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.
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