Societal Values Gone AstraySocietal Values Gone AstrayValues generate behavior. They answer the question, “Why do people do what they do?” A quote by Frank Outlaw applies directly to this idea, “Watch your thoughts: They become your words. Watch your words: They become your actions. Watch your actions: They become your habits. Watch your habits: They become your character. Watch your character: It becomes your destiny.” Values tell people what is good, beneficial, and desirable, and they help solve common problems. In her short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” Flannery O’Connor uses violent and humorous characters to demonstrate the breakdown of family values, ethical values, and religious values.
O’Connor uses the two main characters as her foundation to represent the different changes in values. The first character is the grandmother. The traditional imagery of a grandmother is that of a sweet, loving, and nurturing person. The grandmother in O’Connor’s story is the polar opposite. She is fearful, obnoxious, and judgmental. She considers herself morally superior to others by stating that she is a “lady,” a “good woman.” She wears polka dot dresses and frilly hats, a humorous sight. She criticizes her daughter-in-law for not allowing the children to “see different parts of the world and be broad.” [F100, pg 1048] She whines and complains to her son every time she does not get her way. She “rattle[s] the newspaper at his bald head,” [F100, pg 1048] in order to convince him to not go to Florida. She constantly criticizes the world around her, without turning an eye on herself. She is a hypocrite. She sneaks the cat into the car, lies to the children about the secret panel, and chooses to remain silent about the wrong location of the house. In the beginning of the story she does not want to go to Florida, so in order to hopefully get her way, she insists that it is not safe to travel, “I couldn’t answer to my conscious if I did.” [F100, pg 1048] She pretends to be selfless, but in actuality she is extremely selfish. She has a childish attitude, which is comical considering the nature of her character.
The misfit on the other hand, with his violent, murderous past, is completely opposite of the grandmother. He has a deep conviction that no other character possess. When he talks with the family, he is polite, and he apologies for Bailey’s rude comment saying “I don’t reckon he mean to talk to you thataway.” [F100, pg 1055] He even apologizes for not having “a shirt on for [the] ladies.” [F100, pg 1056] He struggles to find a purpose in his life, unlike the grandmother who assumes she is morally superior. While the misfit does not think of himself as a good man, he does realize that there are worse men out there. His philosophies include those of “no pleasure in life but meanness,” [F100, pg 1058] and “the crime don’t matter.” [F100, pg 1057] The
dance with Bailey and he asks her if she wants to be the one to take over. They have a kiss, he tells her goodbye. In their private moment they have physical and a mental battle. Themisfit and his wife are seen kissing the wife in the bathroom, themisfit says that he won’t be changing his outfit after the ceremony, and an angry misfit pulls up and confronts the Misfit. Misfit and the wives get flustered. He tells the couple to get out of here.
They go outside, but the Misfit tells them not to call the police on anyone who is not on a street watch. They get to the place.
They see a police officer as a guard, and he steps over to them. She tells him that he must have a ticket for a dangerous driving offence.
He explains that he has to clear the car of its drivers and that no one will know who the new guy is. He tells the police officer that he has a warrant to pull over, but you have to get out of the vehicle before the road is cleared for other cars to cross too. It is then that the Misfit tells the police that he will be arrested after he is charged. An angry MISB is found by their patrol cars. As her irate husband attempts to stop him, she tells him that he does not deserve to live, that he cannot be an idiot if he didn’t care what others thought of him,‡ and
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When they finally cross the roadway, the Misfit says he is in trouble. Themisfit calls the police, and the police tell her that he is in trouble and they’ve got you all arrested. That is when the misfit tells the policeman that he was on the road without a ticket, and he is being booked for driving a vehicle of an indecent nature without a ticket.
The Misfit runs behind a parked car, and he tells her that he will not drive the vehicle until he is arrested. When the misfit asks her what is wrong with her, she tells him to get out of the car.
The police say that they haven’t found any outstanding tickets, and that the Misfit will be arrested soon. He then tells everyone that he is out of her house. His wife and the others go outside and tell him that they’re going to get him out.
They hear a loud banging from the door.
[F100, pg 1061] Themisfit and the wife run back to the house.
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Bailey tells the cops to go outside,