The novel A Good Man is Hard to Find was first published in 1953, and this work perfectly captures Flannery O’Connor’s style and writing technique. Her atmospheric writing does not leave anyone indifferent. Flannery O’Connor in “A good man is hard to find” uses literary elements such as description of clothes and technique of confession to develop a theme and portray the role of an individual in society.
The story’s theme is how the power of mercy and compassion transforms human characters. Flannery O’Connor turns social stereotypes into characters in her work and places them in necessary circumstances. The author deliberately dresses the grandmother in a prim and proper hat and gown to emphasize this character’s absurdity and hypocrisy (O’Connor, 2016). This develops the theme of moral decay around the characters that will enable them to transform. Misfit, the second main character, is a violent criminal whose life has gone downhill. Misfit questions the meaning of life and his role in it and reveals self-awareness that the grandmother lacks. He is dressed in a different way to the grandmother, his clothes are mismatched and he misses a shirt. This demonstrates character’s vulnerability as well as showing that Misfit is not a good man.
The God and his grace are central to this work. The grandmother begins to understand that all people are equally sinful, only in the face of death. The author uses the technique of confession in the novel, where the grandmother is a priest to whom Misfit tells about his sins. In this conversation, both characters demonstrate new traits, revealing their roles in society. The heroine shows positive qualities for the first time in her life. For Misfit the confession does not end in complete redemption, so the hero commits his next murder (O’Connor, 2016). With this radical move, the author emphasizes that although the hero is incapable of quick change, he gets his chance for grace and redemption.
Flannery O’Connor is a master of the short form, and her talent is putting a complex story into a short narrative. A Good Man is Hard to Find is a story of how unexpected encounters change people, even in their last moments in life. The author uses a confession technique and the description of characters’ clothes to demonstrate these changes while simultaneously embodying typical social stereotypes in themes of redemption and moral superiority.
Reference
OConnor, F. (2017). A good man is hard to find. Faber Modern Classics.