Character analysis of the grandmother in A good man is hard to find

A detailed Summary of Character analysis of the grandmother in A good man is hard to find

The grandmother is the central character in the story "A good man is hard to find," by Flannery O'Connor. The grandmother is a manipulative, deceitful, and self-serving woman who lives in the past.

She doesn't value her life as it is, but glorifies what it was like long ago when she saw life through rose-colored glasses. She is pre-

sented by O'Connor as being a prim and proper lady dressed in a suit, hat, and white cotton gloves. This woman will do whatever it takes to get what she wants and she doesn't let anyone else's feelings stand in her way. She trys to justify her demands by convincing herself and

her family that her way is not only the best way, but the only way.

The grandmother is determined to change her family's vacation destination as she tries to manipulate her son into going to Tennessee

instead of Florida. She began trying to make Bailey, her son, feel guilty about the children's safety. The grandmother says that "she

couldn't answer to her conscience if she took the children in a direction where there was a convict on the loose." She is not success-ful with Bailey, so she uses the same antics on her daughter-in-law who doesn't even acknowledge her. Before she has a chance to work on the children,

are purely selfish, even though she pretends that it to ensure the children's safety. She also states, "the old plantation would be very educational for them." She is not concerned about the beneficial opportunities for the children, and is only looking out for her own needs. When the grandmother meets up with the Misfit, she tries to use the same techniques on him that she practices on her family. The Misfit does not allow the grandmother to manipulate him, however, he allows her to use her ploys for the sheer enjoyment of it. She does not resign herself to death yet, not even when she hears the gunshots coming from the wooded area. The grandmother listens to multiple gun-

you've got good blood, I know you wouldn't shoot a lady!" The grand-

shots and even then she only begs for her own life. She states "Jesus,

The grandmother remains self-serving throughout the story. She only considers what she can get out of a situation, and how it will ultimately benefit her. Her reasons for not wanting to go to Florida

mother's only son, and his entire family are dead and she remains

The grandmother doesn't live in the present, but in the past. She dresses in a suit to go on vacation in a very humid part of the country. She states, "in case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady." She constantly tries to tell everyone what they should or should not

Some common words found in the essay are:
Flannery O'Connor, Tennessee Waltz, , children's safety, tries manipulate, family grandmother, own life,

Approximate Word count = 956
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English