‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ is a short story written by Mary Flanner O’Conner that explores many themes in modern society. The characters in this story include Bailey, his grandmother, and children who are seen planning for a trip initially to Florida which the grandmother is opposed to. The story arc takes unexpected turn at the end of the story which prompts the reader to question, who is a good man or who is a good woman? The story as mentioned starts off when the family states that they should visit Florida (Kirszner, 2012). The first instance that we get the mention of a good man in the story is when a man by the name of Sammy due his assumption let two good men charge for themselves the fuel that they had used but instead of giving him …show more content…
One key symbol that is prevalent throughout the story is Education. We can clearly see throughout the story that Dee is well learned when compared to her mother. This is demonstrated by the perception that Dee’s mother who is named Maggie did not really require an education as her mere looks and money helped her achieve a lot. This furthered by the fact that she is also set to get married. The story also depicts that Maggie finds it hard to read and when she attempts she stammers. “Sometimes Maggie reads to me. She stumbles along good-naturedly but can’t see well. She knows she is not bright. Like good look and money, quickness passed her by (Kirszner, 2012). She will marry John Thomas”. The perception that having good looks is important than having a good education is a conception that should be highly criticized and rebuked. Even though having good looks can get one complements in life it still does not measure up to the importance that is stressed in education. Another symbol that is highly prevalent throughout the story is the television. This can be seen through Maggie who envisions her daughter and herself in one of the television shows. “Sometimes I dream a dream in which Dee and I are suddenly brought together on a TV program of this sort”. This perception that has been conceived by Dee’s mother …show more content…
There many obstacles that the lady occurs in her journey but through her resilience and determination she is able to concur them. We are going to look descriptively at situations in the story that shows the determination of the old lady throughout the story. The first instance of resilience is shown when on her journey her dress gets stuck on a hill of bushes (Kirszner, 2012). Even though it might seem like a small deed freeing herself from the thrones, it represents a small resilience which is important when it comes to building character. The lady frees herself of the thrones, picks up her cane and continues with her journey, shrugging it off as a minor stumbling block. As she proceeds she further encounters another deterrent to her journey. She approaches creek and she eventually coming to a halt fearing to proceed further. Using her words, she says that, “At the foot of this hill was a place where a log was laid across the creek” and proceeds to say, “Now comes the trial” right before she took a leap of faith and decided to cross to the other side (Dazey, 1979). “Putting her right foot out, she mounted the log and shut her eyes. Lifting her skirt, leveling her cane fiercely before her, like a festival figure in some parade, she began to march across. Then she opened her eyes and she was safe on the other side”. The final instance that
Dee's physical beauty can be defined as one of her biggest assets. The fact that Maggie sees Dee "with a mixture of envy and awe" (160) lets the reader know that Dee has the more favorable appearance. The simplistic way in which Walker states that “Dee is lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure,” (161) gives the reader the idea that Dee's beauty has made it easier for her to be accepted outside her family in society, “…her sister has held life always in the palm of one hand, that ‘no’ is a word the world never learned to say to her,” (160). One is left with the impression that Dee's appearance is above average. Walker plays on Dee's physical beauty to contrast the homeliness of Maggie and her mother. Walker goes so far as to describe her feet as being more favorable as if God only wanted Dee to have pretty feet, “Her feet were always
Dee’s selfishness is also portrayed by her cultured verbal skills. Dee can talk her way through anything. Dee often manipulates others with her verbal skills. This is shown when she reads to her mother and sister “without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks’ habits, whole lives upon us, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice” (Walker 289). This statement further demonstrates the fact that Dee’s family feels inferior to her. Mama describes the situation as if Dee has some kind of power over her family because she is scholarly and her family is not. Dee uses her education to make Mama and Maggie feel less important without, necessarily meaning to.
Dee would read to Mama and Maggie, and Susan Farrell says, “Dee tries her best to extend her own education to them, which is surely not a bad thing” (182). Since Dee received an education, she wanted to pass on some of her knowledge to Mama and Maggie, but they did not seem to understand like Dee did. Questioning Dee’s reasoning, Mama says, “She washed us in a river of make-believe, burned us with a lot of knowledge we didn’t necessarily need to know,” showing that Mama was uninterested in learning anything new (Walker 150). They did not grasp the knowledge that Dee was trying to give them, and Mama was rejecting change. When Mama is thinking about her dream of being on the television show, she says, “Dee, though.
Dee is a controlling person who always wanted everything to herself only and don't want anybody to take something more than her. And that appeared when mama said that the quilts which were handmade by their grandma Dee, that she would give it to Maggie, Dee was very angry for that and she wanted to take the quilts herself not because she wanted, just because she don't like anybody to take something more than her and wants everything for herself only. Dee was well educated and didn't liked her mother's and sister's way of living so she traveled and when
As the story advances however, Dee does get more complex and is demonstrated to be battling with her own particular personality and heritage. Concrete subtle elements are expressed about Dee that lead you to know she is beautiful, smart and certain. Dee is described as thin with a little waste. She is a light cleaned dark individuals with a decent review hair. She is also well educated. Dee is fashion conscience, continually needing more pleasant things that were not affordable to her family. First and foremost of the story, Dee’s mother and sister, Maggie are is getting ready for Dee’s entry for a visit. Here is the place you get the first flash of Dee’s obvious identity. Maggie is portrayed by her mother as being apprehensive until after Dee goes when Dee hasn’t arrived yet. This persuades that maybe Maggie is threatened by Dee and maybe feels inferior compared to Dee. Dee’s mother discuss dreaming a fantasy about being welcomed by Dee with a grasp and tears in her eyes. All things considered Dee’s mother and sister don’t appear to feel just as they truly measures up to what Dee expects or needs them will be Dee’s mother never had much of an education and Dee’s mother raised enough cash to send Dee off to school. Maggie is specified as having poor sight and not being brilliant. Dee the again is smart.
