Moral Decay in A Good Man is Hard to Find Flannery O’Connor’s short story, A Good Man is Hard to Find, describes characters as misfits even if they all do not know it. From supporting to main characters, moral decay is expressed throughout the story by the characters themselves. The theme of moral decay is most clearly displayed by various degrees through Red Sammy, the Grandmother, and the Misfit. Red Sammy is a character who exhibits the theme of moral decay in this short story. Red Sammy is a plump and strict restaurant owner and husband. Although at first, he may seem like a good man, he actually is immoral. Red Sammy seems to be a good person when he nourishes the family, but in reality, he bosses
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Red Sammy not only depicts his laziness, but also his treatment towards his wife. He is a hypocrite. O'Connor describes Red Sammy and his wife as opposites. His wife is displayed as kind hearted and hardworking while Red Sammy is the opposite of her. His wife takes care of the family that came while Red Sammy only got mad at her for talking to the family. As the family first saw Red Sammy and his wife, O'Connor describes Red Sammy and his wife respectively: "[Red Sammy] stomach hung over [hip bones] like a sack of meal...a tall burnt-brown woman with hair and eyes lighter than her skin..." (O'Connor 12-13). These differences depict that Red Sammy's lazy and does not do as he says he does. Red Sammy acts as if he is who believes in everyone. Red Sammy is prideful when he states, "'these days you do not know who to trust...everything is getting terrible."'(O’Connor 13). Red Sammy is depicting the image of showing This quote represents the judgment Red Sammy feels towards other people. Red Sammy believes that everyone around him is …show more content…
This was her only line of defense and the grandmother would not do anything when the Misfit decided it was acceptable to shoot a lady. Immorality is presented through the grandmother and her actions towards others and herself. The Misfit is the most morally corrupted character in the story. The Misfit is an escapee who murdered seven people, two of which are a grandmother and a baby infant. The Misfit’s name is led to believe that he does not belong in any moral and virtuous group. The Misfits is a separate kind of breed. In the beginning, the Misfit killed a whole family and his father. When the Misfit starts to kill the family members he orders, "well, first [Hiram] and Bobby Lee get him and that little boy to step over yonder with [Bailey]..." (O’Connor 24) . The Misfit orders his accomplices to kill the males without a second thought. The Misfit states that he is not bad or good. However, this is controversial because the Misfit is only bad and immoral. He believes that he is in a moral grey area even though he murdered seven people stating, '"nome, I ain't a
Red Sammy not only depicts his laziness, but also his treatment towards his wife. He is a hypocrite. O'Connor describes Red Sammy and his wife as opposites. His wife is displayed as kind hearted and hardworking while Red Sammy is the opposite of her. His wife takes care of the family that came while Red Sammy only got mad at her for talking to the family. As the family first saw Red Sammy and his wife, O'Connor describes Red Sammy and his wife respectively: "[Red Sammy] stomach hung over [hip bones] like a sack of meal...a tall burnt-brown woman with hair and eyes lighter than her skin..." (O'Connor 12-13). These differences depict that Red Sammy's lazy and does not do as he says he does. Red Sammy acts as if he is who believes in everyone. Red Sammy is prideful when he states, "'these days you do not know who to trust...everything is getting terrible."'(O’Connor 13). Red Sammy is depicting the image of showing This quote represents the judgment Red Sammy feels towards other people. Red Sammy believes that everyone around him is …show more content…
This was her only line of defense and the grandmother would not do anything when the Misfit decided it was acceptable to shoot a lady. Immorality is presented through the grandmother and her actions towards others and herself. The Misfit is the most morally corrupted character in the story. The Misfit is an escapee who murdered seven people, two of which are a grandmother and a baby infant. The Misfit’s name is led to believe that he does not belong in any moral and virtuous group. The Misfits is a separate kind of breed. In the beginning, the Misfit killed a whole family and his father. When the Misfit starts to kill the family members he orders, "well, first [Hiram] and Bobby Lee get him and that little boy to step over yonder with [Bailey]..." (O’Connor 24) . The Misfit orders his accomplices to kill the males without a second thought. The Misfit states that he is not bad or good. However, this is controversial because the Misfit is only bad and immoral. He believes that he is in a moral grey area even though he murdered seven people stating, '"nome, I ain't a