Flannery O’Connor’s essay discussing her own literary piece “A good man is hard to find” is a unique case. She insists as an author that people should not try to dissect stories, trying to analyze every single detail. Rather they should truly enjoy them first, find their own meaning in them, and not ask the author what he/she meant by implementing certain characters or actions in the story plotline. The reader’s perspective is always subjective; it implies forming one’s own opinion by the end of any literary piece. A good story always leaves questions that need to be answered, and it is the reader’s responsibility to draw their own conclusions.
She mentioned that her story is quite controversial because of the excessive use of violence in the plotline. Many other authors criticized it because modern literature’s reliance on the depiction of murder is quite common. However, it is not violence for the sake of a violence case. A good example is “Clockwork Orange”, where violence is used to prove a point that people are inherently evil. However, its use in this story resembles shock therapy, a testament of faith for the main characters. It is a stressful condition that makes ordinary people step outside their comfort zone and perform actions that are not typical of them.
The main character of the story, the Grandmother, is a very specific case because many interpretations of her actions exist. Some readers see her as an evil character who is comparable to the antagonist of the story, the Misfit. She attempts to beg a villain for her life despite him murdering her entire family a few moments earlier. It is very informative to see the author’s explanation of her actions and understand that her motivation, according to Flannery O’Connor, is the complete opposite. She does not want to save her own life; her intention is to change the sinner standing right in front of her by showing him Christian virtues like forgiveness. The Grandmother is sure that this gesture will leave a mark in the villain’s soul and eventually make him reconsider his way of life.