What Is The Grandmother's Role In The 1940s

The Southern part of the United States is all about its “hospitality” and religion. It was typical for a man to be in charge of the household, while the ladies did the housework and took care of the children. This was especially true in the 1940s. In Flannery O 'Connor 's “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” he shows how the role is switched around. The grandmother tries to overrule the man of the family many times. Was this because she just wanted to be in charge, or was it to put the man in his place under her? There are places in the story where it is clear the grandmother is the most respected in the family. The audience can also see the grandmother is a master manipulator in how she treats the misfit. One reader can conclude an assumption that the …show more content…
The 1940s was a time where the man was the one making the decisions and the women were the followers. Moreover, it is clear that the grandmother was the leader above anyone else in the family. One may suppose that this leadership could have led to many things resulting in the death of the family. If the grandmother would have listened to Bailey, there would not have been a cat to cause a wreck. If they did not attempt to stop at a plantation that was not even in that state, they would have still been on the road. If the grandmother did not step up to call out the misfit, then the family could have had a better chance of living. While this might be true, the grandmother might also be seen as innocent. One might believe the grandmother meant no harm to anyone. The grandmother could have grown up being the only child, or may not have had a good father who showed leadership in the household. To end with, no one really knows why the grandmother was the way she was or what made her the leader she was. She may not have ever really noticed, but the result was the family being murdered in the woods by the misfit and his