After thoroughly reading "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and taking into account different ways in which to read it and interpret it, I feel that I still follow my initial interpretation. However, by closely analyzing it through these different approaches, I feel that I have been enlightened in many ways on how a reader can make meaning of text. Although I still follow my initial interpretation, I was still moved by my findings and found that others interpretations and ways of analyzing added to and further emphasized the meaning I gained from the story.
In relating the story to the writings of May, Lynn, and Lohafer, I was able to determine different ways in which readers approach text. Through these relations I was able to step back and take a closer look at the story and the elements that each author was trying to note. I was able to relate the story to the romanticism and realism conveyed in short stories through May's writings. Through discussion of Lynn's writings, I was able to better understand the kind of reader that I am by exploring the way I approach and analyze the text. By relating the story to Lohafer's writings, I found different areas of the story that I thought would be suitable enough to bring the story to a close and why these points of the story may appear as ending points to me. Again, by using the points that these authors were attempting to argue in their writings, I was able to further consider my interpretation of the story and develop a better meaning/understanding.
Through discussing the story with a friend, as well as relating it to an unknown reader's response, I discovered new ways in which one might interpret the story. Different elements and aspects of the text were brought to my attention that I had not fully recognized through my reading's of it. By exploring the different ways in which individuals read a story, I was better able to understand the ways an individual can make meaning of text. I found that discussing as well as reading the thoughts of others to be the most helpful in my evaluation of the story. To be able to actually sit down face to face with an individual and hear the meaning that they pulled from the story was extremely beneficial. It allowed me to put forth my interpretation to the individual and get their feedback on why or why not they agreed with what I had to say.
I feel that in order for an individual to fully understand a reading, they absolutely must take different steps in approaching the text. This is the only way that one can recognize all of the aspects and elements that go into the writing and how each is relative to the point the author is trying to put across. By re-reading "A Good Man is Hard to Find" as well as taking different approaches to the ways in which I read it, I feel that I not only better understand the story, but I also have an all around better understanding of the ways in which people read and make meaning of text.
Monday, March 15, 2010
"A Good Man is Hard to Find"-Relation to an Unknown Reader's Interpretation
I had searched around on the internet for different interpretations of the story which I could relate my own to. I found one that I felt was close to my interpretation, but further analyzed the elements that I had noticed, which is why I chose to discuss it.
"On Trial: Flannery O'Connor's 'A Good Man is Hard to Find' " an essay by Tracy DeHoff from Virginia Commonwealth University reads as follows:
O'Connor's work is that of very dark humor, irony and grotesque characters and situations. Her themes have a religious nature, with characters who experience horrible, soul wrenching moments that lead them to an epiphany. For O'Connor the merging of good and evil does not necessarily mean that good prevails; happy endings aren't an ingredient of her tales. O'Connor was raised as a Southern Catholic and was devoted to her faith. She recognized the paradox of the Southern personality and culture regarding etiquette and religion. She was quoted as saying the South "may not be Christ—centered but was most certainly Christ haunted."
Original reading and post can be found at this website.
I found this interpretation interesting because of the way in which the writer speaks of how O'Connor's background and own attitudes play a huge part in the story. At the beginning of "A Good Man is Hard to Find", there is a short excerpt on the history of O'Connor. It mentions that she was a devout Catholic, and that "the extraordinary violence of her fiction is designed to expose the precarious condition of the spirit in a temporal world, as the startling comedy disintegrates the pretenses of a facile civilization" (O'Connor 1201). In DeHoff's essay, she further recognizes this aspect of the author through the ways she uses the typical Southern personality and culture in regards to etiquette and religion. DeHoff states that O'Connor "was quoted as saying the South 'may not be Christ—centered but was most certainly Christ haunted' " (DeHoff).
After my initial reading of the story, I recognized the grandmother as an individual who attempted to live a Christ-centered life, but didn't necessarily see this in the character of The Misfit as much. DeHoff states that both the grandmother and The Misfit are haunted by Christ, in different ways of course, but neither of them are "Christ-centered". Yet it is the grandmother who is conveyed as the individual who is better able to accept Christ's salvation. "The question is: Is she more qualified?" DeHoff poses this question, and answers by saying that the grandmother would certainly feel that she was in fact the more qualified of the two. I agree with this statement due not only to the descriptions of the grandmother that are given throughout the story, but also through her actions. "Her evilness has been disguised as that of an innocent grandmother which makes the reader uncomfortable in judging her harshly" (DeHoff). I did at first find it hard to place bad judgment on the grandmother, but through her actions throughout the story, especially those towards the end, I was able to see the evil instilled in her. After continuous pleas, the grandmother does in fact have a moment of redemption which up to that point she has done everything in her power to avoid it. As an attempt to save both herself and The Misfit, "she invokes the name of Jesus" which again portrays the grandmother as a Christ-centered figure, but at this point the reader knows better and is able to see her for what she truly is.
What I thought was most interesting about DeHoff's essay was the way in which she reads into the author's attitude of the story. She states that "O'Connor's judgmental attitude comes through in the story by means of her narrative strategy" (DeHoff). The reader becomes aware of the grandmother's high opinion of herself as well as her selfishness through lines such as "anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady" (O'Connor 1202) and "She knew that Bailey would not be willing to lose any time looking at the old house, but the more she talked about it, the more she wanted to see it" (O'Connor 1205). DeHoff states that these lines represent an omniscient narrator, but the narration is for the most part in third person. I mistakenly didn't take into consideration the narrative standpoint of the story, but in reading DeHoff's essay I found that it plays a large part in the interpretation of the text.
DeHoff continues by stating that there isn't a complete detachment of the narrator and it seems as if the narrator almost finds enjoyment in showing us the bad character of the family, especially the grandmother. She feels that "O'Connor gives us what she wants us to see in order for us to make a judgment that she may or may not have already made" (DeHoff). DeHoff feels that O'Connor is in fact judgmental, although, unlike the grandmother of the story, she does not place herself above God. This could be an attempt to portray moral through the story, however it is not clearly defined. By giving her characters free will, O'Connor toys with irony because it is this free will that is crucial to the grandmother's grace and redemption. As I did, DeHoff hopes that, and expects, the grandmother to save The Misfit. Through her use of irony, O'Connor brings to play the unimaginable. The grandmother's attempt of free will "places the grandmother's redemption in the hands of the Misfit" (DeHoff).
By instilling her trust in The Misfit, the grandmother's fate is determined. This interpretation was enlightening to me in the sense that it brought forth the views of the author and put them into play regarding the story. The author's attitude clearly shows us that what she wants is for the reader to make a judgment of the characters of the story, or rather their own interpretation of what the characters portray. I did recognize the grandmother as a symbol of grace and redemption, however I did not take into consideration the author's thoughts. This essay proved very helpful in furthering my understanding of the reading.
"On Trial: Flannery O'Connor's 'A Good Man is Hard to Find' " an essay by Tracy DeHoff from Virginia Commonwealth University reads as follows:
O'Connor's work is that of very dark humor, irony and grotesque characters and situations. Her themes have a religious nature, with characters who experience horrible, soul wrenching moments that lead them to an epiphany. For O'Connor the merging of good and evil does not necessarily mean that good prevails; happy endings aren't an ingredient of her tales. O'Connor was raised as a Southern Catholic and was devoted to her faith. She recognized the paradox of the Southern personality and culture regarding etiquette and religion. She was quoted as saying the South "may not be Christ—centered but was most certainly Christ haunted."
We see that the grandmother and the Misfit are haunted by Christ in "A Good Man...." Neither are Christ—centered and yet the grandmother is portrayed as the more qualified of the two to accept Christ's salvation. The question is: Is she more qualified? She would certainly say so. Her moment of redemption comes at the hands of a character who is evil beyond belief. However, the grandmother is quite evil herself. Her evilness has been disguised as that of an innocent grandmother which makes the reader uncomfortable in judging her harshly. The grandmother does indeed have her moment of redemption but not until exhausting every means possible to avoid it. She invokes the name of Jesus in an attempt to save the Misfit and herself.
