Analyzing Flannery O’ Connor
...sing. The grandmother claimed to understand and feel sorry for The Misfit. In addition, The Misfit found no pleasure in shooting the grandmother, yet instead realizes what a miserable existence he leads. Found in most of her work, the background in the stories played a big impact and was reflected upon. In this case, the landscape was the rural southern USA. However, the author does not give exact locations. There is a third person limited omniscient narrator in each one of O’conners stories that spends some time accessing and explaining the thoughts and dimensions of the characters. Thee grandmother judges the misfit on falsehood. She used her method of lying and manipulation by calling the misfit a “good man” (the term being used loosely here), to spare her life and her family. The problem with her strategic effort in convincing the misfit not to kill otherwise was that there was no real goodness or respect towards the killer. Furthermore, the narrator seemed to have total knowledge of the characters in this particular short story. It includes an extensively depicted main character, an important secondary character, and a few minor characters. The imagery displayed in this story was very direct and suspenseful. There are quite a few religious concepts found in many of O’Connor’s work, and as presumed there were religious concepts found in this short story as well. She was deeply fascinated on how the Christian faith was exercised in southern USA in the lives of everyday people. The theological dialogue at the end of the story, that took place between the grandmother and the Misfit, represents one of the major themes of the story. Was the grandmother solemn about the Misfit being her child? Was the Misfit speaking the truth when he claimed that he believed in Jesus' miracles, considering he also believed there is no real pleasure in life? The religious beliefs were depicted at a moment of anxious need, which doesn’t compare to the beliefs that people abide by in everyday life situations. However, could the beliefs that were depicted portray a sudden realization of the actual crux of religious belief? Basically there was no real answer given to the reader, but rather, it leaves room for doubt and reflection upon ones personal beliefs. Flannery O’Connor also gives a certain element of mystery and personality to her characters which adds to her uniqueness of storytelling. The Misfit character displays this mystery, and was characterized as a very interesting figure in the story. He was an escaped convict who looked educated, was violent, and appears to have killed his father. He was gray-haired, clever, and a bit laid back. He was also polite, colorful yet would murder with no remorse. He seemed to have his own ethical beliefs. But his most important characteristic was having the grotesque quality of questioning his own significance, and struggling to find a reason to carry on and live. The grandmother was a very entertaining character; she was easy going yet at the same time a tad bit infuriating. She was described to be an old woman with old fashioned thoughts and manners. She can also be manipulative. For instance, she convinced her son, Bailey, and his kids to travel to her plantation. Furthermore, she considered herself a good person, and a ki...