Introduction
It is important to note that the grandmother is the main character in A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor. According to the story, she is a self-serving, manipulative, and deceitful woman who focuses on living in the past. Furthermore, she does not value her current life, and she prefers how it was many years ago when she viewed life with rose-colored glasses. The author uses the grandmother’s character to show how one person’s actions could have unintended negative outcomes. O’Connor describes the grandmother as a proper lady who is dressed in white cotton gloves, a suit, and a hat ( O'Connor, 1962) . Moreover, the grandmother is authoritative and justifies her demands by convincing her family and herself that her opinions and points of view are not only the best but also the only option. It is important to analyze the grandmother's character and how it causes conflict, denial, and some stereotypes.
Contrary to her son’s wishes, she sneaks her cat into the car, and it causes an accident that leads to the deaths of the entire family ( O'Connor, 1962) . Although her family dresses casually, grandmother decides to put on her best attire, comprising of a fancy hat that she is confident that it identifies her as a proper lady. She only focuses on having a respectable appearance. When having a conversation with Red Sam Butts, she mentions how things used to be simpler and better when she was young, but when she faces death at the hands of the Misfit, it is evident that she is not ready to face mortality. Even as her family members are taken to be executed in the woods, she repeatedly insists that the Misfit must be a good individual at heart ( O'Connor, 1962) . Even at her death, she tries to save herself by claiming the Misfit is also her son. All in all, the entire story is built on the grandmother’s actions and personality that affects her entire family’s future.
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Critical Reading
O'Connor uses the grandmother to show that there is a conflict between her words and her actions. She constantly describes herself as a proper lady or a good woman. However, her forgetfulness, selfishness, dishonesty, and judgmental actions put her entire family in danger. Grandmother’s dressing code and her way of speaking indicate that she is a southern Caucasian woman. It is important to note that her southern side pops up when she refers to a little boy as a ‘little pick ninny’ ( O'Connor, 1962). Although grandmother portrays herself as a good leader and woman, her actions are in conflict with her what she wants other people to believe. Additionally, she talks to her grandchildren about being good people by showing respect and listening. Although she lectures her grandchildren about respect for parents, native states, and everything else, her true character reveals itself when she calls the boy a ‘little pick ninny.’
From the beginning, the story reveals the grandmother's selfish nature. While her family wants to go to Florida, grandmother had no intention of going to Florida, and she wanted to visit Tennessee ( O'Connor, 1962) . Although she insists that she is a good person, she attempts to put different words into Bailey’s head so that he could change his mind. She begins by mentioning that there has been a murderer who had escaped from a federal pen and was heading to Florida. When grandmother notices that her son was ignoring her tantrums, she mentions insists that the children had visited Florida before. Additionally, when she notices that she is not getting her son’s approval, she takes advantage of her grandchildren’s curiosity to change Bailey’s mind. Notably, she only started begging for her life when everyone else had been killed by Misfit. Throughout the story, there is a significant conflict between what she wants people to believe and her true nature. Grandmother wants people to believe that she is a good person, but she is deceitful and self-centered.
Psychoanalytic Reading
Grandmother is in denial of her true nature, and she pretends to be a proper lady. In psychology, denial refers to a defense mechanism when a person is faced with a painful issue and rejects reality. In a bid to hide her true nature, she uses the word ‘good' frequently until the word appears to lose its meaning. She uses the word with Red Sammy after they let two people charge their gasoline and grandmother insists that Red was a ‘good’ man despite the fact that he was being swindled ( O'Connor, 1962) . She also uses the word ‘good’ on the Misfit and that the Misfit would not consider shooting a lady. From grandmother’s actions, she believes that being a lady was one of the issues that she considered moral. Additionally, it is only after she sees that the rest of her family members have been killed that she begins pleading with the Misfit. It is highly likely that the grandmother knew that she was self-centered and dishonest, but she denied her true nature by misusing the word ‘good.'
Notably, the grandmother's definition of good is not moral or kind but a person whose values or decisions align with hers. Denial is one of the defense mechanisms to protect an individual from guilt or anxiety. People use defense mechanisms to ward off unpleasant feelings such as anxiety or guilt. In this situation, the grandmother is using denial to ward off feelings of guilt because of her unethical actions. Although she talks to her grandchildren about being good people by showing respect and listening, her actions are in conflict with what she wants people to perceive her. It is important to note that ego defense mechanisms are normal, but when they are out of proportion, neuroses pop up, such as hysteria, anxiety, obsessions, or phobias. In this case, the grandmother is obsessed with the word ‘good,' and she constantly tries to make other people believe that she is a good person. It is evident that she does not admit that she is her selfishness is wrong and continues to force people to accept her opinions.
Intersectional Reading
From her actions, the grandmother is conservative. Conservatism describes a social and political philosophy that promotes traditional social institutions affecting civilization and culture. The fundamentals of conservatism include property rights, tradition, hierarchy, organic society, and human imperfection. Grandmother wanted to be perceived as a good person such that she put on her best attire such that if anyone found her dead on a highway, they would know at once that she was a proper lady ( O'Connor, 1962) . Her actions showed that the protagonist was self-absorbed. As mentioned earlier, conservatives focus on promoting traditional institutions. Grandmother's personality explains her aristocratic perception of society. Additionally, how she was raised had a significant impact on what she believed was right and proper. Since the story was written in 1946, it is evident that the grandmother grew up in a conservative family and the booming 1920s. During that era, hierarchy and race determined how much respect a person was awarded by other people. Furthermore, racial inequality was a common occurrence, and her true nature reveals itself when she refers to a little boy as a ‘little pick ninny.’
Before the 1920's people had a different perspective on what was acceptable and proper in society. After the 1920s, women had a very different perspective regarding what was acceptable and proper. The drastic change in America's moral standards made the grandmother feel that she was a more sophisticated and proper lady than the younger generation of women who had different views regarding morality. It is important that she was in the company of younger people and it made her feel that she was part of the hierarchy. Due to the differences in morality, she felt that it was her duty to teach younger people the moral values that could have been lost. Additionally, she continuously lectures her grandchildren about being good and respectable. Moreover, she attempts to change the Misfit’s outlook on life because she felt that it was not proper to kill a lady. Conservative often believe in human imperfection, and that religion can save anyone. She even asks the Misfit to pray so that he could receive grace and change his ways.
Conclusion
Grandmother plays a crucial role in a story that has a tragic end. However, the grandmother's character causes the death of her family. She constantly complains about the superiority of the past and inadequacies of the present, attempts to manipulate her son, and lies to her grandchildren. Also, she refers to a little boy as a ‘little pick ninny.’ Due to her conservative nature, she is confident of her moral superiority over other people and that her opinions are better than all other opinions. She has a strong opinion regarding what is acceptable and proper. Even when she was unable to form a coherent prayer, she asks the Misfit to pray. Grandmother could have been aware of her selfish nature and attempted to hide her guilt by her obsession with goodness. She is absorbed with other people’s mistakes and in denial of her moral weaknesses.
References
O'Connor, F. (1962). A good man is hard to find : New English Library.