O'Connor's judgmental attitude comes through in the story by means of her narrative strategy. We are privy to the grandmother's thoughts on a couple occasions and these tend to show her high opinion of herself and selfishness "...anyone seeing her ...would know she was a lady." "...Bailey would not be willing to lose any time...she wanted to see it...." This would appear to be a limited omniscient narration and yet for the most part the narration is third person. The narrator isn't completely detached and seems to delight in showing us the bad side of the family, particularly the grandmother. O'Connor gives us what she wants us to see in order for us to make a judgment that she may or may not have already made. Although she is judgmental, she does not place herself above God. She gives her characters free will, which, ironically is the key to the the grandmother's grace and redemption. We hope, and to a degree expect, that the grandmother will save the Misfit. In an unimaginable twist of irony, it is this exertion of free will that places the grandmother's redemption in the hands of the Misfit.
-http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/litweb05/workshops/fiction/oconnor7.aspOriginal reading and post can be found at this website.
I found this interpretation interesting because of the way in which the writer speaks of how O'Connor's background and own attitudes play a huge part in the story. At the beginning of "A Good Man is Hard to Find", there is a short excerpt on the history of O'Connor. It mentions that she was a devout Catholic, and that "the extraordinary violence of her fiction is designed to expose the precarious condition of the spirit in a temporal world, as the startling comedy disintegrates the pretenses of a facile civilization" (O'Connor 1201). In DeHoff's essay, she further recognizes this aspect of the author through the ways she uses the typical Southern personality and culture in regards to etiquette and religion. DeHoff states that O'Connor "was quoted as saying the South 'may not be Christ—centered but was most certainly Christ haunted' " (DeHoff).
After my initial reading of the story, I recognized the grandmother as an individual who attempted to live a Christ-centered life, but didn't necessarily see this in the character of The Misfit as much. DeHoff states that both the grandmother and The Misfit are haunted by Christ, in different ways of course, but neither of them are "Christ-centered". Yet it is the grandmother who is conveyed as the individual who is better able to accept Christ's salvation. "The question is: Is she more qualified?" DeHoff poses this question, and answers by saying that the grandmother would certainly feel that she was in fact the more qualified of the two. I agree with this statement due not only to the descriptions of the grandmother that are given throughout the story, but also through her actions. "Her evilness has been disguised as that of an innocent grandmother which makes the reader uncomfortable in judging her harshly" (DeHoff). I did at first find it hard to place bad judgment on the grandmother, but through her actions throughout the story, especially those towards the end, I was able to see the evil instilled in her. After continuous pleas, the grandmother does in fact have a moment of redemption which up to that point she has done everything in her power to avoid it. As an attempt to save both herself and The Misfit, "she invokes the name of Jesus" which again portrays the grandmother as a Christ-centered figure, but at this point the reader knows better and is able to see her for what she truly is.
What I thought was most interesting about DeHoff's essay was the way in which she reads into the author's attitude of the story. She states that "O'Connor's judgmental attitude comes through in the story by means of her narrative strategy" (DeHoff). The reader becomes aware of the grandmother's high opinion of herself as well as her selfishness through lines such as "anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady" (O'Connor 1202) and "She knew that Bailey would not be willing to lose any time looking at the old house, but the more she talked about it, the more she wanted to see it" (O'Connor 1205). DeHoff states that these lines represent an omniscient narrator, but the narration is for the most part in third person. I mistakenly didn't take into consideration the narrative standpoint of the story, but in reading DeHoff's essay I found that it plays a large part in the interpretation of the text.
DeHoff continues by stating that there isn't a complete detachment of the narrator and it seems as if the narrator almost finds enjoyment in showing us the bad character of the family, especially the grandmother. She feels that "O'Connor gives us what she wants us to see in order for us to make a judgment that she may or may not have already made" (DeHoff). DeHoff feels that O'Connor is in fact judgmental, although, unlike the grandmother of the story, she does not place herself above God. This could be an attempt to portray moral through the story, however it is not clearly defined. By giving her characters free will, O'Connor toys with irony because it is this free will that is crucial to the grandmother's grace and redemption. As I did, DeHoff hopes that, and expects, the grandmother to save The Misfit. Through her use of irony, O'Connor brings to play the unimaginable. The grandmother's attempt of free will "places the grandmother's redemption in the hands of the Misfit" (DeHoff).
By instilling her trust in The Misfit, the grandmother's fate is determined. This interpretation was enlightening to me in the sense that it brought forth the views of the author and put them into play regarding the story. The author's attitude clearly shows us that what she wants is for the reader to make a judgment of the characters of the story, or rather their own interpretation of what the characters portray. I did recognize the grandmother as a symbol of grace and redemption, however I did not take into consideration the author's thoughts. This essay proved very helpful in furthering my understanding of the reading.
"A Good Man is Hard to Find"-Discussion and Response with a Friend
I always enjoy discussing text with other individuals because it not only offers a different perspective of the reading, but it also brings my attention to aspects and elements of the story in which I didn't recognize myself. I had my friend Maria read the story for me and we later had a discussion on it. It was interesting to note the things that we both recognized while reading the text, as well as the things that she had noticed but I had not.
Maria had taken more notice of the humor which is instilled in the characters of the children. She noted that unlike the serious character of the grandmother, the children, in a sense, lighten the mood of the story. At the beginning of the story when the grandmother is attempting to get the family to travel to Tennessee instead of Florida, John Wesley, the young boy, replies "If you don't want to go to Florida, why dontcha stay at home" (O'Connor 1202)? The young girl, June Star, follows this reply with one that further conveys the children's humor by stating that "She wouldn't stay at home to be queen for a day" (O'Connor 1202). Maria and I agreed that these types of replies and statements are continuously made throughout the story in order to paradox the serious character of the grandmother.
She also noticed the racism of the grandmother. While on the trip the grandmother points out an African American boy by saying, "Oh look at the cute little pickaninny" (O'Connor 1203)! June Star notices that the young boy wasn't wearing any pants and the grandmother explains that it is because "he probably didn't have any. Little niggers in the country don't have things like we do" (O'Connor 1203). Maria, as I did, took notice of the grandmother's description in the beginning and middle of the story and it's change at the end. She at first appears as a righteous, well to do individual, but through her actions, especially those at the end, this character is contradicted.
On pages 1207 and 1209 the shirt that Bailey, the son of the grandmother, is wearing is described and related to the man's emotions. On page 1207, after the family had just had their accident, the narrator notes that Bailey had on "a yellow sport shirt with bright blue parrots designed in it and his face was as yellow as the shirt". The narrator relates Bailey to his shirt again on page 1209 when Bailey is trying to proclaim to the three men that they are in a terrible predicament. At this moment "his eyes were as blue and intense as the parrots in his shirt". Again on page 1209, The Misfit apologizes to the women for not having a shirt on in front of them. Here, the grandmother tells him that Bailey, who at this point had just been led away to be killed, might have an extra one in his suitcase. As the accomplices return from shooting Bailey and John Wesley, they come back with the bright yellow, parrot designed shirt. The Misfit puts it on, but the grandmother could not name what it reminded her of. Maria felt that this could be due to the grandmother's shock, or to the fact that at this point she was too involved in her own salvation to even remember her son.
