"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.