"A Good Man Is Hard to Find" is a short story written by Flannery O'Connor in 1953.

The story appears in the collection of short stories of the same name, A Good Man Is Hard to Find. The interpretive wor of scholars often foc!ses on the controversial final scene. Plot summary The story opens with an !nname" #ran"mother complainin# to her son, $ailey, an" his family that she wo!l" rather #o to Tennessee for vacation than Flori"a, the family's planne" "estination. %fter the family resolves to #o to Flori"a re#ar"less of her protests, she spites them by risin# early the ne&t mornin# an" waitin# in the car for the rest of the family, "resse" in her '!n"ay best, so that if she sho!l" "ie in an acci"ent she will be reco#ni(e" as "a la"y." The #ran"mother tal s incessantly "!rin# the trip, recallin# her yo!th in the Ol" 'o!th an" commentin# on vario!s thin#s she sees alon#si"e the roa". )hen the family stops at a #as station*"iner, calle" "The Tower," for l!nch, she en#a#es the owner, +e" 'ammy, in conversation abo!t the state of the worl"'s affairs, specifically an escape" convicte" m!r"erer nown only as "The ,isfit." The #ran"mother a#rees with +e" 'ammy's assertion that a #oo" man is increasin#ly har" to fin". $ac on the roa", the #ran"mother, tryin# to "eto!r the family away from Flori"a, be#ins tellin# stories abo!t a nearby home that she ha" visite" as a chil". -pon hearin# that it has secret passa#es, the chil"ren become fi&ate" on visitin# the ho!se, an" the #ran"mother insti#ates them to pester their father !ntil he #ives in an" a#rees to follow the #ran"mother's "irections to the ho!se. )hen the #ran"mother's "irections lea" them "own an aban"one" "irt roa", she reali(es that the ho!se is, in fact, in Tennessee an" not .eor#ia. Fl!stere", she !psets her cat, which panics an" attac s $ailey, ca!sin# him to lose control of the car an" roll it into a "itch. /o one is serio!sly in0!re", an" the chil"ren are incline" to view the acci"ent as an a"vent!re1 not wantin# to face the conse2!ences for #ivin# the family improper information, the #ran"mother fei#ns an internal in0!ry in or"er to #ain their sympathy. The family waits for a passerby so that $ailey can #et help. /ot lon# after the acci"ent, a car p!lls !p an" a pair of men #et o!t, wearin# clothes that are clearly not their own an" le" by a shirtless, bespectacle" man with a #!n. The man in #lasses instr!cts his cohorts to inspect the family's car an" en#a#es $ailey in polite conversation !ntil the #ran"mother i"entifies him as the ,isfit. %s the ,isfit instr!cts his accomplices to m!r"er the family one by one, the #ran"mother be#ins plea"in# for her own life, first remin"in# the ,isfit that she is an ol" woman an" therefore !nworthy of "eath, an" then by flatterin# him. )hen the ,isfit i#nores her pleas, she becomes speechless for the first time in the story. 3anic e", she attempts to witness to the ,isfit abo!t 4es!s. The ,isfit becomes visibly an#ry an" o!tlines his philosophy on life5 that he is an#ry with Christ for havin# #iven no lin#erin#, physical evi"ence for 6is e&istence, therefore castin# "o!bt abo!t the le#itimacy of Christianity. The ,isfit e&plains that he is an#ry beca!se he "oes not want to waste his life servin# a fi#!re who may not e&ist, nor "oes he want to "isplease an almi#hty .o" who may e&ist1 fr!strate" by the para"o&, he has settle" on the i"ea that "There's no pleas!re b!t meanness." The #ran"mother then reaches o!t to the ,isfit, callin# him her "chil"," promptin# the ,isfit to violently recoil an" br!tally shoot her three times. )hen the ,isfit's accomplices finish m!r"erin# the family, the ,isfit ta es a moment to clean his #lasses an" assess the #ran"mother, concl!"in# that "she wo!l" have been a #oo" woman . . . if it ha" been somebo"y there to shoot her every min!te of her life." )hen one of his accomplices comments on the f!n that they've all ha" m!r"erin# the family, the ,isfit an#rily repriman"s him, tellin# him, "7t's no