An Apocalyptic Ending
Preparation for the day of death remains an important concern in Christianity. Apostle Matthew instructed believers to “keep watch, because [they] do not know the day or the hour” of their departure from life. Furthermore, at any time, Jesus could return to Earth to welcome the faithful to Heaven, condemn the unfaithful, and hold all people responsible for their actions. In her short story, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” Flannery O’Connor demonstrates this unpredictability of Judgment Day and its consequences through the actions of a runaway criminal, who represents the angel of death, in response to the sinful behaviors of a grandmother.
Throughout the story, the grandmother displays selfish intentions. In the beginning, …show more content…
Upset and embarrassed, the grandmother’s “feet jump up” (427), causing a chain of events leading to an accident. A trio of men, lead by a “bespectacled man” (429) stop to help. The grandmother recognizes the leader as the self-named criminal, Misfit. Ironically, the grandmother connects the family to the fugitive she stressed about earlier to Bailey, whom she told “I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn’t answer to my conscience if I did” (422). In the events following the accident, Misfit symbolizes the archangel Michael, the angel of death, who appears unannounced to determine the fate of the family, concerning the after life. In addition, while describing his past, the Misfit states he had “been in the arm service, both land and sea, at home and abroad…been with the railroads, plowed Mother Earth, been in a tornado, seen a man burnt alive…seen a woman flogged” (431), places at which high death rates occur. This coincides with the angel of death’s responsibility to collect those who die. The grandmother represents the general population, who will have face the consequences of their sins on Judgment
Preparation for the day of death remains an important concern in Christianity. Apostle Matthew instructed believers to “keep watch, because [they] do not know the day or the hour” of their departure from life. Furthermore, at any time, Jesus could return to Earth to welcome the faithful to Heaven, condemn the unfaithful, and hold all people responsible for their actions. In her short story, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” Flannery O’Connor demonstrates this unpredictability of Judgment Day and its consequences through the actions of a runaway criminal, who represents the angel of death, in response to the sinful behaviors of a grandmother.
Throughout the story, the grandmother displays selfish intentions. In the beginning, …show more content…
Upset and embarrassed, the grandmother’s “feet jump up” (427), causing a chain of events leading to an accident. A trio of men, lead by a “bespectacled man” (429) stop to help. The grandmother recognizes the leader as the self-named criminal, Misfit. Ironically, the grandmother connects the family to the fugitive she stressed about earlier to Bailey, whom she told “I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn’t answer to my conscience if I did” (422). In the events following the accident, Misfit symbolizes the archangel Michael, the angel of death, who appears unannounced to determine the fate of the family, concerning the after life. In addition, while describing his past, the Misfit states he had “been in the arm service, both land and sea, at home and abroad…been with the railroads, plowed Mother Earth, been in a tornado, seen a man burnt alive…seen a woman flogged” (431), places at which high death rates occur. This coincides with the angel of death’s responsibility to collect those who die. The grandmother represents the general population, who will have face the consequences of their sins on Judgment