Crazy Ol Lady

A bit kooky, maybe even a little senile, but definitely big hearted, the grandmother in “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” is a complex character. With a story plot as twisted and unpredictable as the one Flannery O’Connor writes, the grandmother’s character is even more profound and important. Not only is the character a key character, but she is also easily relatable to.

Flannery O’Connor begins the story by introducing a family of characters, each character seeming to hold a very pronounced personality. The family speaks of a road trip they are planning to take to Florida however; the bold grandmother has a different trip in mind. She blatantly states that she would much rather go to Tennessee because there is a misfit out on the loose and she doesn’t want to run into him. Her effort at persuading her son to change his vacation plans failed miserably and left them packed up and headed towards the sunny south. The trip down consisted of the grandmother constantly nagging, telling stories, and reminiscing of old times. Yet, one memory caused her to lead her family blindly down an old dirt road to what she had remembered containing an old plantation home at the end of. Halfway down the road though, she remembered that the house she was thinking of was in fact in a different state. Her memory jolted her from her seat, sending her cat flying and the car into a chaotic mess. The family ended up stranded on the road after their accident, only to be met by three burly men, one which happened to be the misfit. The misfit then proceeded to one by one kill off the entire family, only leaving the cat as a survivor.

The grandmother, although a bit off of her rocker, seemed to be the key component in the story. O'Connor spends a good portion of the story describing her, using her dialect, and making the reader aware of her profound personality. At the introduction of the story the two grandchildren June and John carried on a conversation with their grandmother about why she didn’t want to go to Florida. John tells her that if she doesn’t want to go that she should just stay home. However June makes a remark that really lets the reader into the type of personality the grandmother has when she says; “She wouldn’t stay at home to be queen for a day.” While on their way to the sunshine state, the grandmother talks about all the things she has seen, reminiscing, and pointing out what she considers to be important landmarks. A majority of the time, the children have toned her out or are sleeping, yet the resilient grandmother continues to talk and talk. All the while she’s reminding her son of the correct speed limit, and chastising the children when they begin to act foolish. Her personality is very domineering, yet caring all the same. Finally she begins telling a story that sparks the attention of the two young ones. She talks about a plantation house that she thought was beautiful. However, knowing that her son would never take a detour to see it, the manipulative grandma embellishes the story by adding that the house had a secret panel that may contain something behind it. The kids became ecstatic to see the house and would not take no as an answer. The father unwillingly turned the car around and started driving towards the old road. The grandmother obviously showed her pride in her accomplishment. However, after her sudden memory and the car accident that left them stranded, the grandmother’s personality begins to slightly change. When she encounters the misfit, she immediately tries to be the strong one for the family, begging and coaxing the misfit out of his evil ways. She even tries to make the misfit believe that he is a good person so that he may spare her family. At one point she begs, “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.” When faced with possible death, her personality went from very reassuring and confident, to weary and fragile. As her family one by one went into the woods with the men to be killed, she became more and more frantic. Losing her calm and collected mindset, the grandmother opted for spontaneously saying anything that came to her mind, reaching out, begging and pleading. She even screams out multiple times for her only son. At her last attempt to change the misfits mind, she makes the mistake of touching him, resulting ultimately in her death by gunshot.

O’Connor has a way of portraying characters so that they seem one way and when faced with dilemmas they reach a moment of grace.  The grandmother in the story is portrayed as a very strong and bold-minded character. However, by the end of the story, her strength seems to be broken because of the demise of her family. The grandmother in the story is easily related to my grandmother. Both women very witty, manipulative, and controlling; yet, each of them care about their families whole heartedly. I can remember taking a trip to New York two summers back. My mom, my grandpa, my sister, and my grandma were all packed up into one car. All nine hours to the city, my grandmother didn’t stop talking unless it was to take a breath and then she continued again. She told all the stories she could think about just like the grandmother in the story did. When we drove through certain states she began reminiscing. We reached Delaware and she spent the entire drive through the state telling a story about a man she had met in Delaware. By the time we stopped for lunch, every single one of us was bleeding from the ears at the sound of my grandmother’s voice. Yet, because of her strong minded and controlling personality, none of us dared stop her from speaking. The grandmother in the story talked endlessly regardless that nobody was listening a majority of the time, as did my grandmother. But just like the grandchildren in the story, there is always one story that my grandmother tells that catches my attention. When she began talking about her grandmother that we were going to visit in New York and how long it had been since she had seen her, my grandmothers strength began to weaken. She talked about her grandfather who had died before I could meet him; and, she explained how excited she was for me to meet her grandmother. She took my hand and began quivering a little, describing how big of a moment it would be for her. Just like the grandmother in the story, when faced with life changing moments, her personality took a turn. She became quieter and calmer. She spoke less and when she did speak it was almost impossible to make out what she was saying. Like the women in the story, my grandmother seemed to be in a trance. Whether my grandmother or the grandmother in the story though, both are strong and self-reliant women with big hearts for the ones they care about.

The plot in “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” sets the perfect scene for the character of the grandmother. O’Connor does an amazing job of describing the grandmother and obviously showing her shift in personality when faced with a difficult situation. Not only is the plot a perfect story line for the grandmother, but the grandmother herself is a key component to the story. Her character leads the story around every corner. She narrates her memories and tells of every state the family passes through. She also sets up each big event in the story. Regardless of her unique personality though, she is easily related to my grandmother. Each grandmother, theirs and mine,  possess the same type of key personality traits and huge heart. O’Connor does an incredible job of writing a not so typical story with a really not so typical character.