself to be a lady. She does not want to go to Florida and attempts to convince her son to go east Tennessee instead, by showing him a news article about the Misfit. She says that she would much rather bring her grandchildren to the Old South where “they would see different parts of the world and be broad” (372). She uses the children to convince her son and shows false affection...
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...Keith Combs ENC1102.3 Flannery O’Connor Due; 3/2 WC; 1005 Villain Similarities Flannery O’Connor born March 25, 1925(andalusiafarm.org) was an American writer. An important voice in American literature, she wrote two novels and 32 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. In many of her stories there are similarities. In Flannery O’Connor’s short stories her villains represent an antichrist figure through similar traits of manipulation and deception. What is an antichrist? a person or thing regarded as supremely evil or as a fundamental enemy or opponent (Merriam- Webster). Antichrist figures appear in Flannery O’Connor’s stories: “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, “The Lame Shall Enter First”, “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”, and “Good Country People”. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” begins with a family trip to Florida. The family gets in a car crash on a lonely dirt road after the grandmother causes the family to take a wrong turn. When a passing car stops to help three men get out, the grandmother recognizes one of the men as “The Misfit”. The Misfit then kills the whole family (O’connor) The misfit is the main villain in “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. He is an antichrist figure because of his manipulative attitude and deception to the family. “Jesus thrown everything off balance. It was the same case with him as with me except He hadn’t committed any crime”(O’Connor). This shows that The Misfit is an antichrist figure because he compares himself...
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...Who was Flannery O’Connor? Flannery O’Connor was a female, American writer and an important voice in American literature, who wrote two novels and multiple short stories throughout her lifetime. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and “Good Country People,” Flannery O’Connor showcases a genre of themes throughout her pieces and a style that is interesting and different compared to others. Like most of her short stories, both of these writings are very interesting and narrated in a third person point of view. It is clearly obvious that O’Connor’s influence upon these two short stories illustrates her own version of southern gothic with a twist of religion, much like many of her works. There were many factors to her style of writing but two that she uses were “...distortion and exaggeration…” (Shloss 35). The focus of...
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...At birth, one does not get to choose a name. One’s name is assigned and one’s name turns into an identity. In many instances in Flannery O'Connor's short stories, names give away a character’s moral identity. Many of the names that Flannery O'Connor uses are ironic and provide insight on how she wants the character’s to be perceived. In the short story, Good Country People, a thirty-two year old crippled girl changed her name from Joy to Hulga because she believed it was an ugly name, eventually, Joy/Hulga will have an ugly realization about her moral character. In the short story, A Good Man Is Hard To Find, it is immediately established that the bad guy on the run, “The Misfit”, received his name for a reason. Throughout these short stories,...
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...Manly Pointer appears at the Hopewell’s house, leaning from the weight of his briefcase, to sell the family a Bible. Hulga Hopewell is immediately taken with the man and agrees to accompany him on a date, seeing him as innocent and childlike. Through the use of irony and similes, Flannery O’Connor reveals that Manly Pointer is actually a crooked, immoral man. In “Good Country People,” Pointer pretends to love Hulga in order to gain Hulga’s trust and her artificial leg. Despite being a Bible salesman, Pointer has no regard for the moral standards set by the Bible. Mrs. Hopewell proclaims Pointer is “good country people” because of his career and attitude; however, this is only a facade. Pointer reveals to Hulga he has used this con...
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...Flannery O’Connor “Good Country People”: Questions 1. The relationship between Joy-Hulga Hopewell and Manley Pointer started as an attempt for romantic relations; at least the woman believed the salesman fell in love with her or had some similar feeling. Hulga decided to use his feelings and try to seduce Manley to “reckon with his remorse… [take it] in hand and [change] it into a deeper understanding of life” (O’Connor 12); the woman thought the Bible salesman needed such procedure to become more experienced and loose “rose-colored spectacles” he sees the world through. The irony was in the fact that Manley’s job belonged to a totally opposite side than his personality. The salesman showed himself as a cynical, amoral person that know how to use others for the own benefit....
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...Colleen is attending college “up North” and having a challenging time adjusting to the new culture and expectations of her environment. Being from Mississippi, Colleen has always been proud of her family’s Civil War heritage and enjoyed hearing her parent and grandparents tell stories about her linage. She even spoke with a Southern accent that was thicker than either of her parents to demonstrate her pride. In high school, she was elected to a prestigious position in the Daughters of the Confederacy where she could organize events and socialize with influential members of the community. Colleen was very popular as she frequently hosted events and parties, always wanting the right people in the right place. She was a member of the cheerleading team and always seemed to have the best gossip, which made her someone everyone wanted to talk to. However, once she began college at her Northern university things took a turn for the worse. Colleen realized that Northerners did not have the same values or interests as her friends and family in the South. Quickly, Colleen began to feel out of place and even her boyfriend, who she had moved for, broke up with her to date another girl. Despite being an intelligent girl, Colleen’s grades were poor, because she did not feel comfortable speaking up in class. Other girls wore different clothes and even told her to tone down her Southern accent as they thought it made her sound less intelligent. She became melancholy and was considering returning...
