UNIVERSITY OF PANAMA  ANALYSIS ABOUT: “ A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND”   PREPARED by: MARIA ISABEL   DEL CID        

AUTHOR: FLANNERY O’CONNOR She was born in Georgia in 1925 and died in 1964, at the age of 39. “A good man is hard to find”, was written in 1955, a combination of humorous vs tragedy. O’Connor shares a strange style and interesting characters, her violent plot elements, and religious world view. Gender: Novels, stories, essays.

TITLE AND SIGNIFICANCE The reader would imagine this title: “A good man is hard to find” as a great and hard working man, who is admired for the people around him. However, Red Sammy, the owner of the Barbecue and the grandmother used this title to point out it is difficult to find good people nowadays. Also, the grandmother used this title to persuade the Misfit of his plans to killing her family.  

POINT OF VIEW The author combines humorous scenes between the members of that family and scared scenes since they met with Misfit and the other two killers, without thinking they would be killed.     At the beginning, it seems a fun story in which a family plans a trip to go to Florida, as usually they do. Also we can see how the grandmother behaves when she refuses to go there. She uses some strategies to change Bailey’s mind, but she could not. So, we consider those things as very common facts in any family.   However, the destiny changed their plans in a minute after.   They had to continue their trip as they planned before, instead of change their road.

SETTING A good man is hard to find” is set in a country side of Atlanta, in American South. Meanwhile the family was passing from Georgia to Florida, the grandmother was describing interesting details of the scenery, as Stone Mountain, the blue granite that in some places came up to both sides of the highway; the brilliant red clay banks slightly purple and different crops that made rows of green lace-work on the ground. She said that “Tennessee has the mountains and Georgia has the hills.”

MAJOR CHARACTERS The grandmother is the main protagonist. She is an elegant old lady, who likes to dress and act as a real lady who trusts in God's grace and asks him to be their guard. The narrator started the story talking about her. She always is looking the way of influencing in her family's decisions.   Her son Bailey, who acts like the head of his family, allows his mother to convince him to go out of their road to Florida, and take the way to visit an old house she remembered before. The grandmother's grandsons, granddaughter, and daughter in law, who also live together. They enjoyed their time chattering with their grandmother, not only at home, but also during their trip.

SECONDARY CHARACTERS   Red Sammy who is the owner of “Red Sammy's Barbecue”, and his wife, who takes the family's order.   Misfit, who is a criminal man which escaped from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida. He is a dangerous man, respects nobody, doing whatever he wants.   Hiram and Bobby Lee, they are also criminals, and go together their boss Misfit, who is an older man than the other two. They follow his instructions without refusing.  

THE CONFLICT   The conflict appears when the grandmother recognizes the criminal man named Misfit, who escaped from the Federal Pen. She doesn’t think about the consequences after telling them who is that strange man.

“ “A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND ” PLOT SUMMARY The narrator talks about a family who shares different activities together. The grandmother, Bailey, her son, John Wesley, her grandson, June Star, her granddaughter, a baby boy and her daughter in law. Bailey plans to go to Florida with his family. His mother tries to persuade them to stay home or going to another place, because there is a killer who escaped from a prison and comes to Florida, but she could not. So, they leave Atlanta and start their trip.

… PLOT SUMMARY During their trip, the grandmother predicts a good day for driving, neither too hot nor too cold. Also she advices Bailey about the speed limit. She points out interesting details of the scenery. The trees that are full of silver-white sunlight and so on… The grandmother and her grandchildren chatt away happily for a while. When they pass a large cotton field, she remembers her childhood… Later, they stop to eat something at “Red Sammy’s Barbecue”. There she talks to Red Sammy, the owner, about how difficult is to trust in someone you don’t know.

… PLOT SUMMARY Red Sammy says that everything is getting terrible, so “A good man is hard to find”. .. They continue their trip. After a while, she remembers an old house from her childhood, so Bailey allows her and his children to convince him to go out of their way and go to visit it. However, they don’t imagine the consequences that come after this. Suddenly, the grandmother remembers the old house is not in Georgia but in Tennessee. But now it is too late, because they have a car accident.

… PLOT SUMMARY The road is about ten feet above and they can only see the tops of the trees, more woods, tall, dark and deep, on the other side of it. Grandma stands and shouts, asking for help. Three men came and look at them. After a few minutes, she recognizes one of those men, he is Misfit (who escaped from the Federal Pen). Then, the family feels so afraid because those men have guns and look so dangerous. The other two men (Bobby Lee and Hiram) take Bailey and his son John Wesley toward the woods and shot them.

… PLOT SUMMARY The grandmother calls her son, but nobody answers. So, she tries to convince Misfit let them free, in order she asks him to pray and ask Jesus for help, but he only whispers something incoherent. Later, the two men take the children’s mother and her little children through the woods and kill them. Now, the grandmother feels terrible, so only asks Jesus for help. Finally, he shot her three times through her chest. .

FORESHADOWING When the grandmother has the peculiar feeling that the strange man was someone she knew. His face was as familiar, as if she had known hem all her life, but she could not recall who he was. When Misfit said: “ it would have been better for all of you, lady, if you hadn’t recognized me”. When Bobby Lee and Hiram take Bailey and his son toward the woods and grandma heard a shot, followed closely by another. Then, again the men take her daughter in law and her children through the woods and heard the same shot.

MEMORABLE SCENES When the grandmother talks her grandchildren about her childhood. Her description about the landscapes. When she remember that the house she mentioned before, was not in Georgia but in Tennessee.

THEMES Family’s traditions Description of some places Religion ( God’s grace )

CLIMAX First, Bailey and his son are killed. FICTIONAL TECHNIQUES: Genre: Humorous, Tragedy