You could write about the "journey" of life. The grandmother's journey from the beginning of the story to the end is an amazing study. The journey of the family--literally and figuratively--they are going on vacation, there is a destination in mind but a detour knocks them off course. The spiritual journey is also possible since Jesus and religion are an integral part of this story. The journey of the Misfit and his life is also an interesting possibility.
Good Luck and have fun! Always choose a topic you are interested in writing and learning more about or the work will not be enjoyable. No one wants to dredge through the arduous task of some lukewarm topic...not you as the writer, and not your teacher as the reader. :)
So I'm not the only teacher who still teaches the five paragraph essay?!
You...
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have many options for an essay on this story. One place to start is to read a critical review (which you can find here at eNotes). Does the writer say something that you disagree with or that you find especially interesting? Try to form a thesis from that.
Here are some other ideas:
- Religious imagery in the story
- How the title fits the story
- The author's use of irony
- Is O'Connor's use of humor really comedy or is it comic relief?
- How does the grandmother change from beginning to end?
- Do readers today react differently to the violence than the readers in the 1950s would have? Is it as shocking today as it would have been then?
- How has society changed or not changed, especially in regard to prejudice?
These are just a few ideas. Read over the story one more time and see what questions it raises for you this time. I'm sure you'll come up with the perfect topic.