Custom research paper on The Grandmother in “A Good Man is Hard to Find”

“A Good Man is hard to Find” was published in 1955 and was said to become one of the best works by Flannery O’Connor. The most vivid brief critical review of the story is reflected in the following lines: “This short story actually “exhibits all the characteristics for which she is best known: a contrast of violent action with humorously and carefully drawn characters and a philosophy that underscores her devout Roman Catholic faith. Critics have admired the prose and the way O’Connor infuses the story with her Catholic belief about the role God’s grace plays in the lives of ordinary people” (Ochshorn, 113). The key themes, the author wanted to discuss, were the issues related to death, salvation, Christian belief, morality. The approach of the author is however rather specific and even shocking sometimes, due to its profound pessimism and revealing of the hypocrisy of some moral principles, people are used to brag about. The major themes are revealed and presented so vividly and earnestly mostly thanks to the introduction of the bright and unusual character – the grandmother. The story line, the message of the story both are closely related to the presentation of the grandmother. The image of an elderly woman with aristocratic and old South worldviews is the perfect characterization of the grandmother. The author chose dialogues for expressing this worldview to the readers, along with describing her taste in dressing and manner of acting and speaking.
Starting from the very beginning of the story, the readers witness the dialogue between the family members, sitting in the car and going for a trip. As soon as Wesley expressed his wish to travel through Georgia as quickly as possible, the grandmother reacts with the following remark: “In my time, children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else. People did right then” (O’Connor, 2).In this phrase the grandmother underlines her positive attitude towards the old South, when everything used to be in a different – better way. custom research paper
The attitude of the grandmother to the black people was also another confirmation of the old-South worldview, because when she saw a child without pans, she immediately concluded, that he hadn’t any, because he was nigger’s child. The world “nigger” itself is already an echo from the old-South times.
The way, how the grandmother acts in the story, is also used to underline her aristocratic views. When the author describes the conversation between the grandmother and Red Sam, he writes: “He and the grandmother discussed better times. The old lady said that in her opinion Europe was entirely to blame for the way things were now” (O’Connor, 4). The grandmother is absolutely sure, that the situation was much better previously, as children had more respect, people deserved trust and so on. When the grandmother sees the dream about being a young lady and visiting some plantation, it is made evident to the readers, that she still feels herself belonging to aristocratic circle. At the end of the story, actually facing her death already, the grandmother doesn’t lose her positions, when she says: “You wouldn’t shoot a lady, would you?” (O’Connor, 5). This is the way, how the grandmother reacts to a horrible situation in her life, he again relies on her past – on the old South – when she tries to flatter the Misfit, saying “I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people!” (O’Connor, 5). Again the readers face the pure aristocratic beliefs, that people of “common blood” can not be “good” people.
As it was already mentioned not only the way of thinking, speaking and acting, but also the way of dressing gives away a real lady in the grandmother. At the very beginning of the story her clothes is described by O’Connor in the following way: “a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print. Her collars and cuffs were white organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet. In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.” (O’Connor, 1). And even after the car accident she wears a hat, as any lady should do. A clean handkerchief, which was stuffed into her cuff, is another vivid example of that.
Overall, most critics agree, that the character of the grandmother, as presented by O’Connor makes the story a perfect powerful narration. The story starts with the grandmother and is finished with her death, the grandmother is the reason of the conflict and the last to die as the resolution of this conflict. All the words and actions of the grandmother seem rather innocent on the surface, whereas in reality, the author underlines the peak of self-assurance and ignorance in this way.

Works cited

Bandy, S. “One of my Babies”: The Misfit and the Grandmother, Studies in Short Fiction, 1996 pp. 107–117

Ochshorn, K. A Cloak of Grace: Contradictions in “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, Studies in American Fiction, 1990, pp. 113–117

O’Connor, F. “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories. 1955. New York: Harcourt, 1992.

Patrick, D. “Short Story Reviews: A Good Man is Hard to Find.” A Student’s Guide to Flannery O’Connor, 2008