Reading Journal A Good Man Is Hard to Find - Essay Example

A Good Man Is Hard to Find What does the narrator mean “Good” in the story? What is the theme of the story “A Good Man IsHard to Find?”The fiction “A Good Man Is Hard to find” was written by the renowned author, Flannery O’Connor, from Georgia. It portrays a work of art, with numerous but well developed characters. This article talks how about the ‘grandmother’ uses her own ‘wise’ perspective on the world. According to her, the world has run short of good men. The term “Good” in grandmother’s eyes is not just literal, as many would perceive.

This story contains various themes that O’Connor presents in an intriguing and unpredictable way.From the way grandmother has been portrayed, it is clear that she has an out fashioned and traditional perspective of life, where life was full of goodness, including respect for people and doing what was right for everyone. Her perceptive in life would hold true during her times, when she was still growing up. However, it is far from reality today, especially with people like Misfits and his friends owning guns.

This portrays the fact that the boys do not care about the well-being of their fellow men, and go as far as shooting the family. Due to her view of the world, grandmother even prepares for her death, saying she prefers wearing nice clothes so that her corpse would look good. Looking at grandmother’s character, it can be deciphered that she is ignorant and not flexible enough. This is because she does not adjust quickly to the changing world. Instead, she continues to judge people in her own way and expects them to act just as they did.

In her mind, she has created her version of what passes as goodness. T6his she does even after continuously deceiving her family. The narrator mentions, “The grandmother’s brown eyes were very bright” (311). This can be interpreted as ironic, because to the readers, grandmother appears to be unaware of the reality of the world around her. Even when faced with death when Misfit and his friends come to them with guns, she still calls the Misfit a ‘good man’. Her continuous encounter with children illustrates her eagerness to teach the children ‘good’.

The concept of Christianity also comes into play when talking about goodness. It demands that people see the goodness in others, irrespective of their errors. This could probably be the reason why grandmother calls Misfits a good man. According to her, her late husband was a good man. She tells the children about her life, implying that she expects the children to see the goodness in everyone. Grandmother is proud of her spirituality, even when begging for her life.In conclusion, it is evident that grandmother does not like how the world has evolved since her time.

In other words, she wishes that the world would remain, as it was, where one did not have to search for good people. Her stubbornness and lack of flexibility can be cited as the reasons for her failure to come to terms with reality. The term “Good” to her means, the act of accepting all the rules put in place by faith and the ancestors without question. She also expects others not to question these rules. From these illustrations, this concept of goodness is not good at all.Work CitedO’Connor, F. (2013) “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry Drama, and writing Ed Kennedy, X.

& Gioia, D. 7th Compact ed. New York: Pearson, 308 Prints