With over seven billion people in the world you would think that finding a good man would not be so difficult. In A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery O’Connor tells the story of a family (grandmother, father, mother, and two kids) on their way to Florida from Georgia run into a rather unfortunate event in their trip that was in no way planned as a “road stop”. O’Connor tells this short story through the use of a third person narrative. The main character that the story singles out the most is the Granny. The following essay will review the author’s story through a critical analysis approach by analyzing the main points while also interpreting both the good (setting, plot development that resembles a horror theme), and bad (no definite resolution)
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These components are: the plot, characters, setting, point of view, and literary motif. The plot for this story begins as a family going about their journey from Georgia to Florida. Everyone’s pilled in the car. They make stops to eat and everyone goes about their business. It is not until the Grandmother makes an unplanned route occur that the story starts to rise in tension. The plot is not a normal one with an exposition, climax, denouncement and conclusion, but is one that basically build up a steady path until the story ends after an abrupt climax with the grandmother and the rest of her family being killed. This short stories main character is the grandmother who ends up being m. The setting is primarily a 1900’s road trip that leads not to Florida as expected but a dirt road surrounded by woods. A good man is hard to find was written in a third person point of view. Overall the literary motif is that of nostalgia, suggesting that in the past a good man was easier to find then …show more content…
The ending was not a cliffhanger per say but everything did happen suddenly. The grandmother tried to make a bond with the misfit to make him more personal to her. The reader is left with many questions as to whether any of the family put up a fight for their lives in the woods? Also, what ever happened to the misfit and his accomplice’s? If the story’s conclusion ended with these questions answered the story could have been more satisfying to complete. This indefinite ending really takes a turn after the grandmother says that the misfit was one of her own children. Was the misfit really her child? Some scholars believe this assumption to be false, knowing that families roots can be traced way back in time. This kind of heritage tends to be ever present in the south especially. A lot of people call it southern hospitality, but when critically analyzing this story one can assume that grandmothers surroundings and settings have all caught up to her. The sudden realization of her predicament leads the grandmother’s faith to be questioned towards the end.
Overall the story of A Good Man is Hard to Find is a good one that has many hidden symbols and deeply inscribed motifs behind it. Like many other short stories this one has its share of both symbolism and suspense. Even though there are so many people in this world finding someone that resembles that of a “good man” can still be very challenging
These components are: the plot, characters, setting, point of view, and literary motif. The plot for this story begins as a family going about their journey from Georgia to Florida. Everyone’s pilled in the car. They make stops to eat and everyone goes about their business. It is not until the Grandmother makes an unplanned route occur that the story starts to rise in tension. The plot is not a normal one with an exposition, climax, denouncement and conclusion, but is one that basically build up a steady path until the story ends after an abrupt climax with the grandmother and the rest of her family being killed. This short stories main character is the grandmother who ends up being m. The setting is primarily a 1900’s road trip that leads not to Florida as expected but a dirt road surrounded by woods. A good man is hard to find was written in a third person point of view. Overall the literary motif is that of nostalgia, suggesting that in the past a good man was easier to find then …show more content…
The ending was not a cliffhanger per say but everything did happen suddenly. The grandmother tried to make a bond with the misfit to make him more personal to her. The reader is left with many questions as to whether any of the family put up a fight for their lives in the woods? Also, what ever happened to the misfit and his accomplice’s? If the story’s conclusion ended with these questions answered the story could have been more satisfying to complete. This indefinite ending really takes a turn after the grandmother says that the misfit was one of her own children. Was the misfit really her child? Some scholars believe this assumption to be false, knowing that families roots can be traced way back in time. This kind of heritage tends to be ever present in the south especially. A lot of people call it southern hospitality, but when critically analyzing this story one can assume that grandmothers surroundings and settings have all caught up to her. The sudden realization of her predicament leads the grandmother’s faith to be questioned towards the end.
Overall the story of A Good Man is Hard to Find is a good one that has many hidden symbols and deeply inscribed motifs behind it. Like many other short stories this one has its share of both symbolism and suspense. Even though there are so many people in this world finding someone that resembles that of a “good man” can still be very challenging