There can be no denial of the fact that literature is the true mirror of the society of the world. Indeed, there are innumerous examples of seminal literary works penned by various literary artists that have come to reflect the picture of the individual and the society with utmost perfection and artistic skill. As such, one can take into reckoning the short story A Good Man Is Hard to Find, by Flannery O’Connor that can very well be taken to be an exploration of the degeneration of the individual self and the moral values of life in the society. The most intriguing aspect of this short story is that it portrays the degeneration of the human values and documents the transformation of psyche and influence of conscience in the modern world through the tightly knit plot and the quintessential characterization that simply hog the attention of the avid readers right from the very inception of the story’s narrative. For a proper comprehension of the story in context, one surely needs to consider this narrative as a fictional social document that works to reflect the true nature of human individuals in the modern society. Indeed, with the advancement of time along with the gradual change in the societal dynamics and life, people have come to be changed while their notions of self and the world around has also transformed drastically. The demarcation between the good and the abominable has come to become blurred with time with the respective definitions of goodness and negative traits having changed in nature as well. A close introspection of the text would enable one to have a much better understanding of the matter in context. It can be commented that there are no “good” men or at least not “sinless” men in the world today.
It has to be noted that the moral fiber that has been one of the omnipotent guiding forces of the human society from the ancient times has come to be challenged by the change in worldview of the people. Indeed, the past times in history would guide the people as per the norms and practices propagated by the society and religion. People would give paramount importance to those normative parameters so as to abide by them. Thus, the demarcation between the notion of righteousness and wrong were very specific with people trying their best to follow the path of correctness, thereby making way for goodness in their actions. However, with time this sense of morality and the acceptance of the path of righteousness came to get blurred making way for evil or sins. (shortstories.about.com 1) This can be seen as an effect of the disintegration of the social and human values that went on to have an enormous influence on the individual of the society. Sadly, this influence has been a negative one holistically for human nature in general making way for wrongful actions that only work to degrade the standards of morality and conscience. This is the very essence that is reflected in the seminal short story by the famous author, Flannery O’Connor.
One needs to analyze the characterization of this story in context so as to have a better idea about the holistic disintegration of values and notions among the people of the society. The characters that get portrayed in this story by the stalwart author should be taken as the reflection of the society’s perspective and actions. Hence, this story takes the shape of an intriguing social commentary on the human nature and the intricacies of right and wrong that have come to get institutionalized in the modern day society. It has to be noted that the characters of this story show that there is nothing as “good” men in the present times, while the people have some amount of sin attributed to them. As the grandmother heads toward their destination with the entire family, they stop at Red Sammy’s restaurant. It becomes clear from the conversations between the people how goodness has become a rare quality among people of the society. Red Sammy goes on to talk about the fact that good men are hard to find. He describes how he has been duped by two men whom he had given gasoline on credit. This shows that the foundations of trust and honesty have come to get disintegrated in the modern times. Moreover, Red Sammy’s wife goes on to discuss the fact that she herself cannot trust her husband totally. Now, one has to understand the fact that the bond between a husband and wife is expected to be a very close one whose foundations are based on the attributes of love, trust and companionship. However, one comes to see how the bond between these married people has come to be transformed and thus differ from the general notion of marital bonds. All of this can be seen as the telltale signs of the transformation of human nature and the societal parameters. (setonhill.edu 1) The inherent goodness in men has come to get erased to make way for more complication interpersonal equations and notions that only work to show how sinful or previously unacceptable thoughts and actions have come to take over the human mind in the present times.
The conversation between the grandmother and Red Sammy’s wife also shows the apprehension of the characters about the whereabouts and future actions of the Misfit, a convicted antisocial who has escaped from captivity and is known to be around the place they were in. Red Sammy’s wife talks about her apprehension of getting robbed by Misfit and his gang. Also, one finds how Red Sammy and the grandmother come to lament the state of the world that has come to be degenerated from the previously institutionalized moral standards and propriety of actions on the part of the people of the society. The negativity in the minds of the characters of the story regarding the disintegration of moral fiber and the degeneration of conscience on the part of people shows how the society as a whole has come to change from what it was in the previous times. The story shows how there has been a holistic change in the ways of the world and the lives of the people. The conversations make it clear to the avid readers that the world is marked by sinful actions and immoral acts. Thus, the author comes to show how the nature of people in the society has come to get changed over time. (Fassler 1) The conversations make it clear that there has been degeneration from a previous state with regard to the nature of individual in the society. One can clearly understand that the scenario was different in the previous times.
Apart from the telltale signs as found in the conversations of the characters of the short story, one can also focus on the very nature of the character of the Misfit along with his accomplices. The Misfit is a negative character who is a known convict. The people in the story are apprehensive about the violence that could be inflicted by him. This comes to show how the sinful nature of this character in context haunts and bothers the other characters in this short story. The Misfit is someone who does not think twice before committing a crime- something that testifies to the degeneration of the moral fiber of the society and the individual that is being portrayed in the course of the narrative of this story. It has to be taken into reckoning that the narrative shows how the grandmother pleads to the Misfit to let her go since she is an old lady. However, the character of the Misfit never shows any dichotomy of mind and commits the crime sans any second thought or skepticism in any way. This is the most stirring character of the entire story and brings forth the thematic content of morality, conscience and disintegration of human values in the present day society. (Sparrow 1) The accomplices of this character reflect the same sinful essence that has come to encompass the individuals of the society as shown by the author. The collective sinful attribute of these antisocial characters of the story show how there has been a large scale change in the society and the people. The lawlessness of the milieu, the lurking danger that the commoners are apprehensive about only get validated by the cruel and criminal acts of these escaped convicts.