On page 1210, as the grandmother attempts to reveal The Misfit as a good man, Maria saw a connection made between the two characters. The grandmother at this point is standing up looking down on the man who is looking up at the woman and holds "her attention to him by a steady stare". Maria thought that the grandmother, by standing over the man and looking down upon him, was being conveyed as a more righteous individual. She thought that this action might also evoke the Christ-centered character that the grandmother tries to play. When The Misfit looks up to the grandmother and they stare at each other, Maria and I thought that this point reflected the fact that both of these individuals are somehow influenced by Christ, whether it be in a good way or in a bad way.
We both noted the vivid descriptions that are given of The Misfit and his two accomplices. From the very beginning, with the description of their "big black battered hearselike automobile" (O'Connor 1207) the reader is given a sense of mystery and uneasiness. One element that we also noticed throughout the entire story was that of foreshadowing. I noticed several instances where this element was used to tell of the fate that was to come. For example, on page 1208, John Wesley notices that the accomplices each have guns and asks what they are for. I thought that this was a moment of foreshadowing because although the boy is unaware of his fate, the reader is given a hint and made further aware of what is to come. Maria did notice instances of foreshadowing, but picked up on times where it had occurred that I had not. On page 1206, as the family is chatting with diner owner Red Sam, he makes a remark saying that "these days you don't know who to trust". She pointed out that this might relate to the end of the story, where the grandmother and the family attempt to instill their trust into The Misfit, but in doing so are all killed. They shouldn't have trusted the man, but weren't really given an option.
Having discussed the text with Maria, I was able to gain new insight on different elements of the story. I had taken some notice of the humor of the children, but didn't follow it as closely as Maria had. This now seems important to the reading of the story because they not only offer a break from the seriousness, but they also directly contradict the character of the grandmother. Maria recognized the grandmother's character, which we both noted as relevant to the stories plot, as a racist. We both agreed that this played into the true telling of her character, which we thought wasn't that of a good person at all. It was interesting to see the different elements of foreshadowing that we both picked up on. There are many times throughout the story that this action takes place, but Maria brought to my attention many instances where it is used that are relevant to the stories actions. We both agreed that the main characters of the story, the grandmother and The Misfit, were centered around Christ. The grandmother was more involved in living a life in which Christ would want her to, whereas The Misfit, having no trust in Christ, wanted to live a life unlike him. Our discussion of these elements didn't necessarily cause me to read the story with a different perspective, but it did allow me to recognize things that I initially had not which ultimately furthered my understanding of the reading.
Maria had taken more notice of the humor which is instilled in the characters of the children. She noted that unlike the serious character of the grandmother, the children, in a sense, lighten the mood of the story. At the beginning of the story when the grandmother is attempting to get the family to travel to Tennessee instead of Florida, John Wesley, the young boy, replies "If you don't want to go to Florida, why dontcha stay at home" (O'Connor 1202)? The young girl, June Star, follows this reply with one that further conveys the children's humor by stating that "She wouldn't stay at home to be queen for a day" (O'Connor 1202). Maria and I agreed that these types of replies and statements are continuously made throughout the story in order to paradox the serious character of the grandmother.
She also noticed the racism of the grandmother. While on the trip the grandmother points out an African American boy by saying, "Oh look at the cute little pickaninny" (O'Connor 1203)! June Star notices that the young boy wasn't wearing any pants and the grandmother explains that it is because "he probably didn't have any. Little niggers in the country don't have things like we do" (O'Connor 1203). Maria, as I did, took notice of the grandmother's description in the beginning and middle of the story and it's change at the end. She at first appears as a righteous, well to do individual, but through her actions, especially those at the end, this character is contradicted.
On pages 1207 and 1209 the shirt that Bailey, the son of the grandmother, is wearing is described and related to the man's emotions. On page 1207, after the family had just had their accident, the narrator notes that Bailey had on "a yellow sport shirt with bright blue parrots designed in it and his face was as yellow as the shirt". The narrator relates Bailey to his shirt again on page 1209 when Bailey is trying to proclaim to the three men that they are in a terrible predicament. At this moment "his eyes were as blue and intense as the parrots in his shirt". Again on page 1209, The Misfit apologizes to the women for not having a shirt on in front of them. Here, the grandmother tells him that Bailey, who at this point had just been led away to be killed, might have an extra one in his suitcase. As the accomplices return from shooting Bailey and John Wesley, they come back with the bright yellow, parrot designed shirt. The Misfit puts it on, but the grandmother could not name what it reminded her of. Maria felt that this could be due to the grandmother's shock, or to the fact that at this point she was too involved in her own salvation to even remember her son.
On page 1210, as the grandmother attempts to reveal The Misfit as a good man, Maria saw a connection made between the two characters. The grandmother at this point is standing up looking down on the man who is looking up at the woman and holds "her attention to him by a steady stare". Maria thought that the grandmother, by standing over the man and looking down upon him, was being conveyed as a more righteous individual. She thought that this action might also evoke the Christ-centered character that the grandmother tries to play. When The Misfit looks up to the grandmother and they stare at each other, Maria and I thought that this point reflected the fact that both of these individuals are somehow influenced by Christ, whether it be in a good way or in a bad way.
We both noted the vivid descriptions that are given of The Misfit and his two accomplices. From the very beginning, with the description of their "big black battered hearselike automobile" (O'Connor 1207) the reader is given a sense of mystery and uneasiness. One element that we also noticed throughout the entire story was that of foreshadowing. I noticed several instances where this element was used to tell of the fate that was to come. For example, on page 1208, John Wesley notices that the accomplices each have guns and asks what they are for. I thought that this was a moment of foreshadowing because although the boy is unaware of his fate, the reader is given a hint and made further aware of what is to come. Maria did notice instances of foreshadowing, but picked up on times where it had occurred that I had not. On page 1206, as the family is chatting with diner owner Red Sam, he makes a remark saying that "these days you don't know who to trust". She pointed out that this might relate to the end of the story, where the grandmother and the family attempt to instill their trust into The Misfit, but in doing so are all killed. They shouldn't have trusted the man, but weren't really given an option.
Having discussed the text with Maria, I was able to gain new insight on different elements of the story. I had taken some notice of the humor of the children, but didn't follow it as closely as Maria had. This now seems important to the reading of the story because they not only offer a break from the seriousness, but they also directly contradict the character of the grandmother. Maria recognized the grandmother's character, which we both noted as relevant to the stories plot, as a racist. We both agreed that this played into the true telling of her character, which we thought wasn't that of a good person at all. It was interesting to see the different elements of foreshadowing that we both picked up on. There are many times throughout the story that this action takes place, but Maria brought to my attention many instances where it is used that are relevant to the stories actions. We both agreed that the main characters of the story, the grandmother and The Misfit, were centered around Christ. The grandmother was more involved in living a life in which Christ would want her to, whereas The Misfit, having no trust in Christ, wanted to live a life unlike him. Our discussion of these elements didn't necessarily cause me to read the story with a different perspective, but it did allow me to recognize things that I initially had not which ultimately furthered my understanding of the reading.
"A Good Man is Hard to Find"-Relation to Susan Lohafer's "Preclosure Basics"
In Susan Lohafer's chapter "Preclosure Basics in a Kate Chopin Story", she explores the way in which reader's find markers in text that trigger a sense of "whole-storyness". After evaluating her finding's on Kate Chopin's story "Aunt Lympy's Interference", she found that preclosure signals include "paragraph breaks, changes of space/time/condition, natural-event terminals, and image recursions" (Lohafer 27). Lohafer declares the first two, paragraph breaks and changes of space/time/condition, as retroactive signals which are only recognized after the reader has read past them. The second two, natural-event terminals and image recursions, are signals which "register within the preclosure sentence itself" (Lohafer 27-28). These signals refer to the "periods" that readers use to make all areas of time into something meaningful. This includes the human life span such as the journeys and visits throughout stories; arrival and departure and vice versa. A change of space/time/condition is noted through the departure that follows an arrival. Also, the reappearance of an image "closes a circuit" and sends an image recursion signal. Natural event terminals are the "most basic of the preclosure signals" and image-recursion signals are the least basic, as they are recognized by "more sophisticated readers" (Lohafer 29).
