Good Man is Hard to Find
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"A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor
Analysis
In " A Good Man is Hard to Find" the writer Flannery O'Connor draws from her own experiences growing up in the southern United States in order to write stories that are often disastrous and vivid and many times extremely humorous. Due to O'Connor's southern roots the characters in her story seem to have an old-fashioned view on society, typically of white and black racial divisions. In "A Good Man is Hard to Find" one never knows the exact time period or location, but due to certain points in the story one can estimate that it generally took place in the nineteen forties and obviously in the southern United States.
"A Good Man is Hard to Find," uniquely uses dramatic imagery and cruel irony to foretell the journey and demise of a family on a road trip. In the first few paragraphs one can begin to conclude that the focus of the story is going to revolve around the grandmother and her influence on her family. As the story begins to unravel one learns more about the grandmother, on the surface she seems to be a genuinely good person even thinking of herself as a "good Christian", but places more importance on appearing like one rather than acting like one. For example, she is very concerned with dressing her best when traveling in case she comes to an untimely death people would know at once that she was a lady. However, appearing to be a gentle old soul on the surface the grandmother is also very controlling and egotistical. After viewing her family as an extension of herself she forces them to abide by her wishes to travel to Tennessee rather than Florida, seizing every opportunity to get what she wants. As the family begins their route from their native Georgia to Tennessee, the story drops subtle suggestions of O'Connor's southern gothic writing...