real pleas!re in life." Characters The .ran"mother % selfish, manip!lative, pres!mably reli#io!s, ol" woman who is m!r"ere" at the en" of the story. The ,isfit %n escape", self8a"mitte" convict Interpretation There are varyin# opinions of the !n"erlyin# meanin# in Flannery O'Connor's "% .oo" ,an is 6ar" to Fin"." ,ost of this "iscrepancy centers on the #ran"mother's act of to!chin# the ,isfit. The "ominant opinion is that the #ran"mother's final act was one of #race an" charity, which implies that "% .oo" ,an is 6ar" to Fin"" was written to show a transformation in the #ran"mother as the story pro#resses. 7n the be#innin#, she was more concerne" abo!t loo in# li e a #oo" Christian than bein# a #oo" Christian. This is shown by her selfish "esire to #o to Tennessee instea" of Flori"a an", more importantly, by her attempts to save her own life, even as her family contin!e" to "ie aro!n" her 9ma"e worse by the fact that if she ha" ept her mo!th sh!t, none of them wo!l" have been ille":. 7n the en", she reali(es she has not le" a #oo" life an"

reaches o!t to to!ch her iller, the ,isfit, in a final act of #race an" charity. ;ven tho!#h she fails, her attempt is not lost on the ,isfit, who remar s that thro!#h en"!rin# a constant of violence, she wo!l" have been a #oo" woman.<1= % secon" pop!lar opinion on the iss!e is that the #ran"mother's final act was not an act of charity an" that she is yet a#ain tryin# to save herself from bein# m!r"ere". 'ome say that Flannery O'Connor !ses the e&c!se as the #ran"mother's final "moment of #race" to save the story from the bloo"she" an" violence. <>= 7t is also pointe" o!t that by the time the #ran"mother to!ches the ,isfit, proclaimin# he is her son, he is wearin# $ailey's shirt. Other opinions incl!"e that it is contra"ictory of her character or that she was simply a#ain tryin# to save herself an" that her selfishness was never overcome thro!#ho!t the story. <3= Religious overtones 7t is O'Connor's habit to !se the "ar an" morose to reveal bea!ty an" philosophical prowess, in the case of ?% .oo" ,an 7s 6ar" to Fin"@ it conveys "ivine #race. Aivine #race is a concept f!n"amental to Christian theolo#y. %s it is "efine" in that sense, #race is !nmerite" favor. These are the mechanics thro!#h which Christians believe the imperfect is ma"e perfect, i.e. people are save" by 4es!s Christ. The #ran"mother in the story #ains #race by ac nowle"#in# that she helpe" to create The ,isfit an" that they are bo!n" by inship. 'he reaches o!t to him as if he were her own. '!ch reli#io!s overtones are common in OBConnorBs wor . +elate" concepts incl!"e5 Sola gratia, act!al #race, prevenient #race, an" Pantaloon in Black Summary % h!#e, stron# ne#ro name" +i"er is sent sprawlin# by #rief when his yo!n# wife, ,annie, "ies. 6e "i#s with a fren(y at her f!neral, an" his a!nt is worrie" abo!t him. 6e #oes home88to the ho!se he rents on Carothers ;"mon"s's estate, the ol" ,cCaslin plantation88an" sees 9or thin s he sees: ,annie's #host. The ne&t mornin# he #oes to wor at the sawmill b!t leaves after h!rlin# an !nbelievably lar#e lo# "own the hill. 6e b!ys a 0!# of alcohol, "rin s prof!sely, an" finally #oes to the tool room at the mill, where a sec!rity #!ar" name" $ir"son# r!ns a croo e" "ice #ame for ne#roes. +i"er "r!n enly acc!ses $ir"son# of cheatin#88a 0!st acc!sation88an" c!ts his throat. % sheriff's "ep!ty tal s to his wife as she coo s s!pper an" tells her abo!t the l!natic ne#ro who, after his wife "ie", ille" $ir"son#. %fter they fo!n" +i"er, the police too him to 0ail, b!t he rippe" the "oor off the cell an" fo!#ht the other prisoners. The sheriff tells his wife that the $ir"son# boys acco!nte" for C> votes in the election for sheriff. Two "ays later, +i"er's bo"y was fo!n" han#in# from the bell8rope in a ne#ro schoolho!se, an" the coroner proclaime" the ver"ict of "eath at the han"s of person or persons !n nown. Commentary 7n some ways, "3antaloon in $lac " is the least connecte" of all the stories in Go Down, Moses1 +i"er is not a ,cCaslin, an" he is not a part of the lar#er history of the boo . 6is one lin to the other characters is that he rents a ho!se from Carothers ;"mon"s, "escribe" in this story as "the local white lan"owner" as if to show ;"mon"'s "istance from events. $!t this story is nevertheless important to the thematic "evelopment of Go Down, Moses beca!se it e&plores themes of masc!linity, family, an" #rief that are in"irectly important thro!#ho!t the stories an" beca!se the lynchin# it "epicts is the most br!tal instance of racial conflict in the boo . Go Down, Moses "eals constantly with 2!estions of patrimony, of the 2!alities passe" on from father to son. "3antaloon in $lac " loo s at the i"ea of masc!linity an" stren#th1 in showin# how, "espite all his stren#th, +i"er is !nable to overcome his #rief, the story emphasi(es the importance that family can ass!me in a man's heart. 9D!cas mi#ht very well have behave" this way if ,olly "ivorce" him.: Thro!#ho!t the story, +i"er ref!ses to accept wea ness of any in"1 as he "rin s the 0!# of alcohol, he snarls, "Try me, bi# boy," as if tal in# to his own feelin#s, an" he later tells his a!nt that if .o" wants to help him, .o" can come to him. $!t he cannot escape his feelin#s simply by bein# stron#, an" his #hostly vision of ,annie in their ho!se represents this inescapability. The final section of this story, the "ep!ty's monolo#!e to his "isintereste" wife abo!t the behavior of the cra(y ne#ro, shows the shoc in# e&tent of mis!n"erstan"in#, racial hatre", an" cas!al acceptance of horrific violence that were central to race relations in Fa!l ner's worl". The "ep!ty interprets all of +i"er's actions as si#ns that he "i" not care abo!t his wife's "eath an" can cas!ally shr!# off the lynchin# beca!se the $ir"son# boys represente" a #reat many votes for the sheriff. +i"er's terrible personal str!##le in the first part of the story is re"!ce" to !tter insi#nificance1 in this sheriff's min", it "i"n't even e&ist.

" veryday !se" is a wi"ely st!"ie" an" fre2!ently antholo#i(e" short story by %lice )al er. 7t was first p!blishe" in 19E3 as part of )al er's short story collection, In Love and Trouble. The story is tol" in first person by the ",ama" 9,rs 4ohnson:, a blac woman livin# in the Aeep 'o!th with one of her two "a!#hters. The story h!moro!sly ill!strates the "ifferences between ,rs 4ohnson an" her shy yo!n#er "a!#hter ,a##ie, who still live tra"itionally in the r!ral 'o!th, an" her e"!cate", s!ccessf!l "a!#hter Aee 9or ")an#ero", as she prefers to be calle":, who scorns her imme"iate roots in favor of a pretentio!s "native %frican" i"entity. Plot The story concerns a rare visit Aee pays to her mother an" sister. %s she waits for her "a!#hter, ,rs. 4ohnson reflects on how m!ch Aee hate" her home life when she was a chil"88so m!ch that the a!thor hints that she sets fire to the ho!se, nearly illin# ,a##ie an" physically scarrin# her for life. %fter the fire, ,rs. 4ohnson raise" money thro!#h the local ch!rch to sen" Aee away to school. ,a##ie, however, remaine" at home an" learne" tra"itional s ills from her family. Aee snaps, abs!r"ly, "Fo! 0!st "on't !n"erstan"... herita#eG" an" leaves. ,a##ie an" her mother, relieve", spen" the rest of the "ay "ippin# sn!ff an" en0oyin# each others company. Characters ,a##ie 8 The yo!n#er "a!#hter who stays with mama while Aee is in school. Tho!#h bein# "escribe" by her mother as !nintelli#ent an" !nattractive, ,a##ie is also a very innocent, bea!tif!l, an" h!mble character who represents e&perience. ,ama 8 The narrator of the story. %lso nown as ,s. 4ohnson. 'he is a mi""le8a#e" or ol"er %frican8 %merican woman livin# with her yo!n#er "a!#hter, ,a##ie. %ltho!#h poor, she is stron# an" in"epen"ent, an" ta es #reat pri"e in her way of life. 'he is overwei#ht, an" b!ilt more li e a man than a woman. 'he has stron# han"s that are worn from a lifetime of wor . 3laye" by Dyne O"!ms in the film a"aptation.

"iscussion The h!mble ,a##ie, with her sh!fflin# #ait an" habit of crin#in# in corners, is a caricat!re of a "ifferent type. 6owever, altho!#h she lac s most of Aee's a"vanta#es, she is able to carry on family tra"itions an" appreciate the tr!e meanin# of the thin#s .ran"ma Aee left behin". %ltho!#h Aee is portraye" in a ne#ative li#ht in the story, )al er base" both sisters on aspects of her own character. Di e ,a##ie, she s!ffere" an in0!ry in chil"hoo" that left her partially "isfi#!re" an" very self8conscio!s. Di e Aee, she rose from poverty, #ot an e"!cation, e&plore" her %frican tribal ancestry, an" participate" in the Civil +i#hts ,ovement. )al er also resembles the level8hea"e" mother, who t!rns a sli#ht inci"ent into a story, an" who is able to show ,a##ie's hi""en worth while castin# a sar"onic #a(e on the #lamoro!s Aee. %lice )al er #rew !p in the r!ral 'o!th, an" ";very"ay -se" pays homa#e to her sharecropper ancestors. %nother important theme is stan"in# !p for what's ri#ht H not 0!st for yo!rself, b!t for others too. ,rs. 4ohnson stan"s !p to Aee at the en" by snatchin# the 2!ilts from her an" restorin# them to ,a##ie. 'he !n"erstan"s how m!ch the 2!ilts mean to ,a##ie1 she also !n"erstan"s that Aee's reason for wantin# the family's belon#in#s is beca!se the new fashion is %frican, an" Aee really wants to be pop!lar, an" fit "in" with the "in8crow"." That is why she re0ecte" the name her mother #ave her an" became ")an#ero." 7n former "ays, she "i"n't even care abo!t the ho!se or any of its contents1 in fact, she hate" it an" may even have b!rne" it "own to #et away from it. #itle Meaning The meanin# of the title re2!ires the rea"er to rea" "eeper within the short story. The phrase ";very"ay -se" brin#s abo!t the 2!estion whether or not herita#e sho!l" be preserve" an" "isplaye" or inte#rate" into every"ay life. ";very"ay -se" pertains not only to the 2!ilt, b!t more so to people's c!lt!re an" herita#e an" how they choose to honor it. )al er "evelops a criti2!e of postmo"ern i"eals an" the "etachable nat!re of symbols. 7n han#in# the 2!ilts, Aee wo!l" be effectively removin# them from their "every"ay" embe""e" conte&t!al meanin# an" creatin# a symbol o!t of them.

$%enus& Cupid& Folly and #ime'

Peter #aylor

%t the s!rface, "Ien!s, C!pi", Folly an" Time" by 3eter Taylor seems to be a story abo!t an o"" el"erly co!ple who have a #reat infl!ence on each new #eneration of chil"ren, "espite their parentsB wishes. ,r. an" ,iss Aorset, a brother an" sister, have live" in Chatham all their lives even tho!#h the rest of their family has either passe" away or has move" to "ifferent areas aro!n" the co!ntry. This leaves ,r. %lfre" an" ,iss Do!isa Aorset by themselves an" with only each otherBs company. Thro!#h their lives, ,r. an" ,iss Aorset have create" a relationship that is base" so m!ch on soli"arity an" e&cl!siveness with one another that the story s!##ests that they have possibly passe" the bo!n"aries of a normal brother8sister relationship. From the very be#innin#, the story sets !p in the rea"erBs min" the possibility that perhaps ,r. an" ,iss Aorset have not only a brother8sister relationship, b!t some sort of an incest!o!s relationship as well. The first sentence of the story says, "Their ho!se alone wo!l" not have ma"e yo! thin there was anythin# so awf!lly wron# with ,r. Aorset or his ol"8mai" sister" 9Taylor EJK:. %s the story pro#resses this first sentence is an in"ication of many events an" o""ities s!rro!n"in# the two, b!t the !n"erlyin# theme thro!#ho!t the whole story of possible incest is pre"ominant with this statement. One of the e&amples that the story "raws on to ill!strate the AorsetsB pec!liarities is an observation by a paper boy 9who the rea"er is later intro"!ce" to a#ain: when he peers thro!#h a win"ow of their ho!se. The paper boy, as yet !nname", sees ,iss Aorset "p!shin# a carpet sweeper abo!t one of the "ownstairs rooms witho!t a stitch of clothes on. . .0!st as !nconcerne" as if she "i"nBt care that somebo"y was li ely to wal in on her at any time" 9Taylor EJ1:. 7f ,r. an" ,iss Aorset tr!ly ha" a normal brother8sister relationship, the story seems to s!##est, then ,iss Aorset wo!l" not be prancin# aro!n" her livin# room na e". 7n the story, ,r. an" ,iss Aorset throw a party at their ho!se for the yo!n# people in the comm!nity. %ltho!#h the two seem more normal "!rin# this party than at any other time, they still have some o"" behaviors. One of these, the story notes, is the "loo s that pass between them" 9Taylor EJC: when ,r. an" ,iss Aorset are "ancin#. The story notes that several of the chil"ren notice these "loo s" an" perhaps this is one of the o""est occ!rrences thro!#ho!t the evenin#. The loo s also seem to be so powerf!l in their own ri#ht that the chil"ren seem to stop what they are "oin# an" become ama(e" by the literal harmony that happens between the two, more than 0!st a brother8sister relationship wo!l" ever have. The bi##est in"ication to the rea"er that perhaps somethin# o"" is #oin# on, an" has been #oin# on for some time, between ,r. an" ,iss Aorset comes with the "escription of a pict!re that is han#in# on one of the walls of the ho!se. The pict!re, "Ien!s, C!pi", Folly an" Time", has been literally torn o!t of a ma#a(ine an" cl!msily tac e" !p to the wall. /otin# that part of this paintin# incl!"es a "epiction of Ien!s an" C!pi", who are mother an" son, hol"in# each other in an incest!o!s, passionate way, the rea"er is f!rther le" to believe that perhaps ,r. an" ,iss Aorset really "o have some sort of incest!o!s relationship beyon" that of a normal one between brother an" sister. 7f this "oes not convince the rea"er yet, then perhaps the parallel to ,r. an" ,iss Aorset that is "rawn later in the story between a brother, /e", an" his sister, ;mily, will finally convince the rea"er once an" for all. /e", ;mily, an" Tom 9the paper boy that the rea"er was intro"!ce" to before in the story: want to try to play a tric on ,r. an" ,iss Aorset "!rin# their ann!al party. 3art, if not almost all, of the tric is to moc behin" their bac s the stran#e relationship that ,r. an" ,iss Aorset have with one another. )hen the two are not payin# attention at the party, Tom 9impersonatin# li e ;milyBs brother: an" ;mily iss, imitatin# the possible acts of ,r. an" ,iss Aorset. The action becomes an even more obvio!s parallel of ,r. an" ,iss Aorset when /e" proclaims , "AonBt yo! nowL. . .CanBt yo! tellL CanBt yo! see who they areL TheyBre brother an" sisterG 9Taylor EEC:. )ith this e&clamation the rea"er is f!rther le" to believe that perhaps this moc ery that the chil"ren pose is, in reality, not 0!st moc ery b!t tr!th. The a!thor of "Ien!s, C!pi", Folly an" Time", 3eter Taylor, s!##ests that there is more #oin# on between ,r. an" ,iss Aorset than 0!st a brother8sister relationship. ;ven tho!#h this fact is never state" "irectly, it is implie" in several "ifferent parts of the story. ;ither way, this in" of s!specte" relationship ma es !p 0!st one of many o""ities for the townspeople in ,r. an" ,iss Aorset.