"A Good Man is Hard to Find" Review

Title:
"A Good Man is Hard to Find"

Author:
Flannery O'Connor.

Main Characters:
The Grandmother - Throughout the story, the grandmother is depicted as a manipulative, somewhat selfish woman. It is at the end of the story, the reader can see a softer, vulnerable side of her personality.

Bailey - The son of the grandmother does not have much dialogue in the story. The reader does get the impression that his mother irritates him to some degree. He appears to me to be cowardly, lacking the courage to try to save his family from certain death at the hands of the Misfit and his gang.

June Star - June Star is a child with an attitude, and not a good attitude. She is often very disrespectful to her grandmother.

John Wesley - John Wesley is an inappreciative young man. He is younger than his sister June Star and I perceived that John Wesley looked up to his sister in certain ways.

The mother - The mother is wife of Bailey, mother to John Wesley and June Star, and the daughter in law of the grandmother. She is not a large part of the story as her name is not even revealed.

The Misfit - A murderer, a felon who has recently escaped from prison. He is filled with hatred and has succomed to a life of crime. He doesn't appear to believe he can be anything but a criminal due to his long life of crime.

Summary:
The story is essentially about a family who goes on a trip to Florida, against the wishes of the grandmother who desires to go to Tennessee. The family becomes involved in a car accident where they are approached by "The Misfit," an escaped convict who enjoys causing people harm. The Misfit is accompanied by two other men and the three men proceed to kill the entire family. The grandmother is the last one to be killed.

The scene is set mainly in their automobile. I picture it as an older model car lacking air conditioning. I get the impression the ride is filled with tension in the air due to the constant complaining and pleading of the grandmother. The grandmother and the children are heard bantering back and forth in the back seat which gives me the impression her son Bailey would be very irritated. The mother sits quietly in the front seat and one can almost sense her distance from the rest of the family. She doesn't really interact with anyone, not even her husband. She seems to be depicted as distant, and probably isn't a very happy woman. The whole family gives me the impression of the American Dream gone bad.

The family's auto accident is essentially caused by the grandmother and her cat attacking Bailey while he's driving. The family is murdered due to the fact they encounter The Misfit at the scene. I find it ironic that the family is endangered by one who really should care about them the most, the grandmother. As a reader, I found the grandmother to be an irritating character in the story. The Misfit proceeds to have Bailey and his son killed first, then kills the mother, then the daughter. The Misfit engages in some dialogue with the ever chattering grandmother. The grandmother encourages The Misfit to pray, informs him he should have prayed when he first started his life of crime. She attempts him to seek help from Jesus.

It is when the grandmother begins speaking with The Misfit that I began to have some sympathy for the woman. She appeared to be a woman following the rules of society with her ladylike ways. She knew and understood the power of prayer and tried desperately to save her life by encouraging The Misfit to accept the aid of Jesus. The fact that The Misfit kills her in cold blood and then makes derogatory comments about her afterward illustrates true evil and lack of respect for human life.

The Misfit didn't have respect for his own life. He conveyed that by seemingly enjoying his criminal life. The story for me, represents the classic story of good against evil. It also brings to mind the old Grimm's Fairy Tales wherein one encounters "a big bad wolf" in the woods.

What do I know about the topic/story I am reading?
This story is one I've never read, but I am familiar with Flannery O'Connor.

What can you imagine that is not specifically outlined?
O'Connor doesn't really depict a lot of fear on behalf of the family. I imagined that there was a great deal of fear evident in crying, shaking, begging for life.

What do you think about what you read and what was your emotional response?
It seemed like such a coincidence that the grandmother was fearful they would get hurt by the Misfit and then it actually happened. That was almost too much. I had to ask myself, "What are the odds of something like that happening?" My emotional response was of course sadness. The whole family was killed. I was a bit angry at the grandmother, because without her interfering and her manipulative ideas, none of this would have happened.

What do I want to learn more about?
I am interested in learning more about the author. I have enjoyed her writings very much.

How would I react if these events happened to me?
Of course I would be mortified and scared out of my wits. I would never want to be in such a situation where my whole family was murdered. It would be the worst thing that could ever happen.

How does this story relate to my own life?
I can't see how it relates to me at all, with the exception that I am very familiar with Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. Many times when stories take place on the west coast it's hard for me to grasp what the lanscape might look like. I can relate to the geographical context of the story,

Would I recommend this story to others?
I am a fan of Flannery O'Conner, and while this is not my favorite work of hers, I would recommend it.

About the Author:
Flannery O'Connor lived a short life due to Lupus, which took her in 1964. In her short life, she managed to produce several wonderful works. She never wallowed in self pity due to her poor health, rather, she made light of it at times, once stating that she had the best looking crutches in Europe.