Journal

A Good Man is Hard to Find is a story that explores people’s reactions to imminent death. As Misfit arrives in town, the story explores how death and violence can change an individual’s character. One of the major characters in this story is the grandmother, and the author is quick to reveal her hypocritical and self-righteous behavior. For instance, while the grandmother is frustrated that her family does not listen to her, instead of finding the correct manner to approach her family, the grandmother opts to use manipulation and guilt to get her way. The grandmother’s hypocrisy is also evident in the way she dresses. Instead of focusing on her comfort, she opts to dress in a way that identifies her as a lady. This obsession with following social expectations reveals the grandmother’s narrow-mindedness and inability to understand that death is permanent. As such, should she die, her efforts to conform to the image of a respectable lady are pointless. Apart from the grandmother, the grandchildren are also hypocritical. For instance, while they are quick to point out that their grandmother is hypocritical, John Wesley and June Star’s behavior of disrespecting their elders and mocking their home regardless of knowing that they should act in a better manner is a form of hypocrisy. In the end, the family is forced to rethink their priorities when faced with violence and death. For instance, the grandmother’s moment of grace in reaching out to Misfit shows her love for her family and her ability to extend forgiveness to the individual threatening her family. Misfit is equally impacted by the grandmother’s moment of grace as he realizes that there is no pleasure in murder.