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April 14, 2006
A Good Man is Hard to Find
'"listen," she said, "you shouldn't call yourself The Misfit because I know you're a good man at heart. I can just look at you and tell."'
This, in my opinion, may be the most important quote in the whole story, because it lets O'Connor show us the difference between a truly good person, and one who merely acts good and is polite. Unfortunately, in the story, the grandmother can't seem to make this distinction, because she pleads to the good side of a man who doesn't one. (or at least not a very large one.) It can be argued that The Misfit may not be such a terrible character because of the grace and courtesy with which he acts, but this grace and courtesy does nothing to assuage the terrible sins he commited. Murdering someone politely is just as bad as murdering them rudely, and does nothing but disguise the act itself. What The Grandmother seems to be doing is a common act even in todays society; assuming people have certain specific traits merely because they have one. A good example of this is assuming that a handsome person is smart, charismatic, and nice, even though you've never talked to them before. By looking at him and knowing he came from a good background, The Grandmother assumes that he must therefore be a "good man at heart," an assumption which ultimately proves not to be the case..
Posted by PaulCrossman at April 14, 2006 03:32 AM