Student Question
How does "A Good Man is Hard to Find" exemplify Flannery O'Connor's use of grotesque?
Quick answer:
Flannery O'Connor's use of the grotesque in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" is evident through her depiction of the Misfit and his gang, who are cold and calculated killers, highlighting pure evil devoid of human emotion. The story's grotesque climax involves the execution-style murder of the family, revealing the harsh reality of human nature. The grandmother's selfishness indirectly leads to the family's demise, underscoring the horror and shock central to O'Connor's style.
Other things that make this story "grotesque" are the frightening gang of misfits and the calm and resolve they display. This makes them even creepier, particularly the Misfit. He is so coldly calculated and does not flinch for a moment when the entire family is being killed, including the baby! This, to me, makes him purely evil and devoid of human emotion.
Other grotesque elements are the way the family is taken one-by-one and taken to the woods and shot, execution-style. This is deplorable and horrifying! Can you imagine waiting your turn to be marched into the woods and shot? It would be unimaginable!
In "A Good Man is Hard to Find," the story leads to a grotesque and violent end. Additionally, the way that she writes characters and the situations she puts them in allows their real nature to be revealed and...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
this can be horrifying and shocking to readers.
Flannery O'Connor gives us a view into the human soul, and she doesn't protect her readers from the reality of evil in human nature.
The character of the grandmother is selfish and demanding and it is because of her that the family encounters Misfit.
What is the "grotesque" element in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor?
The Misfit himself is a grotesque character--a bloodthirsty, murdering sociopath of the worst kind, who enjoys committing the deed. But the most grotesque part of the story comes at the end, when The Misfit's partners take Bailey, his wife and their children into the woods and shoots them, one by one. The killings are unnecessary, since the family has wrecked their car on a dirt road in a rural area. The murder of the two children--unlikable though they may be--is a terrible crime, and allowing the grandmother to hear the shots must have been awful for the equally unlikable old lady. The final death, that of the grandmother while on her knees at the hands of The Misfit, comes after she has tried to befriend and forgive him--another unforgivable act by a monstrous human with an entirely appropriate name.