Flannery O'Connor A Good Man is Hard to Find - Essay Example

Flannery O’Connor, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” The short story written by Flannery O’ Connor “A Good Man is Hard to find” was first published in 1995. The story portrays the cold-blooded assassination of a family by malicious criminals who have escaped and are directed by a disreputable murderer known as The Misfit. This piece written by Flannery is renowned on behalf of its holy and religious features, in specific the writer’s fondness for describing salvation because of a dreadful, generally brutal incident faced by characters that are physically or religiously grotesque. Critics have admired "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" for the author’s effectual application of native tint and the intense comical aspects of her Southern environment, plus her capability to note down with a devoted determination the distinctive language of characters like The Misfit and the grandmother. At the start of the short story "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" the readers are presented to an unpleasant family, a conceited and scheming grandmother, Bailey her reticent son, his inert spouse and an infant, as well as their obstinate kids, John Wesley and June Star. All of them intend to go on holiday from their house in Georgia to Florida. Distressed with newspaper reports of a criminal, The Misfit, being escaped the grandmother make an effort to convince the family to alter their holiday spot far from the surrounding area of the escapee. Ridiculed for her worry, she reacts by hiding her pet cat in the family’s car contrary to the desire of her son. Throughout their lengthy journey to Georgia she recounts the tale of a close by farm house with a section that is secretive. The tale flames the kid’s curiosity, as a result pressurizing Bailey to make a spontaneous indirect route along an uneven muddy path in pursuit of the farm house. All of a sudden, the grandmother becomes conscious that her mind has misled her. In her intense mortification, she unwillingly let go of her cat from where she had hidden her, which resulted in Bailey losing of car’s control. While the family strives to get themselves out from the resulting crash, three men in a menacing car come into sight. The grandmother instantly recognizes The Misfit and cries out which confirms her family's destiny and despite her frantic efforts to gain the criminal’s trust, every member of the family is carried individually into the forest and murdered with a shot. The grandmother being on her own with The Misfit, attempts to negotiate for her escape and life by insisting him to plead and pray. He replies by protesting that Jesus presents him no option among endless belief or ferocious Refutation of every feature of ethical or religious morals, and his grief and anguish suddenly shifts the grandmother to a sentiment of affinity and association. As she goes ahead to touch him, The Misfit responds by three times shooting her in the chest. According to Fredrick Asals “the story is an unsettling mix of comedy, violence and religious concern that characterizes O’Conner’s fiction” Anybody can turn out to be virtuous and achieve salvation, regardless of the seriousness of one’s transgression, by modestly believing in Jesus and placing trust in him. When the grandmother moves ahead to touch The Misfit, thinking of him like one of her own family members, she attains clemency for her wrong deeds, as well as her selfish habits, her intolerance, and her untruthfulness, because of her unselfish action indicates her own apologetic and remorseful recognition of Jesus. Acquiring the kindness of Deity, she turns into a “good man” which is difficult to locate. The Misfit, in contrast, carries on refusing to believe in Christ. Nevertheless, the grandmother realizes and makes an effort to kindle his belief which slackens the grasp of his non-belief, thus throwing him in uncertainty about the legitimacy of his justifications, to take life for amusement. Consequently, he informs Bobby at the conclusion of the tale, that there is “no real pleasure in life.” Flannery was intensely worried of the principles and the course of the adolescence of her generation. She had trust in the fact that Jesus was not anymore as much as necessary of a main concern to the population of her time. "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" is an envoy of Flanerry’s worry for the precedence and ethics of the era of 1940s. O'Connor's technique of writing is normally simple on its exterior, however, contains a fundamental sarcasm, indirect prophesy, and disclosure. Primary and generally clear is the irony and sarcasm among the old woman and the convict Misfit. Generally, the grandmother seems to be an ordinary Southern woman who supports the conventional Christianity. In spite of that, it promptly happens to make obvious that the old woman is not basically truthful or reverential, whereas Misfit symbolizes every one of these qualities. There is in addition a specific quantity of mockery in the exact name of the tale. As Red Sammy talks of “good man being hard to find”, he means that an individual can conclude how respectable and good a person is through the kind of the car he has, instead of analyzing the worth of his character and personality. “A good man is hard to find” holds a religious commotion inside it as the Misfit behave as a person who believes in Christ and one who doesn’t. He contrasts himself to Jesus, stating, "It was the same case with Him as me, except He hadn't committed any crime and they could prove I had committed one because they had the papers on me”. Although Misfit could not devote himself to any belief, he acknowledges the only two options in life, faith and incredulity. Negligence and unresponsiveness to belief is the status detained by majority of the characters in the story. Misfit has referred to himself as being right and still can’t agree to the idea conveyed by the Christ. According to Gilbert Muller ‘As the Misfit discovers himself not capable to ascribe his faithfulness to any prevailing theological or stance, he obtains his comfort and solace simply in unethical deeds of brutality and bloodshed.” The powerlessness of the Misfit to survive with a belief he considers to be righteous makes him an astounding channel for kindliness and sympathy. There can’t be any queries, but, Flaneery’s intention. The gun of The Misfit and he himself generates a flash of salvation for the old woman, although contrary to her desire and choice. In spite of him being amoral , his deeds pull out from the grandmother a gratitude instigated out of sympathy, one that provoke, at the same time, her redemption and her obliteration. Flannery O'Connor's line of reasoning for honesty to dissimilarity, to revelation, and to actuality is expressive, but upsetting. It is simple to interpret her religious idea as completely unconstructive, intended merely to make anxious her apparently incredibly matured readers. All through her story, Flannery supports the requirement for mishap which turns out to be an eye-opener, the worth of the unwanted people of the community. She does not assure joyful conclusions, however, she persists that it is good to be conscious of anguish and pain rather than living in a fantasy. Her representation of belief may be terrifying, however, with a nearby interpretation, one comprehends that it is intensely based on the daily, well-known ideas of the Bible. Her literature compels us to interpret those ideas with new thinking. Christ may well have unnerved the lot off balance, but Flannery informs us that whatever we refer to as balance is none but refutation and blindness. The surprising, unfathomable refinement that Jesus and his followers present shapes the pathway to real salvation, although it may perhaps smash all our principles and prospects down the lane. According to R.Neil Scott “ O’ Conner’s attempts to place God back into reader’s reality and placing God into the physical world to present a more accurate description of reality”. Work cited: Muller, Gilbert H. Nightmares and Visions: Flannery O'Connor and the Catholic Grotesque. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press. 1972. O'Connor, Flannery, and Frederick Asals. A Good Man Is Hard to Find. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1993. Print Scott, R N. Flannery O'connor: An Annotated Reference Guide to Criticism. Milledgeville, Ga: Timberlane Books, 2002. Print. Read More