A Good Man

A Good Man

A good man is hard to find by O’Connor is a drama that depicts the existence of a war between good and evil. O’Connor is a writer from South Gothic, and her background influences most of her writing. For instance, A Goodman is Hard to find is evidence of the death, violence, and Christian themes that were her preoccupations. O’Connor depicts that the moment of one’s death is his/her chance to show compassion in addition to being a test of character. This is through the grandmother, who tries to show love to the Outfit.  O’Connor is a Roman Catholic, and this inspired her writing; she views all her writing as being realistic, unsentimental, and quite hopeful.

The drama is about a family, a grandmother who is traveling with her family. She is in the company of her son (Bailey) with his wife and three children. They are on vacation to Florida from Atlanta. However, the grandmother would prefer to go to Tennessee, and she informs the family of a misfit on the loose in Florida called The Misfit. This does not change their plan, though. The grandmother goes the extra mile of presenting an article about the Misfit in her bid to convince them not to go to Florida, but they do not change the plan. During the day of the trip, the grandmother carries her cat secretly in a basket. She believes that if she wears a dress and a hat, it will help in her easy identification as a lady in case an accident occurs. During the travel, the grandmother chastises her son, John Wesley, for saying that he does not like Georgia. On their way, they come across the cotton field, which the grandmother says has graveyards in the middle.

They stopped at a restaurant by the name Tower that is owned by Red Sammy Butts. The owner complains about how untrustworthy people are citing a recent scenario he allowed two men to but gasoline on credit terms. They discuss a good man with Red’s wide saying she does not trust anyone, including her husband. The grandmother inquires about the Misfit. Red Sam’s wife expresses her worries about the Misfit robbing them. Red Sam himself recounts the title of the drama, saying, “A good man is hard to find.” Back in the car, the grandmother sees a plantation she had visited before, and she convinces the children of the fun in the house. They demand to be taken, and their and their father gives in. On the way to the house through the dirt road, she remembers that it was in Tennessee and not Georgia. Worried about the mistake she made, she moved her legs, which consequently opens the basket where she had hidden the cat. It scares John Bailey, who wrecks the vehicle, and the mother of the children breaks her arm in the process. The grandmother decides that she would not tell the truth about the house. Passing by car stops where three men come out carrying guns. The grandmother recognizes one of them as the Outfit. The events unfold, and they lead to the deaths of the grandmother and the whole family.

Out of the drama on “A Good man is hard to find,” we find different ways in which the author portrays who a good man is. As noted earlier, the drama is about the war between good and evil. O’Connor tries to bring this out through the grandmother, who represents the good and the Outfit representing the evil. Before meeting the Outfit, O’Connor presents the grandmother as being selfish and shallow. She prejudges the Outfit even without seeing him and assumes how bad he is. This contributes to her decision to want to go to Tennessee instead of Florida. The goodness in her is brought out at the end when she faces death threats from the Outfit. These are the moments when she tries to reach out to the Outfit and even refers to him as her son.

Flannery O’Connor presents a good person as the one who believes in societal decorum and ideologies. This is through the grandmother, who as a Southern woman who believes in these ideologies. This is depicted during her encounter with the Outfit. She keeps on enquiring for him if he can shoot a “lady.” She keeps asking about this despite the plight of her whole family being at risk. When the Outfit says he would not like to shoot a lady, the grandmother praises him. She consequently continues to tell him that he is a good man. The children and their parents are taken into the forest by the other two men. Gunshots are heard from that direction after some time. A good person is also one who conforms to the societal norms. Before they embark on their journey, the old woman wears a hat with flowers and a dress. She thinks that these will make people recognize her as a woman in case an accident occurs. During her encounter with the Outfit, the bream breaks as she tries to adjust the heat.

O’Connor also presents a good man as one who prays. The old woman asks the Outfit a couple of times if he prays. The Outfit tells him that he was a gospel singer. The grandmother keeps on chanting the words “pray.” O’Connor presents the Outfit as someone who did not believe in praying. He made his judgment according to his set standards and determines whether he is a good or bad person. After the children are taken away, he apologizes to the woman for not wearing shirts. This shows that the Outfit is not generally evil. He has some good traits in him. He also says that growing up, and he was not a bad child. He recalls one instance when he went to prison for a crime he could not remember committing. When the grandmother tells the Outfit to pray, he responds, saying he is okay being alone.

O’Connor shows that many people are evil, but they turn to God when they are faced with challenges. The grandmother is a manipulative old woman who turns to God when she was faced with death. When faced with death, her main concern is her looks and not her soul or the safety of her family. She believes that her soul is clean and uncorrupted as her hat that was navy blue with a bunch of white violets on edge. This belief can be interpreted to change because the hat breaks during the encounter with the Outfit. O’Connor presents this to show that a good man does not need to be hypocritical. The old woman is hypocritical and does not care about her family nor her soul. Her main concern is her outlook. The Outfit is presented as not being a hypocrite because he says that although he is not a good man, he is not the worst in the world.

In conclusion, O’Connor is a controversial writer who presents the war between evil and good through the two characters, the old woman and the Outfit. Her message on a good man can be understood towards the end when the old woman is faced with death. She turns to God by chanting the words to pray all the time and advising the Outfit to pray. O’Connor’s message on a good man is someone who is not hypocritical as the grandmother. Someone who believes in social etiquette and ideologies.  A good man also prays according to the old woman.