After going through "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and noting sentences that I thought could end the story, I noticed that each sentence I marked all fell in the same category of preclosure signals with the exception of one. I picked several, but stuck with about five that I felt were the most likely to serve as an ending to the story.
I first noted sentence 194 which reads "The grandmother decided that she would not mention that the house was in Tennessee" (O'Connor 1207). This follows the moment when the family in the story crashes their car because the grandmother had told them to travel down the dirt road in order to visit an old plantation house. This sentence falls into the category of the retroactive preclosure signals as it is both a sentence that precedes a paragraph break and it also is the end of an action at a particular time and place. I felt that this might be a good ending to the story because a conflict has developed, the grandmother made a mistake in turn harming the family, but there is really no resolution to the story. The Misfit has been introduced several times up to this point in the text, yet the family has yet to run into him.
The next sentence that I recognized as a possible ending for the story was 283. At this point the family has had their run in with The Misfit and the reader is slowly learning of their fate. The Misfit orders his accomplices to take Bailey, the grandmother's son, and John Wesley, the son of Bailey, to the back of the woods where they are later shot and killed. Sentence 283, which is a sentence preceding a paragraph break, is one that follows the moment when Bailey and John Wesley are being led to the back of the woods. Bailey shouts to his mother, "I'll be back in a minute, Mamma, wait on me" (O'Connor 1209)! This could be an ending not only because it precedes a paragraph break, but also because I feel as though it recognizes the fate of the man and his boy. Bailey and John Wesley will not return and at this point each member of the story, along with the reader recognizes this. This plea for his mother to wait for him seems to be an attempt to reassure her although she knows that he will not return.
As the grandmother attempts to win over The Misfit by continuously claiming him as a "good man", two pistol shots are heard from the woods. The reader and the characters of the story know what has happened. Bailey and John Wesley have been killed. In sentence 317, the grandmother, having recognized what just happened, calls out "Bailey boy!" This sentence, once again, precedes a paragraph break, but also signifies a change of condition. The man and the boy are gone, which further exemplifies the fate of the rest of the family. This change in condition increases the terror which the grandmother is facing and causes her to continue to try and recognize the "good man" the she claims The Misfit is.
Toward the end of the story, The Misfit seems to become angered by the grandmother's rambling. After having already shot Bailey, John Wesley, the mother and the daughter, June Star, the grandmother continues to make her pleas. As she reaches out to touch the man and recognizes him as "one of her own children", The Misfit retorts backwards and shoots the grandmother three times in the chest. "Then he put his gun down on the ground and took off his glasses to clean them" (O'Connor 1212). This sentence, sentence 391, precedes a paragraph break. It also is the end of an action, the life of the grandmother, which the events of the story have been leading up to. I felt that it would be a good place in which to end the story because it seems to evoke the emptiness that The Misfit conveys throughout the story. He has just brutally killed a poor old lady, and has nothing to do but resort to cleaning his glasses. He seems to feel nothing in regards to his actions.
Finally, in sentence 397, The Misfit is discussing the grandmother with his accomplices. He states that "She would have been a good woman if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life" (O'Connor 1212). Again, the sentence precedes a paragraph break, but I felt that it also was the end of an action and implied a natural-event terminal. The Misfit and his accomplices have just finished killing off each member of the family and are now talking over their feelings towards the events. Here, he has ended the life of the grandmother and lays his claim as to why she wasn't a good woman. Although it's not as clear cut as a physical arrival or departure, It seemed to me that The Misfit makes a departure from the actions that just took place. He recognizes that the grandmother, after all her talk of being a righteous individual, was actually not one. This departure can be seen as a sort of revelatory experience where The Misfit recognizes what makes a person good, and in doing so discovers that neither he nor the grandmother fall in this category. Because I recognized this as a moment of revelation, which short stories are so often focused around, I also recognized it as a good spot to end the story.
Each sentence that I chose, again with the exception of sentence 397, followed the retroactive preclosure signals. While reading my short story, I didn't necessarily recognize many areas of the text which could be defined as image recursions or natural-event terminals. Much of the story revolved around dialogue and because of this there were many instances where a paragraph break preceded a sentence which I felt was a suitable place to end the story. Sentence 397, which I did recognize as a natural-event terminal, was the third to last sentence of the story. This may have encouraged me to label this sentence as one of a conventional ending, but I did feel that it summed up the story well.
Lohafer, recognizes the ability to note recursion-signals within a story as the least basic of the preclosure signals and that only the trained reader can do so. If this is the case, then Lohafer might as well place me in her group of un-sophisticated high school readers. I only recognized the retroactive signals and the natural-event terminals which are "the most basic" of Lohafer's recognized preclosure signals. I felt that O'Connor's short story didn't entail the use of image recursions so much. However, Lohafer or any other reader might disagree.
Works Cited
Lohafer, Susan. "Chapter 2: Preclosure Basics in a Kate Chopin Story." 21-39. Print.
After going through "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and noting sentences that I thought could end the story, I noticed that each sentence I marked all fell in the same category of preclosure signals with the exception of one. I picked several, but stuck with about five that I felt were the most likely to serve as an ending to the story.
I first noted sentence 194 which reads "The grandmother decided that she would not mention that the house was in Tennessee" (O'Connor 1207). This follows the moment when the family in the story crashes their car because the grandmother had told them to travel down the dirt road in order to visit an old plantation house. This sentence falls into the category of the retroactive preclosure signals as it is both a sentence that precedes a paragraph break and it also is the end of an action at a particular time and place. I felt that this might be a good ending to the story because a conflict has developed, the grandmother made a mistake in turn harming the family, but there is really no resolution to the story. The Misfit has been introduced several times up to this point in the text, yet the family has yet to run into him.
The next sentence that I recognized as a possible ending for the story was 283. At this point the family has had their run in with The Misfit and the reader is slowly learning of their fate. The Misfit orders his accomplices to take Bailey, the grandmother's son, and John Wesley, the son of Bailey, to the back of the woods where they are later shot and killed. Sentence 283, which is a sentence preceding a paragraph break, is one that follows the moment when Bailey and John Wesley are being led to the back of the woods. Bailey shouts to his mother, "I'll be back in a minute, Mamma, wait on me" (O'Connor 1209)! This could be an ending not only because it precedes a paragraph break, but also because I feel as though it recognizes the fate of the man and his boy. Bailey and John Wesley will not return and at this point each member of the story, along with the reader recognizes this. This plea for his mother to wait for him seems to be an attempt to reassure her although she knows that he will not return.
As the grandmother attempts to win over The Misfit by continuously claiming him as a "good man", two pistol shots are heard from the woods. The reader and the characters of the story know what has happened. Bailey and John Wesley have been killed. In sentence 317, the grandmother, having recognized what just happened, calls out "Bailey boy!" This sentence, once again, precedes a paragraph break, but also signifies a change of condition. The man and the boy are gone, which further exemplifies the fate of the rest of the family. This change in condition increases the terror which the grandmother is facing and causes her to continue to try and recognize the "good man" the she claims The Misfit is.
Toward the end of the story, The Misfit seems to become angered by the grandmother's rambling. After having already shot Bailey, John Wesley, the mother and the daughter, June Star, the grandmother continues to make her pleas. As she reaches out to touch the man and recognizes him as "one of her own children", The Misfit retorts backwards and shoots the grandmother three times in the chest. "Then he put his gun down on the ground and took off his glasses to clean them" (O'Connor 1212). This sentence, sentence 391, precedes a paragraph break. It also is the end of an action, the life of the grandmother, which the events of the story have been leading up to. I felt that it would be a good place in which to end the story because it seems to evoke the emptiness that The Misfit conveys throughout the story. He has just brutally killed a poor old lady, and has nothing to do but resort to cleaning his glasses. He seems to feel nothing in regards to his actions.