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...Gothic Elements Gothic can be defined as literature written to conduct “frightening, feral scenarios in which mysterious secrets, extreme isolation, grotesque images, and characters’ duress combine to create a dark and horrid image for its bold readers” (Renaldo 2). Generally presenting the same themes and tropes, Gothic literature discusses madness, isolation, disease, nightmares, and death. Although in some stories, it also explores unmentionable topics such as murder, suicide, and incest. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is a story of a spinster woman who has killed her lover and lain for years beside his decaying body. The story deals with a murder caused by possessive love, and it elucidates the face of death which results in repulsion and compassion. “A Rose for Emily” represents Southern Gothic literature through descriptions of Emily, her house, necrophilia, and the theme of death. To begin with, the narrator portrays Emily Grierson as a once prominent member of the community. However, after the death of her father, she is pitied and often irritating, demanding to live life on her own terms. In the beginning of the story, the author describes her as looking “bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue. Her eyes, lost in the fatty ridges of her face, [look] like two small pieces of coal pressed into a lump of dough” (Faulkner 53). Being isolated from the outside world since her father died and Homer Barron, her lover, went...
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...The Irony in Flannery O’Connor’s Irony is a significant rhetorical technique used in demonstrating a condition which is conflicting or expression whereby the result is the exact opposite of what is anticipated. This device of literature creates absurdity in the story according to its tone. Irony has an element of indirectness hence making the writing interesting to the reader. In the story of Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” Irony has aided deeper comprehension and understanding of its themes as it provokes the readers making them to critically analyze the state, paralleling and distinguishing the actual condition with assumptions as explained in the paper. Use of irony is imbued in this work as it is a principal feature in her lifetime and limited career. She dwelt mostly in Georgia as one of the minor Catholic emphatic. What is amusing is that, she spent most of her lifetime in struggle and met her death immediately it was ripe for her to start enjoying life. At such time it is expected that people should get time in life so that they can enjoy and do whatever they had in mind but they have never got the opportunity or power to do them. It is ironical that, she becomes popular and passes away before she is rewarded for her determination and hard work. The family plans to go to Florida except the grandmother who wants to go to Tennessee. She tries to convince the family by telling them that there is Misfit, the murderer on the way to Florida but they give her...
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...McCarthy 1 Suzette McCarthy Professor Strong English 102 28 September 2011 A Good Man Is Hard to Find “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” was written by Flannery O’Conner, and her deep religious beliefs are shown in this short story. The beginning of the story starts with a quote by St. Cyril of Jerusalem who was one of the first theologians of the early church. “The dragon is by the side of the road, watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you. We go to the father of souls, but it is necessary to pass by the dragon.” This quote references how the devil sits by the side of the road distracting people from God in their walk through life. O’Conner’s story revolves around one family that had become self-absorbed. Their grandma tried to warn them of their fate and feebly tried to get them to change their focus in life. Unfortunately, her clouded judgment led them to the dragon by the side of the road known as “The Misfit,” who was in fact a devil laying in wait and judging which individuals may pass. The story does not go into detail of the horrible things the Misfit had done in the past, but only the details of how he killed the family after their car accident. Interesting enough, he mirrors St. Cyril’s dragon and devours this family. His whole approach to the accident shows the lack of care for others. He did not rush to help, ask if anyone was injured, or offer to help – he appeared to be summing up their actions toward one another and their attitude toward life...
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...A Good Man Is Hard to Fine: An Annotated Bibliography HUDDLE,DAVID. “The Singular Voice of Flannery O'Connor”. Flannery O'Connor Review. Vol. 13. 2015. p30-39. Huddle describes O’Connor as one of America’s major writers. She writes about issues within southern culture and has spiritual revelations. He compares O’Connor to The Misfit in the story. O’Connor is an artist, a Catholic and a Southern Woman. She uses her traits to build upon the characters of the story. They refer to the Grandmother as a flawed human being. Religion is very important. When the Grandmother reaches out to the Misfit with her religious comment she startles him and he kills her. Even as a villain after killing the Grandmother he is looking for redemption. Larson, Susan T. “A Good Man Is Hard To Find and Other Short Stories”. Masterplots. 4th Edition. Nov. 2010. p1-2. O’Connor is recognized as a significance American fiction writer. The story A Good Man Is Hard To Find has a mixture of humor, violence and religious themes. The Grandmother and family set off to take a trip to Florida. The Grandmother did not want to go there, she wanted to go to Tennessee. She used the story of the Misfits escape but the trip was still on. While traveling the Grandmother disrupts the cat which then causes an accident. A car stops and when the men get out the Grandmother recognizes him as the Misfit. He orders the men with him to kill the family. The Misfit is with the Grandmother and she is trying to...
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