The Misfit and The Grandmother: Perspectives on Life in Flannery O'connor's Work

Flannery O'Connor's short story "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" really dives deep into the big differences between how the Misfit and the Grandmother see life. Their conversations bring out these differences, showing us two distinct ways of thinking. So, let's take a look at what makes the Misfit tick and how his views clash with the Grandmother's old-school way of seeing things.

Misfit's Nihilistic Viewpoint

The Misfit sees life as pretty pointless and full of misery. He even tells the Grandmother something like, "She'd be a good woman if someone was there to shoot her every minute" (O'Connor 107). Sounds harsh, right? But that's him saying life's got no real value or meaning. On the flip side, you've got the Grandmother who's all about manners and what's proper. This big difference in how they think really sets them up for some serious conflict.

The Misfit doesn't play by society’s rules either. When he runs into that family, he doesn’t buy into the Grandmother’s attempts to make him seem more human. He says, "I call myself the Misfit because I can't make what all I done wrong fit what all I gone through in punishment" (O'Connor 108). In his mind, justice is random and kind of pointless, which backs up his view that life just doesn’t make sense.

Grandmother's Traditional Beliefs

Now, let’s talk about the Grandmother. She's holding onto this belief system based on looks and surface-level goodness. She sizes people up by their behavior but misses who they really are inside. Take when she meets the Misfit—she says, "Why you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children!" (O'Connor 112). She can't see past labels to recognize who he truly is. This shows her limited understanding of people and an unwillingness to face reality.

Another eye-opening moment is when they talk about Jesus. The Grandmother talks about how he comes from "nice people" and tries to appeal to his religious side. But he fires back with, "Jesus was the only One that ever raised the dead, and He shouldn't have done it" (O'Connor 113). For him, bringing people back from the dead just means more suffering ahead. It's clear here that he rejects traditional beliefs too.

Reflections on Human Experience

By looking at these two characters—the Misfit and the Grandmother—O'Connor gets us thinking about life in a whole new way. While the Grandmother sticks with tradition and absolute rights or wrongs, the Misfit shakes things up by questioning everything we think we know about life’s meaning. Their chat makes us wonder: How do our own beliefs stack up against theirs?

This story invites us into these characters’ worlds where we can confront our own ideas and tackle those tough questions about conflicting worldviews. What would you do if your core beliefs were challenged like this?

References

• O'Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." The Complete Stories. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1971.
• Bauer, Margaret D., “The Uncanny Theology of Flannery O’Connor.” Southern Literary Journal, vol. 38, no. 1, 2005.
• Moser, Barry et al., “Understanding Flannery O’Connor.” University of South Carolina Press, 1998.
• Gooch, Brad, “Flannery: A Life of Flannery O’Connor.” Little Brown & Company, 2009.
• Giannone, Richard., “Flannery O’Connor: Hermit Novelist.” University of Illinois Press, 2000.