Skip to main content

In "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor, does the grandmother remain a static character or does she in any way change as the story...

O'Connor was a Roman Catholic whose writing was deeply influenced by her Christian theology. In "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," the difficult, annoying, manipulative grandmother, as unlikely a character as any to have the experience, undergoes a transformation that leads her to a state of grace at the end of the story.


The grandmother is aware that the Misfit and his gang have just killed her son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren. She is...

O'Connor was a Roman Catholic whose writing was deeply influenced by her Christian theology. In "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," the difficult, annoying, manipulative grandmother, as unlikely a character as any to have the experience, undergoes a transformation that leads her to a state of grace at the end of the story.


The grandmother is aware that the Misfit and his gang have just killed her son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren. She is desperately using the currency important in her world—money and status—to try to persuade the Misfit not to kill her. She appeals to him as "good man," saying that a man like him wouldn't hurt a lady like her. None of these appeals reaches him in the least. However, when the Misfit puts on her dead son's shirt, the grandmother has a moment of extraordinary grace in which he seems to her no different from her son, and she reaches towards him with genuine compassion and love. In that moment, she cares about the man who has just killed her family, and in the next second he shoots her. There's nevertheless a flash of connection with the Misfit, as the grandmother dies in a state of love and grace, dead, but a transformed person. As the text says:



... the grandmother's head cleared for an instant. She saw the man's face twisted close to her own as if he were going to cry and she murmured, "Why you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children!" She reached out and touched him on the shoulder. 



Whether this event will in any way change the Misfit, we never know.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

What gift did Della buy for Jim and why in "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry?

Della buys Jim a watch fob because his watch is his most prized possession. Della and Jim Young do not have much money. Despite this, Della really wants to buy Jim a good Christmas present. She is even willing to sell her hair to get him a nice gift. This is ironic because we learn Della and Jim both highly prize her hair. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which... Della buys Jim a watch fob because his watch is his most prized possession. Della and Jim Young do not have much money. Despite this, Della really wants to buy Jim a good Christmas present. She is even willing to sell her hair to get him a nice gift. This is ironic because we learn Della and Jim both highly prize her hair. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair.  Della is still willing to sell her hair so she can b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...
Post a Comment
Read more