In the short story “ A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor the grandma isn’t just a regular sweet old lady. Through out the story she proves herself to be a lousy and conniving mother and grandmother. Not only does she deceive her family, but also herself. A close look at her words and actions show the grandmother to be manipulative, over critical, and over compensating in her own judgments of herself.
The very first characteristic of the grandmother shown is how manipulative she is. In the beginning of the story the readers find out that the family is taking a trip to Florida and that the grandmother doesn’t wish to go there. So with out delay the grandmother goes to work trying to change Bailey, her son’s, mind. The grandma isn’t confrontational she is more subtle. She never comes right out and says, “I don’t want to go to Florida!” Instead she makes little indirect comments to Bailey to hopefully change his mind.“…The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida and you read here that it says he did to these people. Just you read it. I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn’t …show more content…
If she had, she would realize she is far from perfect, just like everyone else. Being a “good person” to the grandmother depends on the family and social class a person comes from. Her true colors are revealed when the Misfit shows up. If the grandmother was a good Christian woman she would have begged the Misfit to spare the lives of her family, not once did she ask this of him. The grandmother was to busy begging for her own life. “I know you wouldn’t shoot a lady! I know you come from nice people! Pray! Jesus, you ought not to shoot a lady.”(934) This one act shows what kind of character she really has. She isn’t worried about the rest of her family, just her own selfish
The very first characteristic of the grandmother shown is how manipulative she is. In the beginning of the story the readers find out that the family is taking a trip to Florida and that the grandmother doesn’t wish to go there. So with out delay the grandmother goes to work trying to change Bailey, her son’s, mind. The grandma isn’t confrontational she is more subtle. She never comes right out and says, “I don’t want to go to Florida!” Instead she makes little indirect comments to Bailey to hopefully change his mind.“…The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida and you read here that it says he did to these people. Just you read it. I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn’t …show more content…
If she had, she would realize she is far from perfect, just like everyone else. Being a “good person” to the grandmother depends on the family and social class a person comes from. Her true colors are revealed when the Misfit shows up. If the grandmother was a good Christian woman she would have begged the Misfit to spare the lives of her family, not once did she ask this of him. The grandmother was to busy begging for her own life. “I know you wouldn’t shoot a lady! I know you come from nice people! Pray! Jesus, you ought not to shoot a lady.”(934) This one act shows what kind of character she really has. She isn’t worried about the rest of her family, just her own selfish