Preview

The Theme of Relationships in Noonan and a Good Man Is Hard to Find

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1920 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Theme of Relationships in Noonan and a Good Man Is Hard to Find
In this paper, I will demonstrate the important role that relationships play in the short stories Noonan and A Good Man is Hard to Find, focusing on the main characters in each story and the impact that their relationships have on the way they behave. The theme of relationships in these stories, basically bind the stories together. The claim that I wish to make in this paper, is that relationships affect the way people interact with, not only their families, but also with other people. Both of theses short stories demonstrate this point numerous times.

This particular theme plays a role in all Southern literature. True to the Southern Literature genre, Dr. Vasseur inserts this theme into his short stories. In Noonan, this theme is apparent in almost every page that is read. The starting point for this theme begins as the author is recounting the days of his youth. “That year I had a feud going with Greg Edgeman, the pitcher for Mullen Motors… but we got along fine off the field (Vasseur 7)”. This statement shows how that as children, people already tend to put an emphasis on their relationships.

Another aspect of relationships is how family relationships can put a strain on the happiness of children. This is best illustrated by the fact that the father stops attending his son’s baseball games when things turn sour between him and his wife. The boy remembers a night, that while lying in bed, he overhears an argument between his mother and father. There was a subdued yet very tense atmosphere in our household, and I can trace it solidly, for sure, is the night when they began talking to one another angrily, using voices I had never heard from either of them (Vasseur 8). The boy lies in bed and wonders if he has done anything wrong. This is a common occurrence in domestic arguments. The children think that they are the problem when an argument arises, when in fact; it has nothing to do with them.

Relationships often change the way people behave if the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, a family plans a vacation to Florida, in which it does not turn out as they had expected. The story begins with a family from Georgia consisting of the father Bailey, his wife, baby, two kids John Wesley and June Star, and their grandmother whose name is never announced. Among planning their trip to Florida, the Grandmother suggest they go elsewhere, justifying herself saying that there is a misfit on the loose and he’s heading that direction. The rest of the family does not take her suggestion seriously, and so the next day they all leave for Florida, including the grandmother. The grandmother makes the decision to bring her cat along for the trip as well while not telling any of the other family. During the trip, the grandmother tells the children stories and plays games with…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Growing up I know I have had my fair share of arguments with my brothers, whether it be about who gets to watch their show or who gets to be player 1, regardless of the situation I knew that we would grow out of our rivalries and mature. Similarly in both books they were able to get pass their rivalries and find peace in the end although it took some time. Then in both books we see siblings feuding with each other, what they’re arguing over may be different, but with each new argument that arises we see each sibling crawling for the edge over the other. Although the context is different in each piece of literature we can see that the sibling’s argument is sparked by a parent’s preference for one child over the other and the actual reason for their disagreement is miniscule in actual meaning.…

    • 932 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “A good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O'Conner depicts a southern family, who is at odds about where they should go for a family vacation. They will eventually agree to head for Florida, once in the car the family will go through a series of events that will shapen each indivudal character. One of the main characters in the story, “The Grandmother”, who is known for her critical , savvy ways gives the audience her definition of what exactly it means to be a lady. The Grandmother and her family will be put to death by an escaped criminal by the name of the Misfit, who the grandmother warns the family of before there voyage to Florida. In the story one will see that although the Grandmother had not been a known convicted felon, like the Misfit, her way for thinking and immoral behavior was no different than that of the Misfit and that they were alike in many different ways. Although the Grandmother in “A Good Man is Hard to find”, tries to portray herself has a good role model and a Christian lady one will later see as story evolve that she was a woman contrary of her word and was indeed the ultimate “misfit”.…

    • 1115 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Saboteur” by Ha Jin and “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor both explore how being considered a “bad person” is all relative. “Saboteur” has Mr. Chiu who has truthfully done nothing wrong to deserve being put in jail, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” has the misfit who clearly has done “bad” things in his life time such as murder but says he does not consider himself to be that bad of a man. The misfit and Mr. Chiu have not as much in common as Mr. Chiu and the grandmother, because both share certain traits that gets them into a lot of trouble which is selfishness and pride. The misfit is different from the grandmother and Mr. Chiu because he recognizes the fact that he is not a good man, something both of them cant seem at admit.…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This scene presents tender, if somewhat humorous, dialogue between sister and brother, father and son, and father and daughter. Buried in the conversation, however, is the undercurrent of honesty vs. deceit, love vs. betrayal, reality vs. appearances, all themes…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a fascinating story about a family traveling to Florida for a family vacation. The story’s main characters are the grandmother, the mother and a baby, the father Bailey, and the two children June Star and John Wesley. On this trip the family has a run in with the other characters The Misfit, Bobby Lee, and Hiram who are escaped convicts headed towards Florida. O’Connor uses literary elements such as flashback and characterization to explore what it means to be a good person. It appears as the only good person in the story is the person the grandmother becomes through her struggle with the Misfit. O’Connor seems to suggest that only through conflict can the “good” be found.…

