Good Things Happen To Bad People
Georgia born essayist Flannery O’Connor has made a legacy centered on her use of a Southern Gothic writing style. Her writing not only reflects her experiences growing up in the southern part United States but also her strong Catholic faith (O’Connor, Flannery, The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O’Connor). In addition, O’Connor published a lot of her work from 1946 to 1965, which was the period in which civil rights for minorities was being discussed at length throughout the United States (Protest Campaigns And Movement Success). As a result, issues including racism, classism, and religion were topics often discussed within her writing. Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” adopts several of these controversial themes within such few pages of text. The theme that is most prevalent throughout the story is the concept of God’s grace. In terms of Christian belief, the definition for grace is described as “the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.” (Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary). In other words, it is the idea that all individuals are recipients of God’ s favor not dependent on whether we are worthy but rather due to his desire for us to possess it. Within Flannery O’Connor’s story, there are several very unpleasant and openly flawed individuals, some of whom become recipients of God’s grace. Her use of grotesque diction for character development, magnifies how even the most undeserving individuals, like the Misfit and grandmother, are still recipients of God’s grace.
In order to illustrate to her readers what makes the family members undeserving, O’Connor makes great use of grotesque characterization by focusing on the actions of the minor characters. Throughout the short story, the children, June Star and John Wesley show their underserving nature through their disrespectful remarks to their parents, grandmother, strangers, and the Misfit in the final scene. When the Misfit and his criminal allies stop to help the family after the crash, both children are unaware of the sinister intentions of the men and view them only as good Samaritans. Rather than exhibiting gracious attitudes, the children make nasty comments. For example, when the Misfit asks them to stay by their mother because children make him nervous, June Star scolds him and say’s “What are you telling US what to do for?” (O’Connor, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find“, Page. 22). The children’s’ consistently rude comments throughout the short story makes it evident to readers that they are flawed individuals.
In addition, both of their parents also reveal their undeserving nature in the final scene. Throughout the road trip, the mother is characterized as a very bland individual that rarely speaks. On the other hand, her husband is short tempered and tends to unleash his anger on his mother. From the moment the grandmother reveals that she recognizes the Misfit after the crash to the point where the first two murders take place, there is quite a lot of time that is passed. Rather than the mother and Bailey taking the initiative to try and protect their family, she just watches the terrifying scene play out while her husband takes his anger out on his mother once again and “said something to his mother that shocked even the children. [Causing] The old lady [to] began to cry” (O’Connor, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find“, Page. 22). O’Connor’s grotesque depiction of the parents inability to assess the situation and act in a manner that could have potentially saved their lives can be easily be seen as proof of their undeserving nature.
When dealing with the more complex characters like the grandmother and Misfit, O’Connor focuses on their dialogue in order to illustrate their outward lack of morality. Throughout the road trip, the grandmother scolds her grandchildren for their rude comments and talks at length about the importance of Southern manners. However, her own comments are filled with examples of racism, classism, and outward manipulation. Her inability to detect her own hypocrisy and ill-mannered behavior is made evident by O’Connor through her dialogue with the Misfit. Once she recognizes him, in an attempt to save the lives of her and her family by saying, “”Listen […] I know you are a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people!” (O’Connor, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find“, Pages. 23). The grandmother’s mention of “common blood” is caused by her obsession with socioeconomic status. In her eyes, the elite of society are set apart from the ordinary of society. In other words, the grandmother is once again exhibiting vain ideology by trying to explain to the Misfit that he should spare their lives (avoid sin) because he is not ordinary (sinful). In addition, rather than begging him to spare the lives of his family members, the grandmother only attempts to save her own by repeatedly saying, “You wouldn’t shoot a lady, would you?” (O’Connor, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find“, Pages. 22).
Unlike the grandmother, the Misfit embraces his lack of morality and is self aware of his sinful behavior. Rather than trying to act as if he is a great man, the Misfit is open about his spotty past and tells the grand mother “I ain’t a good man, […] but I ain’t the worst in the world neither.” (O’Connor, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find“, Pages. 25). He continues on explains to her that he believes, “there is “No pleasure but meanness” (O’Connor, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find“, Pages. 31). The Misfit has come to terms with his sinful nature and lives in his truth.
Flannery O’Connor’s extensive use of grotesque to illustrate the immoral and underserving nature of these characters, with emphasis placed on the grandmother, makes her moment of grace all the more evident to readers. After pleading for her life, witnessing the deaths of all of her family members, and listening to the Misfits view on religion and his reason for killing, “the grand mother’s head cleared for an instant. She [then] saw the man’s face twisted close to her own as if he were going to cry and she murmured, “Why you are one of my babies. You are one of my own children!” She reached out and touched him on the shoulder”(O’Connor, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find“, Pages. 31-32). At this moment, the grandmother is finally able to see herself as a flawed individual and equal with the Misfit. Rather than seeing herself as morally superior as she had in the past, the grandmother is finally able to view the Misfit as a person worthy of love regardless of his socioeconomic status, religious identity, or past. Although the grandmother finally has a moment of clarity and compassion, the Misfit shoots her three times resulting in the death of the entire family.
After her death takes place, the Misfit turns to his friend and says “She would of been a good woman […] if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life” (O’Connor, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find“, Page. 32). The Misfit’s statement draws attention to the grand mother’s sudden humane nature when faced with death. If she was always placed in situations where her life was in danger, she might have showed more compassion to those around her. Her death also results in a moment of grace for the Misfit. Despite his previous claims that there was no pleasure in the world but meanness, he ends the story by saying “It’s no real pleasure in life.” (O’Connor, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find“, Pages. 32). Although on the surface his statement seems simple, it is here that we see a major shift in his attitude. The pleasure he used to get from killing was not present when he killed the grandmother. Instead, her death was unusual in the sense that it is the first time killing made him feel remorseful instead. He too was as undeserving as the grandmother but was still a recipient of Gods grace.
Flannery O’Connor’s descriptions of her characters and extensive use of a grotesque writing style throughout “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” makes it difficult and often times impossible for her readers to be compassionate towards the characters within her story. O’Conner’s rhetorical strategy magnifies the unfavorable traits of the characters within the story. Therefore, when the grandmother and Misfit become recipients of God’s favor, the theme that grace is granted to all individuals regardless of merit becomes all the more evident.