O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how in Flannery O'Connor's story "A Good Man is Hard to Find" the reader finds themselves bombarded by a colloquial mannerism as portrayed by the grandmother figure in the story. In particular, the paper delves into the grandmother's perception and reaction the events around her and her personal view of certain situations. An analysis of the plot is dissected as well as the impetus for specific characters in the story.

From the Paper:

"The colloquial use of such words as pickininny, rigger and the reference to country riggers not having pants on in the country all point to a social commentary on racism. The item that is extremely alarming in this symbolism is the calm reaction the rest of the family has to grandmother's comments. The reference to plantations and Gone with the Wind are all symbols in the story to allow the reader to traverse past the family on vacation and to take a cerebral road trip to the past, the aggressions of the country during the war and the common day sentiment on slaves as McPherson (1965) writes, "Freedom has been your legacy from birth; by some of us it has been achieved. We know what oppression is..." (McPherson The Negro's civil War 15). Thus, the grandmother does not know in the story yet, what oppression is so then she most assuredly does not know what freedom is."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bordewich, Fergus M. Bound for Canaan. The Underground Railroad and the War for The Soul of America. HarperCollins, New York. 2005.
• Douglass, Frederich. Fourth of July Speech. (Online). Available: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2927.html
• Glatthaar, Joseph T. Forged in Battle: The Civil War Alliance of Black Soldiers and White Officers. The Free Press. New York, 1991.
• McPherson, James M. The Negro's Civil War. Pantheon Books. New York, 1965.
• O'Conner, Flannery. A Good Man is Hard to Find. Harvest Books, New York. 1977.

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