A Good Man is Hard to Find

Introduction A Good Man is Hard to Find is one of the most successful works written by Flannery O’Connor. The short story was written in 1953 and published together with other works she had done earlier under the same title. This short story best epitomizes O’Connor’s work, her themes, and her style of writing. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how A Good Man is Hard to Find best brings out themes and styles that characterize O’Connor’s writings.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A Good Man is Hard to Find specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Discussion A Good Man is Hard to Find portrays a disparity of violent action with hilarious and carefully created characters and a philosophy that underlines her staunch Roman Catholic faith. The short story is disturbing and entertaining at the same time- a feature that characterizes most of O’Connor’s writings, notably W ise Blood. The story begins on a naà ¯ve perspective, but instantly changes when O’Connor introduces a character known as Misfit, a convict who broke out of jail. Through Misfit, the author examines the Christian perception of grace- that true forgiveness from God can be received just by asking. The Grandmother, a main character in the story, is a petty, bad tempered, and imperious, but receives God’s grace before she dies. Despite her mainly negative traits, she treats Misfit as one of her own children. For O’Connor, God’s pardon is an energy not controlled by a person, something unmerited, or a moment of revelation. Styles Grace In A Good Man is Hard to Find, O’Connor explores the theme of grace through her two characters: Misfit and Grandmother. The most observable point on this theme in the story is when Misfit and the Grandmother both receive God’s grace despite their many faults, sins, and limitations. Christian theology teaches that God’s gifts are given even to the person least likely to receive them, forgiveness is among these gifts. Looking at the characters, none of them is worthy of God’s grace. Grandmother deceives her children, controls her son, and whines frequently about the inadequacy of the current and seems unaware of the world around her. She believes that she is superior and is the most appropriate person to judge others, for instance, she orders Misfit to pray yet she cannot even come up with an articulate prayer. Misfit, for his part, is a convicted murderer who escaped from prison. Despite the two characters’ flaws, God grants them forgiveness, signifying that even persons with similar traits as Misfit and Grandmother can receive God’s salvation. Religion O’Connor’s was raised in a Roman Catholic background and she has reflected this upbringing in most of her writings, frequently drawing a lot of debate due to her callous representation of religion. Alt hough her works are frequently violent in nature, they are based on her conviction and divinity.Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Besides, her characters frequently face violent of ruthless situations that force them into actions that awaken or change their faith, such as Grandmother in A Good Man is Hard to Find. For O’Connor, writing was a way of expressing her Christian faith on paper. We observe Misfit and Grandmother undergo a moment of grace and are their sins are pardoned; this is precisely what the roman catholic teaches, or Christianity in general. Epiphany Many of the writings by O’Connor contain scenes of epiphany, a moment when a character receives pardon, or God’s forgiveness. This style is evident in her writings such as Good Country People and A Good Man is Hard to Find. Throughout this story, O’Connor expresses how hard it can be fo r a non-Christian to change his/her ways. The moment of grace (epiphany) takes place when â€Å"The Grandmother’s head cleared for an instant† and she â€Å"saw Misfit’s face twisted close to her own as if he were going to cry† (O’Connor, pp. 374-375). She was moved with Misfit’s desire to be assured of actions that Jesus did and those he did not do, and realized that she was responsible for him. She tells her â€Å"Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children† (O’Connor, pp. 375). Grandmother demonstrates a moment of grace, despite her earlier acts of meanness, and receives God’s grace. Styles Symbolism Symbolism is a style that O’Connor uses in most of her stories. As a writer of fiction, combined with her Catholic background, she preferred to use symbols to express her faith and beliefs through her characters. A number of works such as Good Country People make use of symbolism. In A Good Man is Hard to Find, there are a number of symbols. The Misfit’s portrait of Jesus and Grandmother’s epiphany are representations of her religious beliefs. Grandmother has a hat that she frequently wears to show that she is a woman, however, this hat represents her distorted moral principles. While preparing for the journey with other family members, she wears her tie so that in case of an accident, it would be known that she was a woman. She is very indifferent to the fact that she will be dead by then and other persons, including her three grandchildren, would possibly be dead. Her only concern is her position as a woman, an absurd reason that exposes her meanness and distorted moral codes. Irony Irony is a common feature in Flannery O’Connor’s works, and A Good Man is Hard to Find is no exception. For example, Bailey’s mother pictures herself as an upright woman, but her actions prove otherwise. She dresses excessively, is deceitful, uses r acist terms, and resents America’s positive contribution to Europe after war. In fact, she foolishly utters that she knows Misfit. We only know her true picture when the story takes a disastrous turn. Eventually, she is killed by Misfit, whom she had claimed to know, even though she dies after redeeming herself by reaching out to her killer.