A Good Man Is Hard to Find

A Good Man Is Hard to Find

  • Submitted By: nmueller12
  • Date Submitted: 12/11/2013 8:42 AM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 403
  • Page: 2
  • Views: 68

All for One and One for All
In Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” the grandmother’s self-centered central trait is revealed through her physical description. In the beginning of the story, the family is going on a vacation, and the grandmother is getting way too overdressed for the long car ride ahead of them. The mother was wearing plain slacks as the grandmother was in “a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print” (11). Having such nice clothing on, makes one wonder why she is doing so. It is not a fancy place the family is going too; they are simply going on a long car ride to Florida. With wearing a blue dress it symbolizes that the grandmother has spiritual values, wisdom or healing. Also by having the white dot on in the print symbolizes her purity or innocence she is trying to portray. One is not too sure why the grandmother is dressing in such a matter on such a simple car ride. As with the Grandmothers strange outfit choice, “she had her big black valise that looked like the head of a hippopotamus in one corner” (10). With having such a fancy dress on, her valise added to her appearance on the long car ride. Having the valise be black symbolizes she has a deep, mysterious side to her personality. With knowing the meaning to the colors she is wearing, makes the reader think about what she is really trying to make out of this vacation. Once the family gets into the car accident, the misfit decides to show his face. As he is tempted to kill the entire family, the grandmother is simply trying to save herself with her tears. With tears flowing down her face she, “removed a clean handkerchief from her cuff and began to slap at her eyes with it” (22). This shows how selfish the grandmother is, by just thinking about her life, and her appearance in a time of need. She is just thinking about how she looks, when her family and grandchildren are threatened for their lives. In Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “A Good Man is...

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