A Good Man Is Hard To Find Character Analysis

The stories of “The Necklace” by Guy De Maupassant and “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” by Flannery O’Connor are different from one another at first glance, however when analyzing deeper into the context, there are obvious similarities that can be recognized. The main characters from both of these stories are identified as Mathilde from “The Necklace” and the grandmother from “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” with both of these characters being comparable on the aspects of their character flaw, encountering of tragedy, and undergoing of character change. At first glance, a reader might conclude that these characters have no similarities to each other in terms of their sense of status, well-being, and satisfaction. Mathilde was only satisfied with luxuries and riches while living a middle class lifestyle with her longing to be important while the grandmother was satisfied with having things flow her way while she was already in a better status than Mathilde and was
already important within her story. The characters are also different in terms of their ultimate intention where Mathilde’s goal was to attend the party and become the center of attention, whereas the grandmother’s was to have Bailey drive them to Tennessee instead of Florida due to her wanting to visit her relatives. Mathilde and the grandmother both share the same character flaw of being manipulative and prideful within their stories. Mathilde manipulates Louisel into using his savings to pay for her dress and tries to manipulate him further by complaining that she does not have any nice jewelry to wear. She has shown her prideful side of herself as she refuses to admit to Forrestier that she lost the necklace that she borrowed at the party and replaces the gem with a far more expensive jewel. Like Mathilde, the grandmother shares the same character traits as she tries to manipulate Bailey into driving to Tennessee instead of Florida by informing Bailey of a criminal called the Misfit who is on the loose around the area and tries to manipulate him further by attempting to make him feel guilty for taking his children into such an area. When the grandmother’s initial attempts fail, she then creates a lie and tells her grandchildren of a secret panel within the house to have them pester Bailey to see it. She shows her prideful side when she refuses to admit that she is wrong when she realized that the house is actually located in Tennessee. The encountering of tragedy is also shared between both Mathilde and the grandmother as their deception and manipulation is what led them both to their downfall. Mathilde’s actions of refusing to tell Forrestier the truth about losing her necklace and replacing it with an expensive gem caused Mathilde to live her life in poverty and work hard to pay off the debts of the jewel. Similar to the actions of Mathilde, the grandmother’s actions of deceiving Bailey and her grandchildren into driving towards a house which was actually located in Tennessee and bringing along a cat that Bailey wanted to be left at their house caused the car accident which led them to their encounter with the Misfit. Mathilde and the grandmother both undergo change within themselves after encountering tragedy as Mathilde is described at the beginning of the story as materialistic, bitter, and resentful since she does not have money, nice jewelry, or a nice house.
Towards the end of the story after losing the necklace and spending ten years of her life paying off her debts, she works hard throughout the years, gives up her dreams of being rich, accepts the lifestyle that she is forced to live, and learns to take pride with her hardships. The grandmother on the other hand, is described as a manipulator and considers herself morally superior to others. Throughout the story, her deception caused the car accident which led to their encounter with the Misfit. However, the grandmother doesn’t change until her final moments before her death as she realizes that she is flawed just like everyone else and shows her ability to see others with understanding and compassion when she tells the Misfit that he is one of her own
children.