Plot Analysis
The story begins with a grandmother trying to convince her family not to go to Florida. She prefers to visit friends in east Tennessee. During her initial conversation, the grandmother introduces the character, Misfit, a serial killer who has just been released from federal penitentiary. She says that she could not answer to her conscience if the family had an encounter with Misfit. However, her pleas to her son and daughter-in-law fall into deaf ears.
While passing plantations the grandmother recalls a plantation she had visited years back being nearby. The children insist on visiting the plantation and their father is forced to turn back towards the direction of the plantation. This sets the basis of the family’s encounter with the Misfit. A seemingly enjoyable vacation by the family goes horribly wrong as the family is involved in an accident. The family members find themselves trapped in a ditch. They see a vehicle from a far coming towards their direction and they are filled with hope. The vehicle is moving slowly. At this point, the author creates suspense as the family waits for the occupants in the vehicle to assist them. And who would it be?
Misfits’ arrival at the scene
Misfit arrives at the scene in the company of two thugs. As fate would have it the grandmother comes face to face with her worst nightmare. Hope for the family is diminished as soon as the grandmother reveals the identity of Misfit. There is uncertainty but disaster looms. The family members are led into the woods and killed in turn despite the grandmother’s pleas. Reading the family’s encounter with Misfit and his gang, one gets thinking whether the family’s meeting with Misfit is a twist of fate or fate itself. This also applies to the fact that no member of the family dies from the accident yet they face their death in the hands of a serial killer.
Death of the grandmother and conclusion
The grandmother is left alone with Misfit. She tries frantically to plead for her life. The author influences the reader to reflect whether the grandmother would succeed. The gandmother seems to have triumphed but when she tries to reach out to Misfit the latter springs back and shoots her in the chest three times. Her death ultimately brings the story to a close. The two thugs return from the woods and Misfits orders them to get rid of the body of the grandmother’s corpse. The mouth of the grandmother seems to be smiling to the sky.
One wonders the extent to which the smile appearing on the corpse affects Misfit. In conclusion, Misfit reverses his earlier belief that he kills people and commits ‘acts of meanness for pleasure’ (145) when he concludes that “it is no real pleasure in life” (146). This change of stance by Misfit shows that the grandmother prevails upon Misfit in death.
Tone
O’Connor’s tone throughout the story is cynical. She seems interested in showing the wicked traits of her characters. For instance, she exposes the superficial character of the grandmother thus amusing the leader at the grandmother’s ability to manipulate. For instance, the grandmother is aware that Bailey is not interested in seeing the old house. Her determination to see whether the little twin arbors still exist sees her say that the old house has a secret panel. She does this knowing that the children would be interested in seeing the secret panel. Her plan succeeds as the children cause their Bailey to turn around and head towards the direction that the she directs (139).
Further O’Connor describes her characters as is they were comic strips. For instance, the grandmother is described thus “the grandmother raised her head like a parched old turkey hen crying for water” (145). The grandmother is in a state of panic having lost her family members yet the author describes her reaction in a comical way. The reader sympathizes with her yet laughs at the author’s description of her.
Setting
The story happens in Georgia. There is no specific description of the neighborhood as regards the family residence. However, during the course of the story and as the family travels O’Connor refers to different places adjacent to the road. Some of the described settings include the roadside barbeque joint and various plantations along the main road.
The setting of the last half of the story is in a ditch. All the family members find themselves after having been involved in an accident near the main road. The ditch is between a dark forest and the road. This scene is portrayed as a stage performance whereby the ditch is the stage while the forest acts as a backstage. The reader is only aware of the happenings at the forest from the transitory cries and gunshots.
Work Cited
Schakel, Peter and Ridl, Jack. Approaching Literature: Reading + Thinking + Writing. 3rd Ed.
Bedford/St. Martin's,2011, pp. 134-146. Print.
