The “Evilution” of the Grandmother’s Character
... this character has acquired knowledge about efficient manipulating techniques with experience, proving that she is in fact a cunning character. Secondly, racist comments are incorporated in the main character’s Caron, Hassan 2 dialogues when she says, while pointing at a young Negro child, “Oh look at the cute little pickaninny!” (432) and once again while recounting a story in which a black child who she refers to as a “nigger”, eats her watermelon. (433) Doing this without remorse adds to the grandmother’s negative traits, thus making her more evil. The grandmother also proves to be hypocritical when confronted by the Misfit. “‘Listen’, the grandmother almost screamed, ‘I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have come in blood. I know you must come from nice people!’ (438). Before the trip, the grandmother refers to this criminal as a potentially dangerous person she would not want to encounter (431). Seeing as the previous quotation contradicts her true beliefs, this character trait can be added to the extensive list of flaws making up her evil personality. Finally, the other characters’ lack of appreciation for the protagonist further amplifies the negative connotation of this grandmother’s persona. O’Conner shows us that Bailey tends to ignore his old mother; in the story’s beginning, for example, the grandmother’s warning regarding the dangers of going to Florida are shrugged off by her own son who does not even look at her when she speaks (431). This act of negligence shows the tremendous lack of esteem he has for his mother. In addition, June Star and John Wesley disrespect their grandmother mercilessly without getting punished by their parents. This proves that none of the family members believes that this old lady is worthy of their appreciation. Therefore, because the elderly are normally treated with admiration, it can be concluded that this character must be evil as she is dishonoured by her kin. Although this character is clearly despicable throughout the story’s development, she has an epiphany just before getting killed. The grandmother’s spiritual awakening is triggered by her confrontation with death; exasperated and unprepared for this moment, she looks for security through religion and prayer. This triggers the Misfit’s spiritual questioning (442) which makes the grandmother feel compassion for this apparently vulnerable soul. “His voice seemed about to crack and the grandmother’s head cleared for an instant. She saw the man’s Caron, Hassan 3 face twisted close to her own as he were going to cry and she murmured, ‘Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children!’ She reached out and touched him on the shoulder” (442). When her head clears (442), the grandmother has her moment of epiphany. O’Conner utilises biblical references to highlight the character’s enlightenment; like Jesus who forgives his executors and the sinners who were crucified next...