Very intriguingly, the grandmother keeps on referring to the Misfit as a good man. This is truly ironical indeed, as the character of Misfit is the most sinful of all the characters in the story in context. However, this reference goes on to point to the complications that have come to encompass the notion of goodness and impropriety. If one introspects about the notion of human values and their influence on individual behavior and life in the present times, it would become clear to the utmost degree that the sense of morality and conscientiousness hardly make an individual decide on the course of actions in his or her life. As such, it becomes clear that finding a person who is good in nature in its entirety would be a very difficult task. Rather, it is a commonplace thing to find people who engage in sins and commit acts that are improper as per the parameters of morality, conscience and even law. The author of the story too endeavors to establish this through the apt representation of the characters of the criminals. The number of murders that are committed in the course of the narrative by the gang in context shows how the value of human life too has come to be belittled due to the predominance of sinful attitude on the part of the individual.
The thematic content of the short story in context finds universality in the minds of the avid readers owing to the fact that it addresses the issue of human nature and behavioral patterns. As such, the behavior and actions of the characters of this short story by O’Connor is representative of the holistic degeneration of human nature in the entire society. It would be wrong to say that the theme of the story is bound by cultural milieu or community. Rather, the story is a deep exploration of the human psyche and actions as the author shows how it is difficult to find good men in the society in the present times. The very fact that this story has not been written to many years back in the history of English literature reiterates its contextual relevance in the society and the correctness of the portraiture and analysis of human nature by the literary artist, O’Connor. In the previous times in the history of mankind, it was much easier to find men who would very stringently abide by the path of righteousness and morality in their entire lives. (sittingbee.com 1) Thus, their lives and actions would stand in stark contrast to the sinners or the people who were not conscientious or moral enough in their lives. Hence, the differentiation of men as good or bad was a comparatively easier task before.
But, the scenario has come to get changed a lot in the present era of human existence. It is hard to find a clear line of difference between goodness and impropriety. The nature of people has also changed over the course of time as men have become more complicated in their way of thinking and actions. Hence, it is one of the primary needs of the era to explore the transformation in the attributes of people of the society and their dynamics with culture and human values. The characters in the story by O’Connor that are not outright sinful are also far from being good in totality. As such, lies and deception seems to be the rule of the day as one reads the story. Moreover, shallowness can be understood to be another major aspect that has taken over the human mind in the present era. The shallowness of approach is also conspicuous in the disposition and actions of the characters of the story. Now, while in the previous times religion would work as one of the most powerful forces to guide the common people of the society on the path of righteousness or goodness, this too has come to get changed over the course of time in human history making way for skepticism and lack of faith in religion and its doctrines or preaching. It is very intriguing to see how the author of the story, A Good Man Is Hard to Find, incorporates the attributes of religion and its influence in the present era in the course of the narrative through the portrayal of the character of the Misfit. The association of a negative character like that of the Misfit and his individual notion of religion makes it clear to the readers how religion has come to be misconstrued or misrepresented in the modern times leading to the loss of its power over the individual’s choice of actions and thoughts. (edsitement.neh.gov 1) The lack of influence of the religion with its righteous guidance is another reason for the blurring of the line between goodness and negative attributes in humans of the society.
Hence, it would be correct to say that at present the nature of individuals and their dynamics with the society have changed to get more complicated with time. For instance, the character of Misfit is someone who lives by this moral code that makes way for murderous acts and has no place for remorse. Nonetheless, he also spends time thinking about Jesus. This character does not know for sure if Christ actually raised the deceased. In contrast to the actions of Christ, the Misfit treads on the path of exuding meanness so as to give meaning to his own life. The character in context never judges oneself to be wrong or sinful owing to the murderous acts or other acts of criminality. Thus, the Misfit does not think twice before killing the grandmother while his accomplices kill the other members of the family that was involved in the car crash. The author of the short story shows how the notion of morality and conscience has changed in the minds of the people, while there is a rising skepticism about the infallibility and omnipotence of religious faith. This in turn comes to show its negative impact on the minds of the people and their behavioral patterns. O’Connor pens, “The Misfit sprang back as if a snake had bitten him and shot her three times through the chest. Then he put his gun down on the ground and took off his glasses and began to clean them.” (O’Connor 1) The modern times have seen a wane in the influence of religion on the people of the society- something that can surely be seen as a major reason behind the blurring of the line between goodness and sinful acts committed by humans.
As such, it would be correct to conclude by saying that the short story title, A Good Man Is Hard to Find, is in itself symbolic of the degeneration of human values in the modern times of the society. O’Connor does a perfect job in exuding the change in human nature through the plot of the short story and the characterization. The theme of this story is universal in its relevance and it addresses the intricacies of human mind and actions. The story delves deep into the various factors that work to trigger human actions and psyche. It can be fairly commented that there is no existence of men who are totally good in the modern era of human society. Rather, the characters have shades of positives and negatives in the present times. As O’Connor too points out correctly that it is hard to find men who are sinless or totally moral in nature. The short story can very well be seen as a perfect cultural and social portraiture of human life and human values. The author does a tremendous job in leaving a lasting impression in the minds of the avid readers who get to see a mirror of the society and humans in this stirring tale that goes to the ultimate depths of conscience, morality, goodness and evil in human life. The story is an eye-opener about the nature of the society as a whole in the present era of human history.
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