discussion a good man is hard to find
A Good Man is Hard to Find
Post your response of 200-300 words..
Select any questions you wish to respond to:
1. The grandmother thinks of herself as a lady and a good Christian woman. Does the evidence support this? Is she more or less sympathetic (likable) than the other members of her family?
2. Analyze the Misfit’s motivation for killing the family and for his criminal behavior in general. Unlike his sidekicks, the Misfit has a philosophical temperament and carefully rationalizes his behavior. Besides not leaving any witnesses, why else would he kill the family?
3. Is there any foreshadowing of the ending? That is, are there any hints earlier in the story about what might happen to the family at the end? Name at least one foreshadowing clue.
4. At the end of the story, what does the Misfit mean when he says of the grandmother: “She would of been a good woman…if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life”?
5. Flannery O’Connor often writes situations in which characters have a sudden moment of spiritual understanding, or a “Moment of Grace”, that changes them forever. The Grandmother’s statement to the Misfit, “You’re one of my own children” is one of these moments, but it is sometimes misinterpreted by readers. She is not stating a literal biological connection to the Misfit, but realizing something else instead. What do you think the Grandmother’s statement means for the story, and for the characters of the Grandmother and Misfit? What is O’Connor saying about redemption and forgiveness?
