Flannery O'Connor Essay

3 Pages 761 Words

In a world where violence seems to be everywhere we look, people have taken many different paths to cope with it. When Flannery O’Connor began her writings, she showed us a new way to cope with this violent world we live in, with a sense of humor. Through her mix of the frightening, violent, and comic, she brought to us some very serious messages. The themes in many of her stories are only seen when the grotesques appears. And though sometimes the violence in her story is not always necessary, it always has a point
It is apparent through O’Connor’s stories that she a meld of her generation and upbringing. Growing up in the Deep South in the middle of a transition from segregation to integration, O’Connor grew up in a world where many still tried to hold onto the past. Through her stories she brings to light the many social issues that came along with this change. And though her stories are sometimes exaggerated, they are nonetheless something we can learn from.
In her story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” we find that the main character is a grandmother who was brought up in the prestige of the great south. She is a very proper woman and does not see her prejudice as wrong but merely the code of her class. When we really analyze this story and her role we can see that the story is not just about a trip to Florida but more so a story about people’s unwillingness to live in the world of the present. Through out the story the author gives us insight that the grandmother, though prejudice, is truly a sweet lady that is only being what she was trained to be, a southern belle.
At the end of this story, when the family meets their end we can again see an undertone developing. The Misfit is not just some rampant killer with his purpose unidentified. His sole purpose is to represent the future and its blatant disregard for the old ways. It is very fitting that right before the grandmother is shot that she yells in...