Introduction
In A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Flannery O’Connor explores such themes as family, prejudice, and finding grace, showing that human compassion could have transformative power. The juxtaposition between the two main stereotypical characters, the Misfit and the grandmother, is used to transfer the key message that in times of adversity, self-realization can help a person change for the better. The author intentionally makes the stereotypical players of the story evolve and become round characters with the potential to grow. In the story, the grandmother is a traditional representation of a southern, Christian, and authoritative woman who thinks that she is morally better than anyone else around her. Even though she is horrible to the Misfit throughout the plot, her moment of epiphany is the realization that she does love him just like one of her own children; however, it appears too late for such a redemption.
Discussion
The character of the grandmother combines some of the most unpleasant qualities an individual could hold. While she tries to appear as a proper lady by dressing well, as a person, she harbors negative tendencies of being quite prejudiced, selfish, and deceitful. She is quick to judge others and command them to fulfill her demands, such as critiquing her son’s parenting skills or trying to force Misfit to pray, convinced that if he utters a resemblance of prayer, it will change his heart: “If you would pray,” the old lady said, “Jesus would help you” (O’Connor 150).
Despite the frequent references of the grandmother to Jesus or Christianity, her behavior shows that she has no actual understanding of the principles of the faith, such as empathy, love, generosity, and grace. In her interactions with her relatives and the Misfit, she shows none of the qualities inherent to Jesus’s fundamental teachings, instead, she appears quite self-centered when her son or daughter-in-law are killed. She only begs for her life to be preserved, calling to Jesus with no actual reason: “Jesus! the old lady cried […] Pray! Jesus, you ought not to shoot a lady. I’ll give you all the money I’ve got” (152). While there is some redemption before the grandmother is killed, the fact that she cares for herself only is reflective of her self-centered personality.
Prejudice is another negative trait that characterizes the grandmother in the plot. Because the story was written in 1953 and Jim Crow laws were still in effect, the oppressive social structures were prevalent within the storyline. The grandmother is a reflection of the old and racist attitudes, acting amused when she sees a Black child standing at the door of a dilapidated shack. Instead of showing compassion for the child, the grandmother says, “Oh look at the cute little pickanniny! […] wouldn’t that make a picture now? […] Little niggers in the country don’t have things like we do” (139). Besides being racially discriminatory, the grandmother shows that she has no regard for the struggles of others and is only concerned with herself and her entertainment.
The behavior of the grandmother also shows her consciousness of class as she prides herself on being a well-raised and proper Southern lady with a good heritage. In the story, she makes a reference to “good blood” as if it is something that defines a person’s character and worth. To make sure that others perceive her as such, the grandmother takes extra care in dressing the part and being very attentive to her appearance: “Her collars and cuffs were white organdies trimmed with lace and at her neckline, she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet. In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady” (138). Therefore, she had highly superficial values when it came to presenting herself in a particular way. Still, when it concerned her relationships with other people, she did not show the same degree of care. Only in the final moments of her life does the grandmother’s perceived superiority and prejudice seem to disappear, and she manages to view the world clearly, without any prejudice, for a short moment before dying.
Conclusion
To conclude, the character of the grandmother in A Good Man Is Hard to Find combines many abhorrent qualities that people may have in one individual. The purpose with which the author characterizes her in such a way is linked to the experience of redemption and epiphany that even an individual with negative traits could have when faced with adversity. Any person is capable of change if they truly reflect on their past behaviors and understand that they had not been good. However, it is unlikely that the grandmother would change had she not been faced with death because prior to this, she had never shown any remorse for her actions or comments. Thus, in some cases, the fear of losing one’s life is the only thing that could facilitate self-reflection and help find grace.
Work Cited
O’Connor, Flannery. Flannery O’Connor: Collected Works: Wise Blood / A Good Man Is Hard to Find / The Violent Bear It Away / Everything that Rises Must Converge / Essays & Letters. Library of America, 1988.