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Here is an absolute GEM!!!!! The “Happy Catholic” Julie Davis told me that an audio was available of Flannery O’Connor actually reading “A Good Man is Hard to Find” …and indeed there was (is…whatever). This was recorded shortly before her death of lupus at a talk given at Vanderbilt University. Take a listen to the “Master” in her own voice…priceless!
This was a very interesting story, but with a very predictable outcome. The narrator told the story with a nice tempo and rhythm that was easy to follow. A Good Man is Hard to Find is an adequate name for this piece because this turns out to be the conflict of the piece. The Misfit personifies the struggle or human conflict that we all go thru. The conflict between good and evil. The family represents the typical family that is naïve to the things around them and really not concerned about . This is their demise they were determined to go on a vacation that should have been cancelled from the start. Especially when the news about the escaped convict heading their way. As the narrator was reading the story you knew this would have a terrible ending. The grandmother in this case for all her doom and gloom talk didn’t take heed to her own words by not persuading her son to postpone the trip. But no matter what when someone makes up their mind to do something there is no stopping them. Plus she wasn’t going to let them go and she be alone. That’s proves she did not like to be alone. This is especially evident by not leaving the cat home and not telling the son she has it in the car. And using the children’s curiosity to want to go see the old house by telling them about some lost silver treasure that may not exist. To top it all off not to tell her son she has made a mistake and gotten her facts wrong and that the house is in another state all this with an escaped convict on the loose. All the secrets come out when the cat jumps out and surprises the son and causes him to have an accident and makes them flip the car. I knew then that this was the end of this family and I was right because who comes to the rescue The Misfit and his crew. Then he has some mental issues because he is going thru a personal conflict like some people today. They’re trying to figure out were did it go wrong, when did I become this person and will it ever be right. As he is killing the family it is sad because the Children don’t even see it coming. Plus the grand mother is still trying to convince him he has good in him, but like she finds out so sadly none is left he has become what his name is a misfit. Sometimes secrets and lies can comeback to haunt you.
The short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” written by Flannery O’Conner is an eye opener of how mean people can be, even back in the 1950’s. It tells of how a family was brutally murdered on vacation while taking a detour from there intended trip to Florida. While taking there detour just off the intended path, the family encountered a murderer that the grandmother recognized. Sealing their fates to death forever.
It is my opinion that the story ended too abruptly, with no conclusion as to what happened, other than the family was killed in cold blood. It does not tell of what happed to the murdered, if the family were ever found and if the family’s murder was justified.
The grandmother tried to convince The Misfit to turn to God for guidance and to see the error of his ways by telling him he was from good people. Meaning surely his family did not act in such a manner as he did, by killing and robbing as he was doing and had done in the past.
In the end, I believe the grandmother had almost reached the Misfit with her talk of God and how he came from good people. But in the end she scared him, she saw the look in his eyes and when she reached out and touched him. He reacted so violently he shot and killed her.