A Good Man is Hard to Find

A detailed Summary of A Good Man is Hard to Find

Flannery O'Connor begins her story "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by introducing the grandmother. The character of the grandmother is a very domineering and manipulating one who attempts to engineer her family's vacation to Florida according to her need for attention. This cheery vacation takes a morbid turn for the worst when the family encounters an ex-con, The Misfit, who brutally murders them in cold blood, sparing no one. This short story was set during the 1950's in the South of the United States. O' Connor uses dialogue, description of movement, and a distinct literary format to illustrate how the grandmother manipulates others.

O' Connor uses dialogue to illustrate the grandmother's ability to manipulate others to further her own needs. As her family is driving down to Florida, her obstinacy about going to Tennessee blinds her sense of direction, and causes her to convince herself and her family that the Tennessee plantation she recalls from her childhood is nearby. Feeley describes the grandmother as a self centered romantic...arranges reality to suit herself when she can and indulges in fantasy when she can not". Although the grandmother sincerely thought that, " 'It's [the plantation] not far from here, I know,' "

The grandmother's selfish attitude is apparent even in the literary format O'Connor selected. Her distinct literary format strategically begins many of the paragraphs with "The Grandmother" thereby immediately directing our attention towards her character. Others include "The old lady settled herself..." "The grandmother offered to hold the baby..." "The grandmother said she would tell them a story if they would keep quiet." The simple fact that O'Connor repeatedly directs the reader's focus toward the grandmother enhances the reader's awareness regarding her self-centered and domineering nature. J. Peter Dyson asserts how, "The grandmother is established, in the story's abrupt opening sentence ("The Grandmother didn't want to go to Florida")...she [the grandmother] immediately begins to manipulate to achieve her goal of getting to Tennessee rather than Florida" (437). Dyson reinforces the point of the literary format of the short story enhances the selfish attitude of the grandmother. In the event that a discussion or activity was not focused around her, the grandmother would quickly manipulate the situation so that all eyes would be on her. For example, immediately after the car accident the grandmother says, "I believe I have injured an organ." Despite the fact that others may have been injured she instantly exploits the catastrophe to her advantage by evoking sympathy from her son. The grandmother is the first character introduced and the last member of family left alive. From start to finish and almost everywhere in between this short story, the grandmother has our attention.

In the end of the story, the grandmother's manipulation is also apparent in her dialogue about her need to save the Misfit's soul through finding god and repenting. After the Misfit tells his fellow ex cons to take her son into the forest, she tells him to "

Some common words found in the essay are:
Pitty Sing, O' Connor, Tennessee Florida, Southern-ness Donahoo, According Asals, Flannery O'Connor, Jane Schenck, Peter Dyson, literary format, short story, o' connor dialogue, distinct literary format, distinct literary, connor dialogue, bringing cat, o' connor, car accident, family driving, pitty sing, selfish attitude,

Approximate Word count = 1254
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English