A good man is hard to find has many interesting elements. It also begs many questions; the question which I found to be the most difficult it presents us with is what is a good man? Or person for that matter. Most would argue that good and evil are elements of nature which are mysterious, and lie in the grey area for us, but exist certainly within the world. Is there such a thing as a good human being? It is congenital within human nature to be petty, selfish and vain. We desire attention from others, material things for ourselves and the validation of those around us. What is Flannery O’Connor trying to say about human nature by having the grandmother reach out to someone who most would consider “evil,” someone who is responsible for the death of those she loves? And who is about to brutally murder her point blank for no apparent reason other than his belief that there is no joy in life other than meanness? Are we able to consider his point?
One of the discussion questions at the end of the story is:
4. By calling the murderer a “misfit” the story seems to suggest that he is not a monster…
I find this to be a very, very interesting point/ question. As a society we naturally shun characters like the misfit, for obvious reasons, but were we in their shoes can we say we would be any different? How come we pity people with diseases, but is it fair to say the misfit has a disease of sorts, or a point? Is it possible to separate ourselves from the brutality of his actions and objectively look at some of the points he made.
"She would have been a good woman . . . if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life." The misfit says at one point. Does that mean he believes he would be a good man if someone were to shoot him every moment of his life? What does the misfit think of himself?
One of the discussion questions at the end of the story is:
4. By calling the murderer a “misfit” the story seems to suggest that he is not a monster…
I find this to be a very, very interesting point/ question. As a society we naturally shun characters like the misfit, for obvious reasons, but were we in their shoes can we say we would be any different? How come we pity people with diseases, but is it fair to say the misfit has a disease of sorts, or a point? Is it possible to separate ourselves from the brutality of his actions and objectively look at some of the points he made.
"She would have been a good woman . . . if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life." The misfit says at one point. Does that mean he believes he would be a good man if someone were to shoot him every moment of his life? What does the misfit think of himself?
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