Dr. Salinas
ENGL 1302.711
31 July 2014
The Flaw of Religion
Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” is a literary satire of the religious experiences between the Misfit and the Grandmother. The story focuses on the symbolic importance of the Grandmother’s last moments before her moment of grace, while the misfit is pointing a gun at her. While O’Connor’s textual description argues for an intrusion of divine intervention, it also leaves the reader questioning the Grandmother’s motive throughout the story. The Misfit’s presence in the story concludes that O’Connor’s projection of evil leaves an opportunity for the reader to subjectively understand the Misfit’s spiritual transformation literally and figuratively. O’Connor is very descriptive in contrasting her religious …show more content…
The Grandmother is a hypocrite in the sense that she is religiously observant only because she is instinctively fearful. In Sparrows statement, “Christianity is either true for everybody or not true for anybody. Both stances are dogmatic” (Sparrows). The claim represents that the Misfit and the Grandmother religious ideals are separately parallel to each other, but they do not share the same conviction for their belief in faith and its salvation. The selfishness of the Misfit allow a perspective for the reader to assume he does not believe in God and does not hold the same values of forgiveness. Whereas the Grandmother is begging for her life, because she does have faith and is willing to forgive the Misfit only because for a moment she deeply understands his pain. The Misfit’s lack redemptive qualities insure his decision to kill the Grandmother while acknowledging her salvation. Their perspective on religion flawed both of their moral references in order to appropriate their views