For example, “Dee is lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure…She was determined to stare down any disaster in her efforts… She burned us with a lot of knowledge we didn’t necessarily need to know”(492 ). In this quote, Mama, who is the narrator, describes Dee as being good looking, ambitious, and educated. All of those characteristics play a part in the way Dee interprets the African- American culture. According to Nancy Tuten, Dee uses language to abuse her mother and sister, leading Mama to form an alliance with Maggie, which will eventually lead to the exclusion of Dee (128). Furthermore, “Most critics see Dee’s education and her insistence on reading to Mama and Maggie as further evidence of her separation from and lack of understanding for her family identity and heritage” (Farrell 182). Alice White uses a completely opposite characterization for the younger sister, Maggie. “[Maggie] has been like this, chin on chest, eyes on the ground, feet in the shuffle, ever since the fire that burned the other house to the ground… She knows she is not bright. Like good looks and money, quickness passed her by”(492 ). Maggie is being described as a shy, unattractive, uneducated person by her mama; however, one can infer that Maggie and her mother have the same interpretation of the African- American culture because of their same educational level. For example, “ [Dee] used to read to [maggie and mama] without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks' habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice” (cite page number). In this quote, Mama states that Dee would use her ability to read to put them down leading me to believe that Mama would have to be on the same educational level as Maggie to be put down by Dee.
In the Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” we find out that the title indicates of what the story is about. The title actually came from the lyrics of a song written by Eddie Green in 1918. The title of “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Conner is quite ironic really. The reader expects to eventually find a good man in the story, but is quite surprised at the ending of the story. The title "A Good Man is Hard to Find" is expressed clearly in this story by introducing a variety of male personalities that all have one thing in common; they are not truly good men.
Dee?s character in the story is a direct relation to any number of people in society that do not know or are confused about their heritage. She is struggling to create an identity for herself, and is confused as to what it encompasses. She grasps at African tradition and culture, yet fails to acknowledge her own African American culture. This happened all over America, particularly in the North, in the 1960?s, following the civil rights movement. Dee is misconstruing her heritage as material goods, as opposed to her ancestor?s habits and way of life. This may be due in part to her leaving her hometown and becoming an educated, sophisticated young woman. Dee?s direct heritage is that of African Americans.
(Walker, Everyday Use). The local church and her mother even raised money for her to go to a better school, even though Maggie didn’t get to go to that school with her. Dee’s mother didn’t even go to school after it burned down when she was in second grade. Dee did come home to visit her mother and Maggie, and showed up in a big, bright orange and yellow dress, gold, long earrings, and her hair all done up. She always wants the best no matter what it cost to her or her
The old Dee had grown up, believing she held the world in the palm of her now glamorous hand, causing a gigantic conflict between her, and her family. The difference in opinion when it came to Dee and her mother and sister, Maggie was too large to try to ignore, "What don't I understand? I wanted to know. Your heritage she said." (Walker, --).
In the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the author, Flannery O’Connor communicates literary symbols and prominence of Southern culture. Within the story, there are subtle yet important details that make the entirety of the piece as iconic as it is. The reoccurring theme of being a lady and moral codes both are important to the overall concept of the story.
Dee is the afro-centric, ego- centric and eccentric pseudo-intellect. She values her culture in a more materialistic aspect. She respects the artifacts of her history rather than the usefulness. Dee’s earthly-mindedness sets the stage for conflict throughout the entire story, from her arrival until the central conflict when there is a battle amongst the other two main characters Mama and Maggie, about who is truly entitled to the hand-stitched quilts. The quilts were works of art that have been passed down throughout
Maggie doesn’t get involved in the life around her like her sister Dee does. Although Mama mentions that Maggie is going to marry John Thomas, it is doubtful that even a marriage will help Maggie become a strong and clearly defined individual. Mama, protective as she is of Maggie, is frank about her shortcomings and problems. Maggie’s relationship with Dee is filled with jealousy and awe. Mama recalls how Maggie had always thought Dee had been gifted with an easy life in which her hopes and desires were rarely, if ever, frustrated.
This is evident from Dee’s belief in her ancestral heritage. To prove this, Dee takes some paraphernalia, which belonged to her ancestors and displays them for the everyday view. A character such as Mama tries her best AuthorLastName3 to raise funds to educate her daughter regardless of the difficulties that she faces. Mama says “we raised the money, the church and me, to send her to Augusta to school” (Walker,
Dee, on the other hand, is portrayed in a very different light by Walker. Commencing with her physical appearance; “Dee is lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure” (141). However, their differences do not end there. Dee is intelligent,