I am most interested in the choice for the title of this story. It certainly was not the type of story I expected to read. A good man is hard to find has 4 main male characters in the story none of which stand out as strong or desirable men. That being said the 4 woman in the story are even worse than the male counterparts. I’d like to examine how every pairing of male and female companions is an example of bad vs. worse. I believe the author intentionally paired each of these relationships to convey the theme that we are all in fact imperfect and dispel the old adage that “A good man is hard to find”. I will use the main character as the focus of my thesis because her strong personality resonate most for myself and I’m sure most other readers. Her relationship with Misfit is the strongest argument for what the author is trying to say. The plot is also carried more so by the relationships of the supporting characters which I would like to discuss as well. Each relationship dynamic is an important part of the setting of the story.
. Obviously the character that stands out the most is Grandmother who is the protagonist of the tale. She is paired twice, once with a “good man” in Mr. Teagerden whom she was never with. This man is described as good looking and he brought her food every week and died a wealthy man. No explanation is given why they aren’t together. She is then paired with Misfit whom I felt is the type of man she deserved. Misfit states that he should have met her sooner to shoot her every minute of her life. This would be a harsh statement if she hadn’t throughout the story made racist statements, brought the cat that caused the car accident, caused her son to take the path he did, and identified Misfit as a criminal leaving him with no choice but to kill them. The Grandmother and Misfit appear to be complete opposites as far as dress, speech, and background but it is obvious from last statement of the story that neither of them is happy.
The...