A Good Man Is Hard To Find- Religeous Symbolism
A Good Man is Hard to Find By Flannery O'Connor
The story of A Good Man is Hard To Find by O'Connor contains many symbolic references to the Bible and to Christianity. Some of the symbolisms are very clear while others are more vague in their meaning. For example there are two distinct sides or faces in this story, the grandmother represents the good or the godliness of people while the Misfit is obviously the evil one of the story. However at the same time, the Misfit can almost be referred to as a Christ symbol. O'Connor purposely places religious symbols in many of his stories and in this one in particular in order to show the breakdown of social order and to show her lack of faith in humanity.
The grandmother plays a large role in the development of this story, she also represents in certain ways as to what is good and the ideal teachings of Christianity. She is always talking about how things were so good back in the old days and how safe it was. Now she is always being pessimistic and doubtful in the goodness of mankind. She states, "It isn't a soul in this green world of God's that you can trust," she said. "And I don't count nobody out of that, not nobody" (O'Connor 332). The grandmother has grown to be weary and doubtful in her fellow man because she stood witness to the continuous degradation in their conduct. This can be interpreted as God being a witness to all of mankind and seeing the constant ruin of their morals. The fact that she is an elderly person shows the symbolism of God's vastness in reference to time. God has been there since the very beginning of existence, the grandmother through her old age represents the same idea but on a much smaller scale.
The grandmother is also symbolized as a God like character when she states, "Why you're one of my own babies. You're one of my own children!" (O'Connor 338). One of the fundamental teachings of Christianity is that all of mankind are the children of God. God...
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