A Good Man Is Hard To Find

5 Pages 1223 Words

Most authors don’t write their stories with predictability for the reader. They want to keep the reader thinking. If the reader notices that each event that occurs is too predictable, then they begin to lose interest and wonder why they are still reading. They already know what’s going to happen. But Flannery O’Connor uses predictability to her advantage. O’Connor made the characters’ actions and personalities in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” as predictable and typical as possible to convey her message that a good man really is hard to find.
The character that stands out the most is the grandmother. Her entire personality and actions fit the description of a typical grandmother. She’s no different than all the other grandmothers in the world. She is somewhat the leader of the family, but still gets shrugged off by the rest of the family as someone that doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Her son, daughter-in-law, and grandkids don’t listen to her or even give her the time of day. A great example of this can be found in the beginning of the story. She tried her hardest to change Baileys mind about going to Florida because she wanted to go to Tennessee. She even brought good justification to her argument by saying that going anywhere near The Misfit was a bad idea. “I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it (Pg. 308).” Bailey still didn’t budge. It even took a lot of consideration for Bailey to let his mother see the old house when they were well into their trip. Even when he succumbed to her begging he did it in a stubborn, disrespectful manner. And even worse, whenever she insisted that she may have an injury after the accident, no one even acknowledged her. She isn’t even given a name in the story, which is a way of showing that she receives no respect or consideration.
These days, most people treat the mother as a burden or a heavy ...