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A Good Man is Hard to Find specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Violence O’Connor’s writings are frequently characterized by extreme use of violence and this has led critics to question her Christian background. Most instances of violent are normally carried out by narcissistic characters with depressing lives. A Good Man is Hard to Find portrays many scenes of extreme violence and these are committed by Misfit, the murderer who escaped from prison. Misfit shoots Grandmother as well as Bailey’s mother. However, the viol ence serves a role: it makes Grandmother and Bailey’s mother to realize how vile their mean behavior towards others was. Ultimately, we see both women changing their behavior before their deaths, moreover, Grandmother’s epiphany forms the climax of the story. Works Cited O’Connor, Flannery. A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories. California: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1977. This essay on A Good Man is Hard to Find was written and submitted by user Maximus G. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Inefficiency Of U.S. High Schools Essays - Youth, Free Essays

The Inefficiency Of U.S. High Schools Essays - Youth, Free Essays The Inefficiency of U.S. High Schools U.S. high schools are not properly preparing kids for the college experience. The primary purpose of a high school in the United States is to get kids into college. The courses taught in U.S. high schools are way too lenient in their grading policies and offer students much leeway. High school courses are too lenient because high school teachers make them that way. One good example that proves just how much leeway secondary education offers students is that on average, professors at the high school level accept late papers. Of course late papers are marked down, but this policy voids the purpose to having deadlines. Most universities, both public and private set strict guidelines on these matters and openly encourage their professors to do the same. I turned in papers a week late in high school and still received a grade of 70 % on them. This is coming back to hunt me in college because I now have a big problem meeting deadlines. Although I do not like to admit it, if high school had been stricter in this respect I might not be going through these many difficulties right now Most public high school teachers are astoundingly underpaid and overworked with sometimes over fifty students in a single classroom. In the last ten years the average class size doubled according to a Time magazine study published in 1995 stating that throughout the whole nation classes have doubled in size. The article mentions that this problem has occurred and will worsen due to illegal immigration, a population expansion, and people migration to cities and urban sites. Some students that can afford a private tutor or the cost of private education follow that path. This is not fair to the majority that can't afford this. Again, the lack of individual and private interaction between professor ends up resulting in that the student gets half of the education. For some reason I don't know, the student ends up always paying the price of an inadequate and inefficient public high school system. These statistics offer little incentive and motivation to get teachers to take action and lobby for change. Governmental cutbacks have forced many schools to close vital advanced placement and other college preparatory courses which are vital for the student aspiring for a college education. It is becoming now more than ever common that states give private entities and teachers public school charters along with grants and financial aid to encourage the nation's public high schools, as California Governor William Wells said in a 1994 Time magazine article titled, "A Class of their Own," "to raise their standards and improve the quality of education for all students." Public high schools around the nation should establish and "enforce" stricter college preparatory curriculums because over 50% of high school students that participated in a Time magazine poll conducted in 1996 said they are interested in pursuing a 4-year college education. The article stated that fifty years ago this would not have been the case. If over half the students attending U.S. high schools wish to pursue university education then public schools should tailor their programs to meet the needs and demands of the majority. It is important to know that there is a small percentage of the nation that don't even go to high school as the October 22, 1990 Time Magazine article, "Schooling Kids At Home," points out. Parents send their kids to school confident that the school will prepare them well for the future, but overlook that essential programs like SAT preparation and study skills courses are not offered. How must a school system expect that one study efficiently for exams if they don't show how. Clearly people have been studying for many years and there is no set way to study, but it helps to know what are the most time efficient ways to review for exams. I feels that s "study skills" class should be offered in every public high school around the nation. If this implies a great cost then study skills should be incorporated in the daily curriculum or at least taught once a week during class. The fact is that some time should be set aside for this essential class for which there is great need for. The same concept applies for S.A.T. preparation. Again I propose the conundrum, how must one be expected to pass the S.A.T if schools don't show us how to pass it. Many