Finally, in sentence 397, The Misfit is discussing the grandmother with his accomplices. He states that "She would have been a good woman if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life" (O'Connor 1212). Again, the sentence precedes a paragraph break, but I felt that it also was the end of an action and implied a natural-event terminal. The Misfit and his accomplices have just finished killing off each member of the family and are now talking over their feelings towards the events. Here, he has ended the life of the grandmother and lays his claim as to why she wasn't a good woman. Although it's not as clear cut as a physical arrival or departure, It seemed to me that The Misfit makes a departure from the actions that just took place. He recognizes that the grandmother, after all her talk of being a righteous individual, was actually not one. This departure can be seen as a sort of revelatory experience where The Misfit recognizes what makes a person good, and in doing so discovers that neither he nor the grandmother fall in this category. Because I recognized this as a moment of revelation, which short stories are so often focused around, I also recognized it as a good spot to end the story.
Each sentence that I chose, again with the exception of sentence 397, followed the retroactive preclosure signals. While reading my short story, I didn't necessarily recognize many areas of the text which could be defined as image recursions or natural-event terminals. Much of the story revolved around dialogue and because of this there were many instances where a paragraph break preceded a sentence which I felt was a suitable place to end the story. Sentence 397, which I did recognize as a natural-event terminal, was the third to last sentence of the story. This may have encouraged me to label this sentence as one of a conventional ending, but I did feel that it summed up the story well.
Lohafer, recognizes the ability to note recursion-signals within a story as the least basic of the preclosure signals and that only the trained reader can do so. If this is the case, then Lohafer might as well place me in her group of un-sophisticated high school readers. I only recognized the retroactive signals and the natural-event terminals which are "the most basic" of Lohafer's recognized preclosure signals. I felt that O'Connor's short story didn't entail the use of image recursions so much. However, Lohafer or any other reader might disagree.
Works Cited
Lohafer, Susan. "Chapter 2: Preclosure Basics in a Kate Chopin Story." 21-39. Print.
Monday, March 8, 2010
"A Good Man is Hard to Find"-Relation to Elizabeth A. Flynn's essay "Gender and Reading"
Elizabeth Flynn's essay titled "Gender and Reading" discusses her analysis of data which informed her of a conception of the reading process which assumes that reading involves a confrontation between self and "other". It focuses on how the self, the reader, encounters the "other", the text, and the nature of that confrontation depends on the background of the reader as well on the text. She talks of how the coexistence of reader and text can take on a number of different forms, which is what I will focus on and relate to my interpretation of Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find".
Flynn discusses three different forms that describe this coexistence between reader and text. Firstly, "the reader can resist the alien thought or subject and so remain essentially unchanged by the reading experience. In this case the reader dominates the text. Or the reader can allow the alien thought to become such a powerful presence that the self is replaced by the other and so is effaced. In this case the text dominates the reader. Either the reader resists the text and so deprives it of its force, or the text overpowers the reader and so eliminates the reader's powers of discernment. A third possibility is that self and other, reader and text, interact in such a way that the reader learns from the experience without losing critical distance; reader and text interact with a degree of mutuality. Foreignness is reduced, though not eliminated. Self and other remain distinct and so create a kind of dialogue" (Flynn 268).
"The dominant pole is characterized by detachment, observation from a distance. The reader imposes a previously established structure on the text and in so doing silences it. Memory dominates over experience, past over present. Reader's who dominate texts become complacent or bored because the possibility for learning has been greatly reduced. Judgment is based on previously established norms rather than on empathetic engagement with and critical evaluation of the new material encountered. The reader absents the text" (Flynn 268).
"The submissive pole, in contrast, is characterized by too much involvement. The reader is entangled in the events of the story and is unable to step back, to observe with a critical eye. Instead of boredom the reader experiences anxiety. The text is overwhelming, unwilling to yield a consistent pattern of meaning" (Flynn 268)
"Productive interaction involves the active participation of the reader in the construction of meaning. Readers formulate hypotheses as they encounter signs of the text, and those hypotheses are constantly being altered as new information is processed. Productive interaction necessitates the stance of a detached observer who is empathetic but who does not identify with the characters or the situation depicted in a literary work. Comprehension is attained when the reader achieves a balance between empathy and judgment by maintaining a balance of detachment and involvement. Too much detachment often results in too much judgment and hence in domination of the text; too much involvement often results in too much sympathy and hence in domination by the text. However, when the reader is able to integrate past experience with the experience created by the text through critical evaluation of the interwoven signs encountered in the process of reading, comprehension is achieved and learning takes place" (Flynn 269).
I feel that my reading and analysis of O'Connor's story followed the guidelines of the third interaction, which Flynn states is the point in which self and other, reader and text, interact in such a way that the reader learns from the experience without losing critical distance; reader and text interact with a degree of mutuality. I noticed many elements that the author used in the story such as symbolism, metaphors, and foreshadowing as I was reading.
In the beginning of the story the grandmother is reading a section of the paper which talks about The Misfit and how he is headed towards Florida, where the family is headed. The grandmother exclaims "I wouldn't take my children in any section with a criminal like that aloose. I couldn't answer to my conscience if I did" (O'Connor 1201). This excerpt foreshadows the events to come and reflects the feelings that the grandmother experiences at the end of the story when she abandons these thoughts of her conscience moral decision. The grandmother, who comes off as an overbearing character, is constantly given description that causes the reader to recognize her as a crucial part of the story. She is stubborn, outspoken, and seems to view herself as righteous and proper. She doesn't want to travel to Florida, but instead to Tennessee and she makes this known throughout the story. Her desire to go to Tennessee and her reminiscence of her memories there ultimately bring the family to their fate due to her embarrassing mistake of thinking that the plantation house which the family went out of their way to visit was not in Georgia, but in Tennessee. The grandmother's desire to travel to Tennessee can again be recognized as a foreshadowing of the events to come.
When the family stops at The Tower to eat the grandmother chats with the owner named Red Sammy. They begin to discuss The Misfit's escape and Red Sammy expresses his mistrust of all individuals which he excludes no one from. I felt that this exclamation of mistrust later reflects not only The Misfits character, but the grandmother's as well. She appears as a caring, trustworthy individual but in the end betrays her own blood. Red Sammy then states that "a good man is hard to find" which seems to be a direct reference to The Misfit.
After the families accident, the mother exclaims that maybe a car will come along. The reader, unknowing at this time, can view this sentence as one that precipitates what is to come. Just as the mother had thought, a car does come along. It is described as a "big black battered hearselike automobile" (O'Connor 1207). This imagery gives the reader a feeling of uneasiness which is further conveyed in the description of the characters who are in the car.
The driver is the first to step out of the vehicle and he is portrayed with an expressionless gaze. One of the individuals who piled out of the car was a fat boy in black trousers and a red sweat shirt with a silver stallion embossed on the front of it. The other man had on khaki pants and a blue striped coat and a gray hat pulled down very low, hiding most of his face. The two boys also had guns. This description conveys the men in a sense of mystery. The author makes them appear very sketchy and through this description the reader gains a sense of, again uneasiness as well as a sense of skepticism. The introduction of these characters further exemplifies as well as foreshadows the fate of the grandmother and her family.