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Candidly, after reading “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor for the first time, I was completely shocked by the violence and the story’s tragic ending. While, I grasped elements of the foreshadowing she used throughout the story, such as mentioning the dangerous Misfit was “aloose” in the first paragraph, Red Sammy’s reference to two men failing to pay for gas, and the odd name and spelling of the town of “Toombsboro” the family was outside of when the Grandmother awakened and mentioned the plantation (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012). Nevertheless, I failed to fully anticipate the impending doom and the brutality O’Connor had planned for the family. As a result, the stunning ending was as disorienting as a bright, burst of light flashing in my eyes…

    • 450 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The title 'A Good Man Is Hard to Find' gives you the impression that someone is looking for a partner. When in reality, the title is actually explaining the moral of the story. Every character has their bad points, even the seemingly innocent children. From the Misfits, to the entire family, everyone was disrespectful and just plain rude. In some families it would be considered a mortal sin to be rude to elders. Unfortunately this family seems to get a kick out of being cruel to their poor grandmother. The Misfits are a different story entirely, because they know nothing better than cruelty. The Grandmother wasn't perfect herself, but she did have it a little rough.…

    • 703 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    An interesting person is often the foundation of an interesting character. Changing ideas, conflicting actions and complicated thoughts form this type of person. The grandmother in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor is such a character. With her hypocritical personality, shallow ideas and old-fashioned ways, she is far from being a typical old lady.…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The grandmother is the central character in the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’Connor. She is also a very well rounded and dynamic character. She shows various characteristics and reveals various remarks as they story progresses. Some of her qualities include selfish and a pushy person. She is also kind of manipulator in a way that she insists her family to change the plan. At the beginning of the story when we first realize her desire to visit her childhood house, she is being a very selfish person. Examining her conversation with her son Bailey, the grandmother is moreover a pushy person. She is convincing Bailey to change the trip plan according to her need only and which will benefit her only. She is trying to manipulate her family to do what she thinks is best. She is also a bit of criticizer at points in the story. Her characteristics remain same throughout the story that is even when her desire was ignored, she still kept praising it.…

    • 1670 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Do you find yourself shocked or frustrated right at the end of a good book? Do you end up scratching your head and wonder what just happened? That’s because good writers know how to persuade readers to think a certain way, like the most logic or obvious choice, and add a twist that will leave you saying, “I didn’t see that coming!” After going back and rereading you see hidden clues that lead up to the final conclusion. This is known as “breadcrumbs.” Great author’s love throwing breadcrumbs into their story to show that things aren’t exactly as they appear. One example of a great plot twist is “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’ Connor. When reading, you think it’s about a family vacation gone wrong. The story has many laugh-out-loud humor that we all can relate when it comes to vacations. Rotten little bother’s and sister’s, granny who gets what she wants, dad who is in charge, and mother who is just along for the ride. Then the ending happens. The story takes a dramatic turn from all the humor to…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the short story ‘”A Good Man is Hard to Find”, the theme of family relationships is evident. Within in the dysfunctional family there are many relationships developed. There are two obnoxious children, one power hungry father, a busy wife tending to her newborn and an intolerable grandmother. The children’s relationship with their family is not seen as uncommon in that it is stereotypical that children of today have absolutely no respect for their elders. The grandmother attempts to keep the children in line and emphasizes that people are not nice like they used to be. While passing a colored person, the children are being impolite to their parents and the grandmother reminds them to be respectful. After the stern reminder, the grandmother looks out the window and says “’Oh look at the cute little pickainny! Wouldn’t that make a picture?’” (O’Connor 2). The grandmother had just advised the children to be respectful, yet, she makes a foul racist comment immediately after. The father of the children, Bailey, also requests that the children behave. In a stressful situation, Bailey looses his temper and threatens the family by saying “’Will you all just shut up for one second? If you don’t shut up, we won’t go anywhere.’” (O’Connor 4). Both the grandmother and father insist that the children are respectful, but they themselves do not set an example within the family. O’Connor develops the theme of family relationships in this short story.…

    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In" A Good Man is Hard to Find" there are many factors that can be the theme. The theme can be about a family as a whole that lacks love for the grandmother, or about a family that goes on a trip that wound up having an accident, which puts them at the wrong place at the wrong time. Both of these themes are obvious to any reader, but it does not quite seem to match this author's depth style way of writing. In a brief write up on Flannery O'Connor, it says "O'Connor is a moralist, she focuses an uncompromising moral eye on the violence and spiritual disorder of the world." By knowing this about the author O'Connor we can look deeper into this story and find morals of two characters as the theme. The two characters are the Grandmother and the Misfit. Even though they are both different as night and day, they both have morals and stands by their morals no matter what.…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The child reported that he has seen arguments between and conflicts between his parents. He indicated that they would argue over the stupidest thing “what is a heathier hot dog”. He stated that he has never seen any physical confrontations between them. Emile stated that the arguments were “freighting” at times, he stated that he would try to intervene but they would not listen to him and continued arguing. He stated that he did not want them to get a “divorce”.…

    • 316 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Texts that deal with the theme of conflict make us think. Conflict is the centre of all dramatic development in the three texts I will be discussing. These are Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, and O Brother Where Art Thou’, directed by Joel Coen. There are many forms of conflict expressed in these texts. These include both emotional and physical conflict. Conflict has been brought about in many ways throughout these texts. Most of which has been fuelled by inner discord. However a person’s inner conflict can often lead to violent activity. This demonstrates that both forms of conflict are indeed affiliated.…

    • 1891 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics