A Good Man Is Hard to Find, by Flannery O’Connor, was published as part of a larger Anthology in 1953, and is today among the most well-known of O’Connor’s works. The short story takes place in the American Southeast and follows a family traveling on family vacation from Geiogria to Florida. The grandmother, who is blatantly selfish, wants to go to Tennessee instead, and starts fights with everyone in the family in hopes of getting her way. Further, the family’s travels seem to parallel the escape of a violent man known as The Misfit, who is also traveling to Florida. The story culminates by bringing the Misfit’s and Grandmother’s stories together in a violent battle of wits that ends in death. When speaking of the grotesque violence in his work, O’Conner reportedly stated that
the reasons for the use of so much violence in modern fiction will differ with each writer who uses it, but in my own stories I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace. Their heads are so hard that almost nothing else will do the work. This idea, that reality is something to which we must be returned at considered cost, is one which is seldom understood by the casual reader, but it is one which is implicit in the Christian view of the world. (O’Connor, 1963)
In keeping with this philosophy, a careful reading of the text will reveal that, in the end, the violence of the story brings back a final moment of grace, and ultimately of clarity, for both the grandmother and the Misfit characters.
The grandmother in the story is clearly out of touch with reality. This detachment, or willful denial of what is real, begins in the narrative’s first conversation, during which she tells June Star, who is being sassy, to "Just remember that the next time you want me to curl your hair," despite the fact that we are told June Star’s hair is naturally curly (O’Connor, 1953). The fact that she lives is her own fantasy is further reinforced by her belief that leaving the cat alone could be dangerous. She brings that cat with her on vacation believing that “he might brush against one of the gas burners and accidentally asphyxiate himself” (O’Connor, 1953). This is not only unsound, logically, but shows extreme selfishness, given that the family is traveling, will be staying in hotels, and is already very crowded in the car. It was also this disconnect from reality that leads the family off their intended path, to a remote location where they encounter the Misfit. They are off on a narrow side road, looking for the “old plantation that she had visited “ as a child, which likely did not really exist, when the cat got loose and caused the accident, which left the family in a vulnerable position. This is all in keeping with O’Connor’s purpose, which he insinuates leads characters who are “hard” toward violence, in order to bring them back to reality.
The death of her son, however, seems to bring her back to reality. Her show of emotion demonstrates the first real action, or reaction experienced by the character. O’Connor writes: “There were two more pistol reports and the grandmother raised her head like a parched old turkey hen crying for water and called, "Bailey Boy, Bailey Boy!" as if her heart would break” (O’Connor, 1953). It results in, as well, her final moment of grace, in an act of Christian kindness, as she appears to accept and forgive the Misfit, touching his arm meaningfully as she states that he is one of her “own children” (O’Connor, 1953).
Likewise, the Misfit is out of touch with reality. He states that he does not know what he did to end up in jail: “I forget what I done, lady. I set there and set there, trying to remember what it was I done and I ain't recalled it to this day. Oncet in a while, I would think it was coming to me, but it never come," and expresses outrage, stating that it’s not fair that he did not have the opportunity to walk with Christ, noting that if he had, things would be different (O’Connor, 1953). However, it is his moment of violence against the grandmother that seems to bring him back to reality. In his delusional, or disconnected state, he had equated violence with pleasure, stating that “it's nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can-by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him. No pleasure but meanness.” (O’Connor, 1953). However, after the act of violence, he looks “Pale and defenseless” having lost the delusions that he had put up as a protective wall, and instead experienced a moment of apparent grace, or redemption. This is reflected in his ability to express something more in touch with reality, when Bobbly Lee expresses joy over the woman’s death, and The Misfit says " ‘Shut up, Bobby LeeIt's no real pleasure in life’. ” (O’Connor, 1953).
In accordance with O’Connor’s statement of his own purpose, both the grandmother and The Misfit are transformed by violence. The violent act that is shared between them, brings the grandmother back to reality by removing her from her selfishness, and allowing her to extend a moment of grace to the Misfit. Likewise, the Misfit is made to see the error of his ways through the violence he does to the grandmother, and his witness of her moment of grace. Ultimately, the moment of violence brings back a final moment of grace, and ultimately of clarity or peace, for both characters.
References:
O’Connor, F. (1953). A Good Man is Hard to Find
O’Connor, F. (1963). Public Reading of A Good Man is Hard to Find. Virginia: Harwood College.
