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Do You Believe?

Desmond, ''Flannery O'Connor's Misfit and the Mystery of Evil.'' -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

"Misfit lives as neither believer nor unbeliever in the grey world of uncertainty, of desire for truth, and of longing for some transcendent meaning." (132)

When I first read Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man Is Hard To Find I felt no pity, nor could I identify with any part of the Misfit. After reading Desmond's article I was able to see how the Misfit like many of us struggles with his true nature. Struggles to find what that true nature is. Is he evil, good, bad, holy? You can't know for sure, but it seems that he's a combination of all of that. The quote I chose states the Misfit is stuck in a place where there might be a God or there might not, where there might be something more then what we see here on this earth. Now I can certainly identify with not knowing for sure, which makes the character of the Misfit more real too me. But I'm not justifying his actions because killing people is wrong, I'm just saying I can now see the human side of him.

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Comments (2)

I know what you mean. Everyone struggles with the concept of right and wrong--even if it is just with something as seemingly insignificant in comparison as downloading music--at one point, some more so than others. You're right. When thinking of the Misfit going through this struggle, it does help to make him seem more real.

Shayla Sorrells:

I agree as well. Reading this article made me feel a little sorry for the misfit. It mad me think that maybe during his life he was misguided or something. It's really sad when you think about it.

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