Unsociable Manners
Eric J. Matteson
K. Poff
English 1302.091
October 24, 2012
Unsociable Manners Forceful events in the lives of people, like wrongful imprisonment or the murdering of their family, are very powerful forces to change the core of that person. It takes the gloves off, so to speak, and makes them more dangerous individuals who no longer care for the rules of society. The Misfit from Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” will never change, as evidenced by his encounter with the grandmother and family. The Misfit won’t change because he has already been changed. When you first meet the Misfit you don’t know that its him and though there are oddities he doesn’t seem so bad. His meeting of the grandmother really doesn’t affect him though. This is shown through the quick decision and smooth actions of the Misfit and his men. There is very little communication between the Misfit’s crew as they methodically murder and bury the family members in groups. This shows as soon as the grandmother recognizes the Misfit and he then says, “but it would have been better for all of you, lady, if you hadn’t of reckernized me.”(411), and from then on he almost exclusively talks to the grandmother and says very little to his men. Nevertheless they know what’s on his mind and what he wants, while he in turn knows what his men are going to do. These are indicating factors that no matter who they would meet, if someone recognizes the Misfit then they have to die so that he can still live outside the law and be free. So when the grandmother asks, “You wouldn’t shoot a lady, would you?”(411), it’s already too late for a change of decision. The Misfit has a code restrictive enough, and usual for sociopathic killers, that if the grandmother had not recognized him they would have helped them to proceed on their way. Clearly it is shown that since for the rest of the story the Misfit chats it up with grandmother, until he kills her. The politeness and convers-ability of
K. Poff
English 1302.091
October 24, 2012
Unsociable Manners Forceful events in the lives of people, like wrongful imprisonment or the murdering of their family, are very powerful forces to change the core of that person. It takes the gloves off, so to speak, and makes them more dangerous individuals who no longer care for the rules of society. The Misfit from Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” will never change, as evidenced by his encounter with the grandmother and family. The Misfit won’t change because he has already been changed. When you first meet the Misfit you don’t know that its him and though there are oddities he doesn’t seem so bad. His meeting of the grandmother really doesn’t affect him though. This is shown through the quick decision and smooth actions of the Misfit and his men. There is very little communication between the Misfit’s crew as they methodically murder and bury the family members in groups. This shows as soon as the grandmother recognizes the Misfit and he then says, “but it would have been better for all of you, lady, if you hadn’t of reckernized me.”(411), and from then on he almost exclusively talks to the grandmother and says very little to his men. Nevertheless they know what’s on his mind and what he wants, while he in turn knows what his men are going to do. These are indicating factors that no matter who they would meet, if someone recognizes the Misfit then they have to die so that he can still live outside the law and be free. So when the grandmother asks, “You wouldn’t shoot a lady, would you?”(411), it’s already too late for a change of decision. The Misfit has a code restrictive enough, and usual for sociopathic killers, that if the grandmother had not recognized him they would have helped them to proceed on their way. Clearly it is shown that since for the rest of the story the Misfit chats it up with grandmother, until he kills her. The politeness and convers-ability of
Cited: O’Connor, Flannery. “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” Literature for Composition. Eds. Sylvan Barnet, William Burto, and William E. Cain. 9th ed. Boston: Longman, 2011. 404-14. Print. ---. “On Interpreting ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’.” Literature for Composition. Eds. Sylvan Barnet, William Burto, and William E. Cain. 9th ed. Boston: Longman, 2011. 430. Print.