Short writing: techniques and applications

¶ … Flannery O'Connor's short story "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" provides readers with ideas related to morality and to the fact that society has the tendency to put labels on things. The central characters in the story form a rather dysfunctional family, with the father being pressured by his mother to do a series of things that he doesn't want to while she appears to leave in an imaginary world. The idea of good is used to such a degree in the story that it eventually comes to lose significance. The grandmother seems to be obsessed with this respective concept and uses it to describe a series of things. Instead of actually making it possible for readers to gain a more complex understanding of the idea, she brings confusion to the topic as a result of generalizing it and using it in context where it does not necessarily apply. By trying to put the idea of goodness as the solution to life's problems, the grandmother actually irritates people and makes them feel that it is not as pleasant as it would appear to be. She even tries to influence The Misfit by attempting to relate to him as being a good person. In spite of the fact that she knows nothing about him, she proceeds with complimenting him as a means to earn his appreciation. "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!" The Misfit is actually the perfect example of someone who feels stressed with the woman's tendency to pose in someone who knows everything.

As convinced as the grandmother is that her way of labeling things as good is actually effective, the reality is that she is hesitant about supporting this idea. It is difficult to determine whether the grandmother wants to associate the idea of goodness with a series of elements simply because she believes they are good or if she is doing this because she is nostalgic. Her present condition is certainly not glamorous, as she lives with her son's family and as she is largely dependent on it. This is also revealed by the fact that she is particularly afraid of doing something that would anger Bailey. The moment when she decides to take the cat proves her aversion toward her general position in the family -- she knows Bailey doesn't really care about the cat and that he is probable to abandon it if he realizes it is in the car. To a certain degree, it is likely that the grandmother acknowledges the pressure she is putting on her son and attempts to use the idea of good as a means of shaping his thinking. She is well-aware that her glory days are long behind and she attempts to fit in as much as possible. The grandmother tries to connect with the children, with Red, and with the criminals. However, it seems that no one is willing to even listen to her as she is constantly reprimanded as a result of her attempts to engage in conversations. "She reached out and touched him on the shoulder. The Misfit sprang back as if a snake had bitten him and shot her three times through the chest." The grandmother has a general tendency to misunderstand situations and her struggle to interpret ends with her family being killed.