Grace_in_Death

Babette Becker English 102.09 Prof. K. A. Wisniewski February 16, 2010 Grace in Death Grandmother, in her selfish pursuit to live in the past, constantly reminiscing about her old fashioned way of life many years ago, steered her entire family down a road to its eventual demise. From the opening lines of the story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, written by Flannery O’Connor, the grandmother seemed to be on the journey of a self fulfilled prophecy that started when she read about the “misfit” in the morning paper. Through symbolism, Flannery O’Connor tells the story of an old lady who lived most of her life in gentler times when people had southern charm, manners, and a strong faith in God. Due to the breakdown of humanity, the Grandmother, in her grumpy, pushy manner was desperately seeking something that she was unable to find in her current life, but may have finally found in herself, during her last moments, as she prepared to die. She lived with her son and his family, where her cantankerous manner was met with indifference and distain. She was not afforded the respect that the elderly had come to enjoy in past times. She must have felt frustrated and bitter, constantly being ignored and patronized. Her family seemed to ridicule her and treat her as if she was a bothersome obligation. These feelings were expressed as she tried to talk her son out of going to Florida for their family vacation. She tried to convey her concerns about the misfit running loose in Florida, and tried to sway her son into going to Tennessee instead, where she had past ties and fond memories. Her son buried himself in his paper and ignored his mother. She resigned herself to the reality of the Florida vacation and was the first member of the family to board the family vehicle, ready to embark on the family adventure. Did she have a premonition that this could be her last day' As the family was leaving for their vacation, Bailey and his wife were dressed casually, ready for a long drive. The Grandmother had dressed herself in her Sunday best, “in case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.”(430). This seems very symbolic, as if she dressed herself for her own funeral. She was determined to be the heart of their family, not to be left behind, and placed herself in the middle, between both grandchildren, in the back seat of the car. The little girl in the story, June Star, seemed to be the only member of the family who understood her grandmother. In spite of all of the grandmother’s complaining, as June Star said, “She wouldn’t stay at home to be to queen for a day, She wouldn’t stay at home for a million bucks, afraid she’d miss something. She has to go everywhere we go.”(430). Missing something was a theme with the Grandmother. She held on tight to her belief that things should be done her way, the old way. The Grandmother was obviously very disappointed in the actions of those around her and couldn’t resist any opportunity she had to scold them, informing them of the correct way of behaving, the southern way. She had deemed herself “judge” and constantly forced her opinions on them. When they stopped at Red Sammy’s, she couldn’t resist and miss the opportunity to bring up the past again, saying “People are certainly not nice like they used to be.”(432). She had to discuss better times with Red Sam and make sure that he was informed about the criminal on the loose, the misfit. Red Sam was a total stranger, but yet, the grandmother seemed to think she might find some validation from their discussion of better times. Her own son would not participate in her banter, so she tried to engage strangers. As they continued their journey, they strayed from the main road, down an old dirt road searching for the non-existent treasure awaiting them at the fictional house off the road, symbolizing man straying away from God in modern society. If they had stayed on the main road, they would not have had the accident, met the misfit, and the family would have lived. Going down the dirt road, tempted by the grandmother’s tales of hidden treasures, symbolizes temptation and evil, leaving them vulnerable to the devil, the misfit. Along the way, the grandmother even pointed out the graveyard with 5 or 6 graves, yet there was not plantation there. The number of graves matched the number of people in the family. This foreshadowed what was yet to come. Her faith in God is what she chose to use in begging the misfit for mercy. Through her selfish efforts, she plead with the misfit to pray, so he would realize that he was not a killer, but she never plead for her family members, only herself. If her faith was genuine, she would have been more concerned about the plight of her son, daughter-in-law, and her grandchildren. Even the weather that day was symbolic. It wasn’t too hot or too cold. It wasn’t cloudy and it wasn’t sunny. This symbolized the grandmother’s superficial faith in God. Her exchange with the misfit about Jesus rising from the dead symbolized that people turned bad because they had no proof that God existed. The misfit argued that when Jesus rose from the dead he wasn’t there, stating, “I wisht I had of been there, it ain’t right I wasn’t there because if I had of been there I would of known. Listen lady, if I had of been there I would of known and I wouldn’t be like I am now.” (436-437). She preached and prayed, yet she didn’t live what she preached. After she died, “Hiram and Bobby Lee returned from the woods and stood over the ditch, looking down at the grandmother who half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling up at the cloudless sky.”(437). The grandmother is smiling and looking up at a cloudless sky because in her final moments, she discovered her faith again. In the final moment before her death, she experienced a moment of wakening. When she was nose to nose with the misfit, she finally realized that she was the same as he. He was metaphorically, her son. She had found what she had been searching for; the realization that everyone is significant; everyone is a child of God, even the misfit deserves to be forgiven and loved by God. She found grace. Babette Becker English 102.09 Prof. K. A. Wisniewski February 16, 2010 Works Cited O’Connor, Flannery. “A Good Man is hard to Find.” Literature Craft & Voice, American Regionalism and Sense of Place. Volume 1. Michael Ryan. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2010. 3. Pg. 429-437.