Literature: Flannery O'Connor, A Good Man is Hard to Find.
Introduction
The play, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is an interesting play based on a real life situation occurrence. The story is not only interesting, but also exemplary due to the unique stylistic devices used (Gooch 61). The storyline is captivating and out rightly capture the mind of any reader. The story was written by a renowned writer in the United States of America, the ever amazing Flannery O’Connor in the year 1953. Despite the story’s old age, it still remains an outstanding work in the field of literature.
Furthermore, the story was a major pacesetter in the past; a quality it still retains to date. For a story to remain relevant for close to seven decades in the ever dynamic field of literature means it is one of the best. The story is ever astonishing; several scholars have had various opinions on the final scene, a scene that is referred to as the controversial scene (Gooch 62).
The story, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” had its first publication in 1953, and it was at this time that its publication entered an anthology of short stories. The Avon Book of Modern Writing was the publisher of this book; it was among the most outstanding publishers in the United States of America. Following its publication, the story was further collected in the year 1960 collected in the anthology (Martin 56).
This collection was known as “The House of Fiction,” however, this time round; it was not published by The Avon Book of Modern writing but by the Charles Scribner’s Sons Publishers, also, a reputable publishing group in America. Due to its wider publication and audience, the book gained a lot of fame. As a result, it became the best known and best-selling works of O’Connor. The wider publication was gained from the frequent publications in various anthologies. Furthermore, it gained a lot of treasure due to the distinct work displayed, during the time, it was a story of its own class; an exemplary work that was second to none (Martin 60).
The storyline is based on a man named Bailey. Bailey desires to take his family for a vacation to Florida, however, his mother refuses and opts that he drives his family for a vacation to Tennessee where they have relatives, to his mother; Tennessee is the best choice for the vacation since they have relatives there who can assist them in case of anything. Furthermore, the mother in her view thinks Tennessee is the most suitable venue for the vacation since it’s not very far from Georgia. Nonetheless, they would only need to drive there. Moreover, the mother thinks that it could have been the best opportunity for her grandchildren, June Star and John Wesley, to see Tennessee, besides that, she shows them an article indicating that an escaped murderer was seen heading to Florida, to her, Florida is not safe for the summer vacation (Gooch 63).
Further to the short stories and novels, she also wrote a good number of commentaries and reviews on contentious issues. There was one thing that was quite unique about Flannery and her wring styles, she was a southern writer. In her writings, she relied heavily on Southern Gothic styles beside regional settings and the grotesque characters in her literary genres. Also, she was too religious; her Roman Catholic Faith was greatly insinuated in her works. She was a morally sound writer who frequently addressed issues of morality and ethics. Flannery stories were the best in 1972; they won the United States of America National Book Award Fiction. During the same year, she was crowned the best of the national books awards (Gooch 64).
Literary Element 1: Point of View
One of the literary elements employed while writing the short play is the element of point of view. A story is meant to invoke some reactions from those who read it. Fortunately, the stories spark out several views (Postmarked 40). A good story, just like the short play is sending the readers into giving out their opinions, basically, that is a point of view as used in literary genres. The major point of view that emanates from Bailey’s mother act was simply the view of charity and grace (Asals 42).
Consistent with the title of the play, the opinion of both charity and grace conspicuously emerge. In ordinary knowledge, a man is thought to good if he is charitable and brings grace to his people. The story basically shows transformation on the grandmother, consequently, as the play continues, there are certain features that Bailey’s mother adopts that initially were not evident in her character. Her desire does not come out to be a good desire but turns out to be a selfish one; her desire was only to save herself from being murdered. However, her family continues to die. Had she kept silent about the venue of the trip, none could have died. Although she never seemed to care, as the play moves on, notices that her life has not been good and decides to reach out to the killer. The move is marked as her last act of charity and grace (Wood 52).
Literary Element 2: Symbols.
There are various instances where symbolism is achieved in the short play. The first instance of symbolism is in the title, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, reflects that a man should bring charity and grace to his people (Wood 50). Symbolism is achieved when the grandmother advises her son to instead visit Tennessee where their relatives are, in so, he can bring charity and grace to their relatives. The story of an escaped murderer heading to Florida was also symbolical in the sense that the murderer heading to Florida was just a way of her avoiding being murdered. Also, she dresses nicely and says that in case she died in an accident, people would see her and say she was a refined lady. In so, knowing that she could be murdered, it symbolized that death was in her mind and she could die any time (O'Connor 40).
Themes: Theme of Divine Grace.
Flannery uses the word dark and more so to reveal the theme of divine grace. In the short play Flannery use of violence basically reveals grace, not grace in the ordinary sense but divine grace. Devine grace, is a term used in religion, in some instances it is referred to as the Lord’s favor to the people. Devine grace is a biblical concept applied in Christianity and is seen as a primary route to a man’s flourish and salvation (O'Connor 45).
The theme of divine grace is vividly revealed by the author when she employs several stylistic devices related to Christianity. Her works greatly rely to principles of Christianity. Christians believe that whatever is imperfect can only be perfected through divine grace. The primary way to getting the imperfect made perfect is through believing in the teachings of Jesus Christ and practicing his teachings (Postmarked 45).
In the short play, the grandmother, Bailey’s mother, at last embraces divine grace by accepting that in deed she contributed in creating the killer and that they are only tied by a family lineage, a major reason why she opted for Tennessee for the summer vacation. She finally reaches out to the killer after receiving the divine grace. Other things signifying grace in the work are the Sola gratia and the prevenient grace; all these are concepts of the Bible (George 64).
Conclusion
Flannery is a writer who relies on the Southern Gothic styles in her writings. Furthermore, she uses the grotesque characters in her literary works, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” included. Another thing that works well for her alongside her good stylistic devices is her religion. The work is deeply rooted in religion and vividly reveals her Roman Catholic faith. Besides, her works addresses issues of ethics and morality; these are the things that a society would want their children to ape in order to grow into responsible adults (George 65).
During the time, morality and ethics was an issue which attracted a range of issues. Therefore, any literary work that adequately addressed morality and ethical issues received enormous accolade (George 65). Flannery was a Christian who believed in biblical virtues, she extended her belief into writing, a fact that earned her the good reputation she had. Above all, a bigger portion of the American society are Christians, anything that board closely to Christianity will be highly embraced. Apart from performing its literary purpose, the short play also play a role in enlightening the people about the goods that religions bring to a society. The major theme in the short play is grace, not just grace in the ordinary sense but divine grace (Postmarked 45).
Works Cited.
Asals, Frederick. The Limits of Explanation. Critical Essays on Flannery O'Connor. Melvin J. Friedman and Beverly Lyon Clark, eds. Boston: G.K. Hall Publishers, 1985, Print.
George Kilcourse. Flannery O'Connor's religious imagination: a world with everything off Balance. Paulist Press, 2001, Print.
Gooch, Brad. Flannery. A Life of Flannery O'Connor. New York: Little and Brown Press, 2009, Print
Martin, Carter W. The True Country: Themes in the Fiction of Flannery O'Connor. Vanderbilt University Press. 1968, Print
O'Connor, Flannery. Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publishers. 1970, Print.
Postmarked Milledgeville: A Guide to Flannery O’Connor’s Correspondence in Libraries and Archives. Georgia College & State University Press, 2002, Print.
Wood, Ralph C. Flannery O'Connor and the Christ-Haunted South. Grand Rapids, Mi. Eerdman's Publishing, 2005, Print.