As the grandmother's family is being taken away and killed off she attempts to reason with The Misfit and introduce him to the power of prayer. She continuously tries to convince him that he is in fact a good man and has a good heart. She stresfully cries "You've got good blood! I know you wouldn't shoot a lady! I know you come from nice people! Pray!" (O'Connor 1211). Due to his philosophy that "Jesus thrown everything off balance" the grandmother's pleas anger the man. As the grandmother recognizes The Misfit as one of her "babies", she reaches out to the man and touches him on the shoulder, the man jumps back as if bitten by a snake. He springs back and shoots her three times. Through this act of offering mediation to The Misfit, the grandmother can be viewed through a metaphorical standpoint: that of grace. She steps in to attempt to bring some light into his world and change this man's point of view on life as well as to save her own. Her act was one filled with grace and charity which may imply that this story was written as one to convey the transformation of an individual through the progression of the story.
Although the grandmother's attempts at saving her own life have failed her, she has come to realization that perhaps she isn't as righteous as she thought she might be. Her attempts however don't seem to be lost on The Misfit who adverts that by enduring a lasting violence, much like he has throughout his life, the grandmother could have been a good woman after all. With this statement it appears as though the grandmother wasn't the only one transformed by the encounter after all. The Misfit, through his statement, appears to have been at least somewhat moved by the actions of the grandmother.
Works Cited
Flynn, Elizabeth A. "Gender and Reading." 267-86. Print.
Note: I chose to pull direct excerpts from the author's essay and place them in my own writing because I felt that her own explanation was well written, and crucial in the understanding of the relevance of my post. This reason being the same for the amount of direct quotes in the previous post.
Flynn discusses three different forms that describe this coexistence between reader and text. Firstly, "the reader can resist the alien thought or subject and so remain essentially unchanged by the reading experience. In this case the reader dominates the text. Or the reader can allow the alien thought to become such a powerful presence that the self is replaced by the other and so is effaced. In this case the text dominates the reader. Either the reader resists the text and so deprives it of its force, or the text overpowers the reader and so eliminates the reader's powers of discernment. A third possibility is that self and other, reader and text, interact in such a way that the reader learns from the experience without losing critical distance; reader and text interact with a degree of mutuality. Foreignness is reduced, though not eliminated. Self and other remain distinct and so create a kind of dialogue" (Flynn 268).
"The dominant pole is characterized by detachment, observation from a distance. The reader imposes a previously established structure on the text and in so doing silences it. Memory dominates over experience, past over present. Reader's who dominate texts become complacent or bored because the possibility for learning has been greatly reduced. Judgment is based on previously established norms rather than on empathetic engagement with and critical evaluation of the new material encountered. The reader absents the text" (Flynn 268).
"The submissive pole, in contrast, is characterized by too much involvement. The reader is entangled in the events of the story and is unable to step back, to observe with a critical eye. Instead of boredom the reader experiences anxiety. The text is overwhelming, unwilling to yield a consistent pattern of meaning" (Flynn 268)
"Productive interaction involves the active participation of the reader in the construction of meaning. Readers formulate hypotheses as they encounter signs of the text, and those hypotheses are constantly being altered as new information is processed. Productive interaction necessitates the stance of a detached observer who is empathetic but who does not identify with the characters or the situation depicted in a literary work. Comprehension is attained when the reader achieves a balance between empathy and judgment by maintaining a balance of detachment and involvement. Too much detachment often results in too much judgment and hence in domination of the text; too much involvement often results in too much sympathy and hence in domination by the text. However, when the reader is able to integrate past experience with the experience created by the text through critical evaluation of the interwoven signs encountered in the process of reading, comprehension is achieved and learning takes place" (Flynn 269).
I feel that my reading and analysis of O'Connor's story followed the guidelines of the third interaction, which Flynn states is the point in which self and other, reader and text, interact in such a way that the reader learns from the experience without losing critical distance; reader and text interact with a degree of mutuality. I noticed many elements that the author used in the story such as symbolism, metaphors, and foreshadowing as I was reading.
In the beginning of the story the grandmother is reading a section of the paper which talks about The Misfit and how he is headed towards Florida, where the family is headed. The grandmother exclaims "I wouldn't take my children in any section with a criminal like that aloose. I couldn't answer to my conscience if I did" (O'Connor 1201). This excerpt foreshadows the events to come and reflects the feelings that the grandmother experiences at the end of the story when she abandons these thoughts of her conscience moral decision. The grandmother, who comes off as an overbearing character, is constantly given description that causes the reader to recognize her as a crucial part of the story. She is stubborn, outspoken, and seems to view herself as righteous and proper. She doesn't want to travel to Florida, but instead to Tennessee and she makes this known throughout the story. Her desire to go to Tennessee and her reminiscence of her memories there ultimately bring the family to their fate due to her embarrassing mistake of thinking that the plantation house which the family went out of their way to visit was not in Georgia, but in Tennessee. The grandmother's desire to travel to Tennessee can again be recognized as a foreshadowing of the events to come.
When the family stops at The Tower to eat the grandmother chats with the owner named Red Sammy. They begin to discuss The Misfit's escape and Red Sammy expresses his mistrust of all individuals which he excludes no one from. I felt that this exclamation of mistrust later reflects not only The Misfits character, but the grandmother's as well. She appears as a caring, trustworthy individual but in the end betrays her own blood. Red Sammy then states that "a good man is hard to find" which seems to be a direct reference to The Misfit.
After the families accident, the mother exclaims that maybe a car will come along. The reader, unknowing at this time, can view this sentence as one that precipitates what is to come. Just as the mother had thought, a car does come along. It is described as a "big black battered hearselike automobile" (O'Connor 1207). This imagery gives the reader a feeling of uneasiness which is further conveyed in the description of the characters who are in the car.
The driver is the first to step out of the vehicle and he is portrayed with an expressionless gaze. One of the individuals who piled out of the car was a fat boy in black trousers and a red sweat shirt with a silver stallion embossed on the front of it. The other man had on khaki pants and a blue striped coat and a gray hat pulled down very low, hiding most of his face. The two boys also had guns. This description conveys the men in a sense of mystery. The author makes them appear very sketchy and through this description the reader gains a sense of, again uneasiness as well as a sense of skepticism. The introduction of these characters further exemplifies as well as foreshadows the fate of the grandmother and her family.
As the grandmother's family is being taken away and killed off she attempts to reason with The Misfit and introduce him to the power of prayer. She continuously tries to convince him that he is in fact a good man and has a good heart. She stresfully cries "You've got good blood! I know you wouldn't shoot a lady! I know you come from nice people! Pray!" (O'Connor 1211). Due to his philosophy that "Jesus thrown everything off balance" the grandmother's pleas anger the man. As the grandmother recognizes The Misfit as one of her "babies", she reaches out to the man and touches him on the shoulder, the man jumps back as if bitten by a snake. He springs back and shoots her three times. Through this act of offering mediation to The Misfit, the grandmother can be viewed through a metaphorical standpoint: that of grace. She steps in to attempt to bring some light into his world and change this man's point of view on life as well as to save her own. Her act was one filled with grace and charity which may imply that this story was written as one to convey the transformation of an individual through the progression of the story.
Although the grandmother's attempts at saving her own life have failed her, she has come to realization that perhaps she isn't as righteous as she thought she might be. Her attempts however don't seem to be lost on The Misfit who adverts that by enduring a lasting violence, much like he has throughout his life, the grandmother could have been a good woman after all. With this statement it appears as though the grandmother wasn't the only one transformed by the encounter after all. The Misfit, through his statement, appears to have been at least somewhat moved by the actions of the grandmother.
Works Cited
Flynn, Elizabeth A. "Gender and Reading." 267-86. Print.
Note: I chose to pull direct excerpts from the author's essay and place them in my own writing because I felt that her own explanation was well written, and crucial in the understanding of the relevance of my post. This reason being the same for the amount of direct quotes in the previous post.
