Short Story fiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Short Story fiction - Essay Example After leaving Red Sammy’s place, Grandmother throws a tantrum in order to be taken to a plantation nearby that she had known long ago. Bailey agrees to divert into the way in which his mother shows him. The grandmother realizes she has lost all recollection of the plantation. They drive back when they fail to trace the plantation. Grandmother’s cat jumps out of its box and lands on Bailey’s shoulder. Bailey loses control of the car and off the road. The car flips and plunges into a ditch. Just then, another car approaches them, and three men climb out. These men are The Misfit, Hiram, and Bobby Lee. The grandmother recognizes the Misfit, and he is unhappy with the fact that somebody recognizes him (Kilcourse 73). Grandmother tries to flatter the Misfit, but as it turns out, he is the hard-to-please kind. He orders Bobby Lee and Hiram to take John Wesley and Bailey into the forest. A moment later, Bobby Lee and Hiram shoots and kills them in cold blood. Grandmothe r fears for her life and she resorts to her Christian faith for the hope to live through the moment. The Misfit puts on Bailey’s shirt that Bobby Lee and Hiram have brought to him after killing Wesley and Bailey. Grandmother pleads with the Misfit not to kill her and advises him to pray to Jesus. In a matter of seconds, the Misfit shoots the grandmother thrice in the chest. Hiram and Bobby Lee come back from killing The Mother, June Star and the baby. The Misfit remarks that there is no pleasure in life (Kirk 39). Analysis of A Good Man is Hard to Find The title of the book, A Good Man is Hard to Find, points to Red Sammy Butts in the moment he conversed with grandmother while at The Tower. Mistrust of others is a theme that is consistently evident in O’connor’s book. In their conversation, Red Sammy Butts and grandmother confirm this. They reckon that it is hard to trust anybody in the world. Red Sammy recounts how he allowed two men to take gas on credit, and he laments ever having to be good to people (Robillard 52). Grandmother believes that there is not even a single soul on earth that can be trusted. This contradicts the Christian faith to which the grandmother is a strong believer. In this book, O’connor presents the reader with two clashing moral codes. Both grandmother and the Misfit have beliefs and perceptions that guide their conduct. A moral code is a collectivity of people’s behaviors, and beliefs thought of as reasonable and acceptable. The rightness of a person’s moral code is subjective. At a glance though, one would not help but notice how the Misfit’s code is erroneous. Grandmother’s code is also contradictory and unconvincing (Hardy 48). It is clear that grandmother’s moral code derives from what she thinks is good. For example, she emphasizes the importance of looking like a lady, depicting that she is more interested in appearance than in substance. She subtly deceives Bailey and the whole family without remorse. Despite her claim of Christian piety, she cannot even remember to pray when in a crisis. She even dares to question the divinity and power of Jesus. On the other hand, the misfit is consistent and apt in following his moral code. The Misfit believes that punishment is always bigger than the wrong done, and in the end, the wrong done does not receive the emphasis it deserves. It is clear that religion baffles the Misfit. Whilst the grandmother took faith blindly