A good man is hard to find - Research Paper Example

The different cultural practices are slowly fading away as people continue to adopt cross-cultural adaptability. This has also led to the slow disappearance of the geographical boundaries and people are coming together to form one global unit. For the structure and experience of the families in America, the 20th century was a period of significant change and evolution. By the 21st century, the old ideas of the patriarchal family structure where the father is viewed as the head of the family broke down.

People started practicing family planning due to the harsh economic conditions. After few generations, the birthrate decreased and family units became smaller. This was a result of decrease in the number of families living together. By the 21st century, the rights of women and children slowly became acceptable (Coontz, 79). In the story by O’Connor, family roles take center stage. The size of individual families has been reducing and the demographic shift in composition has changed the structure and look of American families.

In 1900, families with seven or more people were common. The average household size in the U.S has decreased tremendously in the 20th century (Haines, 419-420). The single parenthood that is characteristic of the current American families is eminent in the story, since Bailey is the only child in his family and was raised by grandmother. The current American families are experiencing a rise in single-parenthood households. For the majority of the populations, the extended families are progressively reducing (Klein, 27).

The readers view of the family is one that illustrates the disrespect and dissension that characterizes the current American familys relationships with one another. The story commences with Bailey’s mother trying to persuade him not to take family on a road trip to Florida. She shows him a newspaper article that is has a serial killer by the name of