A Good Man is Hard to Find - Flannery O'Connor

       A Good Man is Hard to Find

[alert-success] A Good Man is Hard to Find - Flannery O'Connor

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        "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor is a tragic short story about an elderly woman and her family. Due to the old woman's belief, if the family travels to Florida instead of Tennessee, they will meet with the Misfit. Her gloomy outlook on life and her negativity have an effect on all of her decisions, which ultimately result in disaster. In this story, the grandmother disagrees with her family's plans to visit Florida because she fears that the Misfit, who recently escaped from prison, may hurt them. However, the rest of the family doesn't seem to mind. In the end, the family as a whole experiences the catastrophe due to the grandmother's pessimistic thoughts.

I wouldn’t  take my children in any direction with a criminal like that alone in it. I couldn’t answer my conscience if I did.

The grandmother's inner conviction that her family will face difficulties in the future is all that can help her. Despite the fact that there is a very minimal chance that the Misfit will attack this family, these people still believe that every bad thing will happen to them. The grandmother in this instance fits into the same category; in addition to being afraid of the danger, she also instills her beliefs in her family since her conscience won't let her go. She becomes uneasy, and the mood becomes dark as a result of her conscience regarding the hidden danger. The family does not share their mother's perspective, but even a small quantity of pessimism can overpower any remaining optimism, regardless of how much there is.

“she wouldn’t stay home for million bucks.” June Star said “Afraid she’d  miss something. she has to go everywhere we go.”

        Bailey, the family's father, has no problem with the grandma; yet, he shows the dominance of men in society because he doesn't care what June Star and John Wesley's mother thinks. The children find humour in everything because they are so excited about everything, including the mishap. The grandmother's fearful outlook on the future is the product of two factors: the risk of experiencing tragedy due to the slim chance of it happening and the behaviour of actively seeking out another's attention despite their lack of care. The grandma appears to be doing anything to get people's attention because she is not getting the proper appreciation in her family. The phrases above demonstrate the grandmother's lack of consideration.

        Every action she takes is influenced by her pessimism and attention-seeking behaviour, which causes the catastrophe. Her clothing choices, the hat, and the cat all hint at the impending peril she fears may occur. The grandma is doing all of these things because she is determined to support her assertion that finding a nice man is difficult. She is attempting to attract attention by retelling her old tale with a fictional addendum that includes a treasure. The grandmother's pessimistic belief and her desire to show there is no good guy come out when the Misfit tries to help them, turning their journey into an accident.

 His face was as familiar to her as if she had known him all her life but she could not recall who he was.

        If the grandmother had not revealed the Misfit's name, the family's lives would have been spared, but her inner fortitude and terror prevented her from doing so, and in the end, everyone in the family passed away. The author's message is that there is no such thing as a good or bad guy; instead, a good man can become a bad man through the actions of other people.