Introduction
A memorable story is only sometimes presented as something that seems normal and incapable of undermining logic as it seems common. The short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is normal, for it aligns with logic and facts of reality that a good man is often hard to find. The title aligns with the statement from modern women who argue that chivalry is dead because men do not act as gentlemen, making it hard to find a good man. O’Connor’s story title peak individuals’ interest and is likely to need to be understood. Nonetheless, the story does not only communicate a good man being hard to find but rather the prejudice people have, leading to them not appreciating goodness.
The story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” illustrates the day-to-day interactions people have with each other. The author depicts how she deals with the notion of good, evil, and grace through various encounters (Re’em Segev, par 3). Additionally, the story is largely about struggles people go through, noting that the world is full of evils. The major theme in the story is goodness, which is its main focus, and how it can be found even in unexpected places. The story focuses on goodness but focuses more on depicting the evil that exists in the world, noting that actions have consequences.
A Good Man is Hard to Find depicts its themes and key focus by narrating the experiences of a family. The grandmother did not want to go to Florida; rather, she wanted to visit some of her connections in East Tennessee, thus seized every moment to change Bailey’s mind (Curley, p. 34). The grandmother sought to use every means possible to realize her desires and plans. She calls Bailey, showing him a news report on Florida stating that a misfit had escaped (Curley, p. 34). She did not show Bailey the news out of her concern for his safety but to coerce him into changing his mind. When Bailey did not give a listening ear, she went to protest her dislike of going to Florida to his mother, stating that they had already gone there.
People are generally selfish, as they will do anything to achieve their goals, even if it is at the expense of others. On the road, the grandmother noted how it would be adventurous if they went through Tennessee rather than Georgia (Curley, p. 35). Her grandchild, John Wesley, disagreed with her, and she sought to call him and his parents disrespectful as they did not agree with her suggestions. She made all possible stops throughout their journey to make sure that they would go through Tennessee so that she could see some of her friends. She even sought to narrate a story illustrating how chivalry has been lost over time as men no longer treat women as expected.
The depth to which people would get to attain their overall goal is often amazing and horrifying. The need to achieve something often presents as illnesses progressing, slowing eating one from the inside ( ). The grandmother did everything to ensure the family went through Tennessee before reaching Florida. Her desire to see her friends and not go to Florida leads to their almost-death experiences. Similarly, the misfit she often mentioned as she tried to discourage the family from going to Florida, they encountered him. She often mentioned the name misfit to drive fear into the children.
O’Connor denotes that selfishness is often a route cause of one’s problem as it silently exposes one to harm unknowingly. The grandmother often referred to the adage a good man is hard to find when she sought to coerce individuals (Bakkum and Marigold, par 2). According to her, listening to her and acting according to her desires is good; thus, the individual is good. Any act of defiance or opposition is disrespect, and one is evil, for they stand in the way of her happiness. Her actions betray her intentions, as she acts in a manner that depicts accommodation, yet her desire is for things to play out as she desires. Her desire not to go to Florida leads her family to have an accident and meet with the misfit she had occasionally talked about.
The story is noted to focus on goodness but illustrates evil and how far people can go to attain their objective. The grandmother, whom the story focuses more on, lies to her family as she does not want to openly express her feelings towards going to Florida (Re’em Segev, par 4). She is afraid of staying back home as the family goes to Florida and resorts to join them but pushes them to change their destination. Throughout the journey, she notes how inconsiderate the family is to her, noting that they are disrespectful. After realizing that the family is set on going to Florida, she seeks to urge them to pass through Tennessee so that she can see her friends. She only cares about what others want as long as she achieves her end goal: visiting Tennessee.
The story title and narration mislead its audience as it creates a notion that a good man will finally be found. The grandmother’s adamant push for the family to pass through Tennessee leads them directly to their deaths (Re’em Segev, par 2). They get into an accident and then get saved by the misfit, only to be slaughtered by him in the end. Similarly, the grandmother’s conversation with the misfit seemed to offer a different picture of the misfit, noting him as a good man, yet he was not. The story illustrates goodness but showcases how cruel the world can be. Similarly, O’Connor also illustrates that one’s desire can be one’s downfall in the case of the grandmother, as her desire to visit Tennessee leads to their abrupt death.
Rather than trying to offer an expected ending to her story, O’Connor chose to stick with her plot. It is a sad truth, but maybe chivalry is dead as it is hard to find a good man, or maybe it depends on one’s definition (Curley, p. 44). The grandmother notes that a good man is a person who, regardless of anything, places the interests of others above their own. She was once courted by Mr. Edgar Teagarden, who was good-looking and bought her watermelon every Saturday with an initial cut on the fruit (Curley, 36). According to her, Mr. Edgar was a gentleman as he placed the grandmother’s happiness first. Upon meeting with the misfit, grandmother thought she might be able to change his mind, but all in vain sh, she ended up being slaughtered like her family.
The misfit and the grandmother constitute the story’s stars, for they have similar characteristics. Both the misfit and the grandmother are evil as they coerce others into doing their bidding (Bakkum and Marigold, par 3). The grandmother lies to her family, leading them to their sudden death with no feeling of remorse. She champions the family to go through Tennessee, stating that Florida is unsafe as they will encounter the misfit. On her quest to visit Tennessee, her family is placed in harm’s way, for they get to interact with the misfit, meeting their sudden death. The grandmother tries to establish a conversation with the misfit, pleading for her life and arguing that he is a good man. To her surprise, the misfit, unlike others, had already accepted his fate and was okay with being a bad man, thus killing the grandmother.
O’Connor’s story is memorable; unlike others, it has no plot twist resulting from its title. One would expect the story to end positively, as one of the characters would experience goodness by finding a good man. Maybe the story sought to enlighten people on the aspects of being a good man, which is staying true to oneself, just like the misfit or John Wesley. The grandmother is searching for a good man despite her actions and intentions communicating differently. Her desire to visit Tennessee leads her to lie and cause the sudden death of her family at the hands of evil. A good man is truly hard to find as everyone presents with ulterior motives despite their outward appearance.
Work Cited
Bakkum, Amanda, and Daniel S. Marigold. “Learning from the Physical Consequences of Our Actions Improves Motor Memory.” Eneuro, vol. 9, no. 3, May 2022, pp. ENEURO.0459-21.2022, https://doi.org/10.1523/eneuro.0459-21.2022.
Curley, Edwin. “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.” Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association, vol. 65, no. 3, Nov. 1991, p. 29, https://doi.org/10.2307/3130141.
Re them Segev. “Actions, Agents, and Consequences.” Criminal Justice Ethics, vol. 42, no. 2, Taylor & Francis, May 2023, pp. 99–132, https://doi.org/10.1080/0731129x.2023.2225995. It was accessed on 21 Sept. 2023.
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