Misfit Vs Society

Society attacks both the Misfit in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, by Flannery O’Connor, and Ysrael, in Junot Díaz’s short story, “Ysrael”. Both of the characters have been targeted all their lives and cast off from society. The Misfit, a murderer, has escaped from prison and is being tracked down by officials, and Ysrael, a boy who hides from everyone, is bullied because of his deformed face. While the Misfit carries out violence upon others, Ysrael receives extreme hatred from the children in his community. Only one character is a criminal, but both are victims of society.
Ysrael and the Misfit are both ostracized from society, yet find comfort in their families. Ysrael’s face was disfigured as an infant, “He was something to talk about, a name that set the kids to screaming…” Society is scared of what it has never seen before, so his community casts him away in order to protect themselves, “‘That’s Ysrael! [the narrator] was told. He’s ugly and he’s got a cousin around here but we don’t like him either. And that face of his would make you sick!’” Ysrael never has a chance to connect with others because he gets chased and hunted down like an animal. He has no one to trust except his family. Ysrael is targeted for his physical appearance whereas the Misfit is targeted for his actions. …show more content…
When he meets a family on the side of a road, he confides in the grandmother who, “... saw the man’s face twisted close to her own as if he were going to cry.” Soon after, “The Misfit sprang back as if a snake had bitten him and shot her three times through the chest.” He can’t trust anyone but his friends from prison, which is his new family. Even though the Misfit creates violence he suffers violence while