"A Good Man is Hard to Find"-Relation to Charles E. May's Writings
In chapter two of Charles May's book titled The Short Story: The Reality of Artifice he states that in the nineteenth-century a new genre was created which would be called "the short story". He describes it as a "combination of code-bound narrative convention of the old allegorical romance forms with the verisimilar techniques of the new mimetic forms" (May 22). He states that the short story "reflects a reality that is primarily a transcendent, timeless ideal or a projection of human desire for transcendence, and the best way to reflect it is to construct narratives that center on revelatory moments when that ideal or desire is manifested. It is primarily a romantic rather than realistic form, in which revelation--what the romantic poets describe with phrases such as 'moments of vision'--reflects true reality. The short story reflects on the sacred rather than on the profane, the universal rather than the particular. However, it differs fundamentally from the old romance in that the revelatory moment is experienced by an individual perceiver" (May 22), which in O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find" would be the grandmother. "It is not a result of the direct intervention of an absolute, transcendent reality" (May 22)".
In May's analysis of Herman Melville's short story "Bartleby the Scrivener" I found many parallels that pertain to O'Connor's story. In Melville's story, May states that the character Bartleby serves as a metaphoric figure rather than a realistic one. The grandmother in O'Connor's story seems to represent this same type of metaphoric figure in that she symbolizes grace through her actions towards the end of story. In his interpretation, May claims that "this metaphoric process (in which an object stands for something else) forms the basis of romanticism and symbolism, whereas the predominance of metonymy (in which an object stands next to something else) is what forms the basis of the realistic style" (May 35). The Misfit character of O'Connor's story becomes a symbol for the grandmother in that he brings to her the realization that she is not after all such a good person.
Characters used in short stories by authors such as O'Connor often live a "safe", "snug", "prudent," "methodical" existence. This romantic convention of such smugness, as seen through the grandmother, must be challenged by a mysterious stranger from the outside, a stranger whose reality is more metaphoric than metonymic; a stranger much like The Misfit. The other characters of O'Connor's story, Bailey, John Wesley, June Star, the mother, and The Misfits two accomplices, seem to have an aspect of metaphoric human emptiness. None are whole in themselves, but when taken together, they constitute one passably whole individual. Where they are characterized by little more than the sum of their traits, the grandmother, like Bartleby, seems to "metaphorically stand for a universal human awareness" (May37). This being recognized when she fails to salvage the lives of her family members and instead attempts to save her own by talking her way out of being killed. This brings about an awareness of selfishness, a very recognizable and immoral characteristic.
Like the story of "Bartleby", "A Good Man is Hard to Find" is problematic because it marks a transition between romance narratives, in which characters are two-dimensional representations, and realistic stories, in which the characters come off as if they were real. The story seems so firmly grounded in social reality that it is difficult to take the grandmother as a purely symbolic character; at the same time, if we take her as an "as-if-real" character, we have difficulty understanding what motivates her to act in the contradictory way that she does. However, as put by essayist Erich Heller, what does seem realistic, as in "Bartleby", is what is new about nineteenth-century realism generally--"the passion for the understanding, the desire for rational appropriation, the driving force toward the expropriation of the mystery" (May 39-40). The mystery behind The Misfit is continuously questioned by the grandmother. She asks questions about his life and about his faith asking "Do you ever pray?". It appears as if she's trying to wipe away the mystery of the man by digging into his personal life which angers the man and ultimately leads to her death.
"With the rise of realism and the resultant focus on specific everyday experiences, the short story has shifted from a symbolic embodiment of human experience to an illustrative example: instead of saying, with authority of the old romance, 'this is what human experience is,' realistic fiction says, 'given the way human experience is, this is what might happen.' Whereas the old romance story says, 'this is the way people are', the new realistic story says, 'this is the way people act' May 40). It is realism that gives the reader the thought that the characters may have a choice and that they might do something other than what they actually do. In O'Connor's story, this aspect of realism correlates directly with the grandmother's actions. The grandmother seems somehow bound, obsessed, driven, and determined to win over The Misfit even as the reader implicitly thinks that she "might" do something else if only she would turn back, get out, or snap out of it. The reader hopes that she might keep her thoughts to herself and keep her family out of danger, but her outspoken character causes each of them their lives.
The central characters of O'Connor's short story do not seem to be allegorical characters in the sense of the old romance form, yet they seem somehow caught in the conventions of allegory. O'Connor achieves this effect by bringing together the two worlds of the grandmother and the Misfit: she lives a life of what she views as righteous and proper whereas he lives in one of darkness and anger. This juxtaposition allows the reader to recognize the effect of The Misfits words and actions towards the grandmother ultimately bringing her to the realization that she is not such a good person after all. "Thus, the very mythic, traditional pattern of the story of the archetypal journey into the 'heart of darkness' transforms an 'as-if real' character", the grandmother, "into an allegorical figure" (May 40).
Works Cited
May, Charles E. "Chapter 2: Nineteenth-Century Beginnings." The Short Story: the Reality of
Artifice. New York: Routledge, 2002. 21-41. Print.
In May's analysis of Herman Melville's short story "Bartleby the Scrivener" I found many parallels that pertain to O'Connor's story. In Melville's story, May states that the character Bartleby serves as a metaphoric figure rather than a realistic one. The grandmother in O'Connor's story seems to represent this same type of metaphoric figure in that she symbolizes grace through her actions towards the end of story. In his interpretation, May claims that "this metaphoric process (in which an object stands for something else) forms the basis of romanticism and symbolism, whereas the predominance of metonymy (in which an object stands next to something else) is what forms the basis of the realistic style" (May 35). The Misfit character of O'Connor's story becomes a symbol for the grandmother in that he brings to her the realization that she is not after all such a good person.
Characters used in short stories by authors such as O'Connor often live a "safe", "snug", "prudent," "methodical" existence. This romantic convention of such smugness, as seen through the grandmother, must be challenged by a mysterious stranger from the outside, a stranger whose reality is more metaphoric than metonymic; a stranger much like The Misfit. The other characters of O'Connor's story, Bailey, John Wesley, June Star, the mother, and The Misfits two accomplices, seem to have an aspect of metaphoric human emptiness. None are whole in themselves, but when taken together, they constitute one passably whole individual. Where they are characterized by little more than the sum of their traits, the grandmother, like Bartleby, seems to "metaphorically stand for a universal human awareness" (May37). This being recognized when she fails to salvage the lives of her family members and instead attempts to save her own by talking her way out of being killed. This brings about an awareness of selfishness, a very recognizable and immoral characteristic.
Like the story of "Bartleby", "A Good Man is Hard to Find" is problematic because it marks a transition between romance narratives, in which characters are two-dimensional representations, and realistic stories, in which the characters come off as if they were real. The story seems so firmly grounded in social reality that it is difficult to take the grandmother as a purely symbolic character; at the same time, if we take her as an "as-if-real" character, we have difficulty understanding what motivates her to act in the contradictory way that she does. However, as put by essayist Erich Heller, what does seem realistic, as in "Bartleby", is what is new about nineteenth-century realism generally--"the passion for the understanding, the desire for rational appropriation, the driving force toward the expropriation of the mystery" (May 39-40). The mystery behind The Misfit is continuously questioned by the grandmother. She asks questions about his life and about his faith asking "Do you ever pray?". It appears as if she's trying to wipe away the mystery of the man by digging into his personal life which angers the man and ultimately leads to her death.
"With the rise of realism and the resultant focus on specific everyday experiences, the short story has shifted from a symbolic embodiment of human experience to an illustrative example: instead of saying, with authority of the old romance, 'this is what human experience is,' realistic fiction says, 'given the way human experience is, this is what might happen.' Whereas the old romance story says, 'this is the way people are', the new realistic story says, 'this is the way people act' May 40). It is realism that gives the reader the thought that the characters may have a choice and that they might do something other than what they actually do. In O'Connor's story, this aspect of realism correlates directly with the grandmother's actions. The grandmother seems somehow bound, obsessed, driven, and determined to win over The Misfit even as the reader implicitly thinks that she "might" do something else if only she would turn back, get out, or snap out of it. The reader hopes that she might keep her thoughts to herself and keep her family out of danger, but her outspoken character causes each of them their lives.
