Hard To Find Grandmother

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One of the important aspects of human beings is their individuality displayed through personality traits, physical appearance, social status, and actions. These factors highlights the differences between one individual from another. However, there are underlying details that tie people together. “A Good Man is Hard To Find” by Flannery O’Connor analyzes the life of a family of five, specifically the grandmother of the family who believes she is proper and well mannered, the family’s interactions with each other, and the family’s encounter with a notorious criminal named The Misfit. Through the dialogue of June Star, one of the children, the grandma, and Red Sam’s wife and irony of the grandma’s action and outcomes, O’Connors emphasizes that…show more content…
When preparing for the car ride, the grandmother is fully dressed with her “white cotton gloves…navy blue star sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print” (1). Her effort is to appear fitting and ladylike as she declares “in case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady” (1). This early irony displays the grandmother’s need for a good physical appearance, a flaw most tend to hold. Ultimately the irony plays out as she gets into an accident and dies from The Misfit’s three bullets. Another example is when the grandmother meets The Misfit. Although the grandmother could’ve meant to avoid death by screaming “I know you’re a good man! You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people…”, she mentions “common blood”. This mentioning goes back to fact that she is quick to judge others from their outer aspect. In addition, it is ironic as The Misfit later mentions he has experienced many unfavorable lifestyles such as “seen a man burnt alive” (7). This criticizes the grandmother’s perception and emphasizes that all people are capable of flaws. Finally, the most prominent irony is when the grandmother finally reaches her senses to show compassion, think about others, and be sympathetic and genuine. For example, she tells The Misfit “Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children…” (8). In this scene, she is giving attention to someone else besides herself; however, she is immediately shot by The Misfit. This establishes the selfishness of mortals regardless of grace. Overall, the grandmother’s ironic actions and results clarify errors of
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