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Namgyal Karmartsang
Ways of Knowing
10/21/15

A Good Man is Hard to Find

At the beginning of the story, the grandmother is presented as
believing herself to be smarter and more capable than the rest of her family.
She believes she knows whats best and the best way to do things.
"I wouldn't take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose
in it. I couldn't answer to my conscience if I didYou all ought to take them
somewhere else for a change so they would see different parts of the world
and be broad. They never have been to east Tennessee." (OConner 137)
In this passage, she explains to Bailey that they need to take their children
on a trip to east Tennessee, to make them be broad, and more importantly
because Florida has the Misfit on the loose. She explains the morality of it,
saying that she would never do such a thing, because her conscience
wouldnt allow it. Here she takes the moral high ground, showing that she
believes herself to be superior to the rest of the family. But when it comes
time to leave, she hides her cat in the car, knowing that Bailey wouldnt
agree with her. This blatant disregard for others opinion is highly
characteristic of someone who things she knows better than anyone else.

She said she thought it was going to be a good day for driving, neither too
hot nor too cold, and she cautioned Bailey that the speed limit was fifty-five
miles an hour and that the patrolmen hid themselves behind billboards and
small dumps of trees and sped out after you before you had a chance to
slow down. She pointed out interesting details of the scenery: Stone
Mountain; the blue granite; the brilliant red day banks slightly streaked
with purple; and the various crops (138)
children were more respectful of their native states and their parents
and everything else. People did right then. (139)
Once the trip starts, she begins talking about their surroundings. This again
shows her tendency to believe herself more capable, saying things and
giving advice just so she would be right. She also chastises John Wesley for
not caring about his home state, again using it as an opportunity to point
out that she knows better than they.
"There was a secret panel in this house," she said craftily, not telling the
truth but wishing that she were (143)
Now she starts lying about the house because it something she wants to
see. She knows that Bailey wont go out of their way just to let her see it, so
she lies in order to get what she wants. And when she realizes that the
house she was thinking of was actually in Tennessee, she doesnt tell them,
even after her actions directly cause their car to crash. She takes no
responsibility for her role in any of it, and shows no concern for her family,

instead focusing on her own injuries. She does this again when the Misfit
shows up and she identifies him. She immediately becomes more concerned
with her own life, trying to plead with the Misfit, saying that she knows hes
a good man who wouldnt shoot a lady. She thinks that he will see the good
in her and wont kill her, but doesnt beg for her family because she doesnt
think them to be as good.
"His voice seemed about to crack and the grandmother's head cleared for
an instant. She saw the man's face twisted dose to her own as if he were
going to cry and she murmured, "Why you're one of my babies. You're one of
my own children!" (152)
When it came time for her to die, she realized that her thoughts of
superiority were wrong, and that she is flawed and was no better than the
rest of her family. When she calls the Misfit one of her own children, she
shows understanding for him, something she was incapable of throughout
the story.
Girl
Since the short story is done in an entire sentence, the characterization of
the mother is limited, though effective. The story is a list of sorts, with the
mother explaining all the rules of life, and how to be a woman. As the story
progresses, her directions becomes more extreme and harsh. At first she
merely dictates household chores, but soon moves on to the proper way to
interact with society. She doesnt allow room for input, although when the

daughter does at the end, she immediately chastises her. The mother
believes that by following her directions the daughter will be perfect,
meaning she believes herself to be the judge. It is her knowledge and
forewarning that will save her daughter from becoming the slut I know you
are so bent on becoming (Kincaid 579). Her instructions also seem rather
biographical, coming from her own life, making her harsh words and
specific instructions tell the reader how she may have failed in her own life.