While O'Conner's story "A Good Man is Hard to Find" appears abrupt and inconclusive I do feel that there
is a purpose to the conflict. I find the reason for the story to be found in the rising action, specifically from the
point where the grandmother begins to reason with the Misfit to when she is shot. O'Conner pays special to the dialogue between the grandmother and the Misfit and that shows that they play important roles in the meaning of the story. In my opinion the two show relativity in difference; that it is it portrays how an old fashioned old lady and a psychotic serial killer share common views to the point where possibly the only thing separating them is affection issues. Throughout the story they go back and forth about Jesus and support in God and for much they agree on things. It is almost like the Misfit is mesmorized by the words of the grandmother, for he does keep her alive the longest. In fact as far as we know the only reason he killed her was do to being startled by the woman's sudden affection. The Misfit obviously had issues with his father, he stated that he was considered the outsider in his family, and was inprisoned for what O'Conner makes us infer as killing his father. Thus we can see how his psychological issues most likely stem from issues of acceptance and the grandmother's embrace is what set him off. Even as the family is taken in groups to the woods and murdered it is almost like a minor occurrence in the background of the main story, the dialogue between the Misfit and the grandmother. Of course the grandmother is pleading for her life and finding justification for the Misfit to allow her to live, but what she does not realize is that the Misfit sees no sacredness in life. At the same time the Misfit is chasing a void in his life and like most psychopaths filling it with destruction. Unfortunately the Misfit's desire to prove there is no pleasure in life outdoes the grandmother's attempt to prove life is sacred. However the fact that the grandmother lives the longest and startles the very calm mannered Misfit at the end of the story shows that he is still a person, like the grandmother. The murderer has feeling and, even though has committed inhumane acts, is very much human. Though I personally find this story in need of a further conclusion, I do see an underlying direction
it is attempting to make. It is just with a difficultly interpreted.
Jacob Pino
Week 3 Question 3
ReplyDeleteI believe that the combination of using both these contradicting statements illustrates what the author feels about his presence with his family as being a gay black male. He uses both sentences to express how his presence with his family is seen on the outside but is felt differently on the inside. “I will always be there” describes the author’s love for his close knit family and his commitment to be there when he’s needed. But when he claims himself to be the “invisible son”, he’s expressing his pain of not being acknowledged like the rest of his family members due to his sexual preference. The author believes that he could be the greatest and most reliable brother, cousin, uncle etc. but would never be considered an equal like the rest of his relatives by his family. The struggle of his acceptance has made him the “invisible man” in his family. The anti-gay sentiment and unprogressive feelings have made the author lonely within. He’s not accepted for who he truly is but just for his physical presence at family gatherings.
Week 3 Question 6
In Hogan’s poem “Heritage”, the author’s writing reflects her experience with her Native American heritage. She documents her search for identity by providing examples of traditions she was passed down from her family members. “From my family I have learned the secrets,” leads the reader into thinking that the author is proud to have a dual identity but appears to contradict herself when she ends with “From my family I have learned the secrets of never having a home.” Belonging to a background that was tortured to the point of endangerment, the author in my opinion isn’t ending on a negative and contradicting note, but only expressing how reclaiming her roots as a Native American is a tough process due to the removing and relocating of their homeland. Her poem expresses how she tries to define herself in an environment where she feels out of place. In essence, Hogan’s poem expresses positive recollections of her childhood but regrets the destruction and disconnection of her history that was a result of being removed from their native land.