The central characters of O'Connor's short story do not seem to be allegorical characters in the sense of the old romance form, yet they seem somehow caught in the conventions of allegory. O'Connor achieves this effect by bringing together the two worlds of the grandmother and the Misfit: she lives a life of what she views as righteous and proper whereas he lives in one of darkness and anger. This juxtaposition allows the reader to recognize the effect of The Misfits words and actions towards the grandmother ultimately bringing her to the realization that she is not such a good person after all. "Thus, the very mythic, traditional pattern of the story of the archetypal journey into the 'heart of darkness' transforms an 'as-if real' character", the grandmother, "into an allegorical figure" (May 40).
Works Cited
May, Charles E. "Chapter 2: Nineteenth-Century Beginnings." The Short Story: the Reality of
Artifice. New York: Routledge, 2002. 21-41. Print.
"A Good Man is Hard to Find"-Initial Response
In Flannery O'connor's short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find", 1955 the story opens with an introduction of an unnamed grandmother complaining to her son, Bailey, and his family that she would rather go to Tennessee for vacation than Florida, the family's planned destination. After the family resolves to go to Florida regardless of her protests, she besets them by rising early the next morning and waiting in the car for the rest of the family. The grandmother is dressed in her finest , so that "in case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady"(O'Connor 1202).
The grandmother talks tirelessly during the trip, often recalling her youth in the Old South and commenting on various things she sees alongside the road. When the family stops at a gas station/diner, called "The Tower," for lunch, she beings to speak with the owner, Red Sammy, in conversation about the state of the world's affairs, specifically an escaped convicted murderer known only as "The Misfit." This "Misfit" character is the same individual which the grandmother was reading about in the beginning of the story. Red Sammy and his wife both appear as very skeptical individuals as they suggest that their isn't a soul in all of God's world that can be trusted. Red Sammy's wife states that "I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't attack this place right here" (O'Connor 1205) which I believe is a foreshadowing of the events to come. After their discussion about The Misfit, the grandmother agrees with Red Sammy's claim that a good man is hard to find.
While making their way back on the road, the grandmother, once again recalling a certain memory of a place alongside the families path, attempts to detour the family away from their destination and begins to tell a story of and old plantation that she had visited in the neighborhood of Toombsboro, the town which the family was right outside of. She tells of a secret panel and upon hearing that it has secret passages, the children become fixated on visiting the house, and the grandmother instigates them to pester their father until he gives in and agrees to follow the grandmother's directions to the house. As they travel down an unpaved dirt path, the grandmother continues to recall other points about the house: the beautiful glass over the front doorway and the candle lamp in the hall. When the grandmother's directions lead them down an abandoned dirt road, she embarrassingly realizes that the house is, in fact, in Tennessee and not Georgia. Flustered, she upsets her cat, which panics and attacks Bailey, causing him to lose control of the car and roll it into a ditch.
No one is seriously injured, and the children are inclined to view the accident as an adventure constantly exclaiming "We've had an ACCIDENT!" (O'Connor 1207) which plays into the humor instilled in the piece. The grandmother, unable to accept the trouble that she has put her family in as well as the consequences she must face for not giving her family the correct information, fakes an internal injury in order to gain their sympathy. I believe that this action that the grandmother takes contradicts all of her other actions throughout the story. She instantly comes off as a righteous, proper individual which later comes into play with the stories climax and conclusion.
The family sits in a ditch to recover from the shock. As they are waiting for a passerby, it isn't long that a big black battered hearse like automobile comes by. In seeing this, the grandmother stands up and waves both arms dramatically to attract their attention. As the car pulls up, the family sees three men which are all given vivid descriptions. One was a fat boy in black trousers and a red sweat shirt with a silver stallion embossed on the front of it. The other man had on khaki pants and a blue striped coat and a gray hat pulled down very low, hiding most of his face. The driver, who comes out of the car last was older than the other two. His hair was just beginning to gray and he wore silver-rimmed spectacles that gave him a scholarly look. He had a long creased face and didn't have on any shirt or undershirt. He had on blue jeans that were too tight for him and was holding a black hat and a gun. The other two boys also had guns. I feel that the detail of the description of these men is a way for the author to allow the reader to recognize them as crucial characters to the stories plot. Their description also imparts a feeling of uneasiness for the reader perhaps in order to foreshadow the huge role these characters play.
The driver, who appears to be the leader of the three, instructs his accomplices to inspect the family's car and engages Bailey in polite conversation. While this is going on the grandmother comes to a great realization. As she scrambles to her feet she stands and says "You're The Misfit!" and exclaims that she recognized him at once. They begin to converse and the grandmother asks The Misfit if he would ever shoot a lady. "I would hate to have to" The Misfit exclaims and it is at this point when the grandmother starts labeling him as a "good man". As the talking goes on the grandmother continues to claim that the man is a "good man" and shouldn't call himself The Misfit because she knows he is good at heart. At this point, The Misfit asks his accomplices to take both Bailey and his son, John Wesley to the back of the woods to talk. Bailey tells his mother that he will be back in a minute and this instills shock in the grandmother who begins to shout "Come back this instant!" which ironically reflects her overbearing character. Two pistol shots are heard from the woods and the reader now knows of the fate of Bailey and John Wesley. The Misfit next asks the mother and her daughter, June Star to go with the two men to the woods, and here, like before the reader becomes aware of the fate of the two. While The Misfit instructs his accomplices to murder the family one by one, the grandmother begins pleading for her own life, first reminding the Misfit that she is an old woman and therefore unworthy of death, and then by flattering him. When the Misfit ignores her pleas, she becomes speechless for the first time in the story. Panicked, she attempts to tell The Misfit about Jesus. She speaks to him about prayer and that if he would do this Jesus would help him. The Misfit becomes visibly angry and tells of his philosophy and outlook on life. He is angry with Christ for having given no lingering, physical evidence for his existence, and therefore he casts doubt about the legitimacy of Christianity. The Misfit explains that he is angry because he doesn't want to waste life serving an individual who may not even exist, nor does he want to displease an almighty God who may exist; frustrated by the paradox, he has settled on the idea that there's "no pleasure but meanness"(O'Connor 1210). The grandmother then reaches out to The Misfit, recognizing him as her "child".
As The Misfit's accomplices return from killing off the family, The Misfit who seems unmoved by the whole ordeal, calmly takes a moment to clean his glasses and appraise the grandmother. He concludes that "she would have been a good woman...if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life" (O'Connor 1212). The accomplice, now recognized as Bobby Lee comments on what fun they have all had in murdering the family. At saying this, The Misfit angrily admonishes him saying that "It's no real pleasure in life"(O'Connor 1212).
In reading Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find" I recognized a prominent underlying meaning. It is obvious that most of the conflict centers on the grandmother's act of reaching out and touching The Misfit. I feel that the grandmother's final act was one filled with grace and charity, which may imply that the story was written to show a sort of transformation in the grandmother through the progression of the story. At first, she seemed mainly concerned with appearing as a good Christian rather than being a good Christian. This can be seen through her selfish want to travel to Tennessee instead of Florida, but even more so through her attempts to salvage her own life while her family was being killed off. This is made worse by the fact that she characteristically could not keep her mouth shut, and having done so she may have saved the lives of her family. She soon realizes that contrary to her former belief, she has indeed not led a good life and at this point she reaches out to embrace her killer,The Misfit, in a final act of grace and charity. Although her attempts fail her, it is not lost on The Misfit who implies that by enduring a lasting of violence, she could have been a good woman.
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