Understanding "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

A quick exploration of Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find," including possible themes, by a college prof
MLA citation: Balcarcel, Rebecca. "Understanding 'A Good Man is Hard to Find'." Online video clip. Sixminutescholar. KZbin, 8 Mar. 2013. Web. DayMonthYearYouWatchedTheVideo.

[@dangoodman123]

It seems to me that The Misfit said that the grandmother would be a good woman if there was someone there to shoot her every minute of her life not because he thought she was bad, but rather because when she knew she was about to be shot, she stopped being superficial and spoke in a kind manner to The Misfit, while referring to Godly things, rather than speaking the superficialities she had embodied until the moment of her imminent death. Hence, he felt that if and only if she was about to shot would her best side come out.

[@wendigo3140]

Totally agree with you

[@acajudi100]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6TLaZZqqpWbrNE

[@masterlaughter4924]

very clever

[@garymattscheck9066]

O Connor's stories are bizarre and frightening with a touch of humor.

[@missvida6251]

Thank you! That's exactly what he meant.

[@punkrockgirlpa]

GIRRRLLL you are saving me with understanding all my short stories for my english class

[@firefox1294]

wonder if the dirt road they went on was a symbolism for the wrong road they were heading in life. kind of a out the box short story

[@SixMinuteScholar]

damian herrera Good idea!

[@debanyaguirre3941]

yes thank you haha. im trying to get as many ideas to write a three page essay on the literary analysis on this book.

[@chriswickenheiser7234]

I think it goes even deeper than just the wrong road but it is the path that was chosen by wrong means ie the grandmothers pride and deception, the childrens unruliness and thirst for selfish adventure, the fathers passive nature and caving to tbe childrens unruly demands. O'Connor demonstrates there are many ways to end up on the wrong path thus making a good man truly hard to find

[@richardgnann5092]

What makes this one of the greatest English language short stories is everything in it speaks with purpose. Road too, I’m sure, so good call. I’ll say here I’m a little disappointed in an analysis that boils down too this is just a bunch of lousy people, and they got shot together, but maybe in a meaningful way.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Yes, I see your point. I am frustrated with these characters, too. They are rude; they are coarse. In a way, I side with the grandmother, who tries to bring some class to these people. On the other hand, she is bossy and prissy. She annoys everyone. When she meets a hardened person like the Misfit, she has no understanding of what she is up against or when to shut up. Although, he would have killed her, well-behaved or not. I wish they had all appreciated each other while they had the chance.

[@amandagarfield2432]

Here is what Flannery O'Conner had to say about "A good Man is Hard to Find" "Much of my fiction takes its character from a reasonable use of the unreasonable, though the reasonableness of my use of it may not always be apparent. The assumptions that underlie this use of it, however, are those of the central Christian mysteries. These are assumptions to which a large part of the modern audience takes exception. About this I can only say that there are perhaps other ways than my own in which ["A Good Man Is Hard to Find"] could be read, but none other by which it could have been written. Belief, in my own case anyway, is the engine that makes perception operate. The heroine of this story, the Grandmother, is in the most significant position life offers the Christian. She is facing death. And to all appearances she, like the rest of us, is not too well prepared for it. She would like to see the event postponed. Indefinitely. I've talked to a number of teachers who use this story in class and who tell their students that the Grandmother is evil, that in fact, she's a witch, even down to the cat. One of these teachers told me that his students and particularly his Southern students, resisted this interpretation with a certain bemused vigor, and he didn't understand why. I had to tell him that they resisted it because they all had grandmothers or great-aunts just like her at home, and they knew, from personal experience, that the old lady lacked comprehension, but that she had a good heart. The Southerner is usually tolerant of those weaknesses that proceed from innocence, and he knows that a taste for self-preservation can be readily combined with the missionary spirit. This same teacher was telling his students that morally the misfit was several cuts about the Grandmother. He had a really sentimental attachment to the Misfit. But then a prophet gone wrong is almost always more interesting than your grandmother, and you have to let people take their pleasures where they find them. It is true that the old lady is a hypocritical old soul; her wits are no match for the Misfit's, nor is her capacity for grace equal to his; yet I think the unprejudiced reader will feel that the Grandmother has a special kind of triumph in this story which instinctively we do not allow to someone altogether bad. I often ask myself what makes a story work, and what makes it hold up as a story, and I have decided that it is probably some action, some gesture of a character that is unlike any other in the story, one which indicates where the real heart of the story lies. This would have to be an action or a gesture which was both totally right and totally unexpected; it would have to be one that was both in character and beyond character; it would have to suggest both the world and eternity. The action or gesture I'm talking about would have to be on the anagogical level, that is, the level which has to do with the Divine life and our participation in it. It would be a gesture that transcended any neat allegory that might have been intended or any pat moral categories a reader could make. It would be a gesture which somehow made contact with mystery. There is a point in this story where such a gesture occurs. The Grandmother is at last alone, facing the Misfit. Her head clears for an instant and she realizes. even in her limited way, that she is responsible for the man before her and joined to him by ties of kinship which have their roots deep in the mystery she has been merely prattling about so far. And at this point, she does the right thing, she makes the right gesture. I find that students are often puzzled by what she says and does here, but I think myself that if I took out this gesture and what she says with it, I would have no story. What was left would not be worth your attention. Our age not only does not have a very sharp eye for the almost imperceptible intrusions of grace, it no longer has much feeling for the nature of the violence which precede and follow them. The devil's greatest wile, Baudelaire has said, is to convince us that he does not exist. I suppose the reasons for the use of so much violence in modern fiction will differ with each writer who uses it, but in my own stories I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace. Their heads are so hard that almost nothing else will do the work. This idea, that reality is something to which we must be returned at considered cost, is one which is seldom understood by the casual reader, but it is one which is implicit in the Christian view of the world. I don't want to equate the Misfit with the devil, I prefer to think that, however unlikely this may seem, the old lady's gesture, like the mustard-seed, will grow to be a great crow-filled tree in the Misfits' heart, and will be enough of a pain to him there to turn him into the prophet he was meant to become. But that's another story. This story has been called grotesque, but I prefer to call it literal. A good story is literal in the same sense that a child's drawing is literal. When a child draws, he doesn't intend to distort but to set down exactly what he sees, and as his gaze is direct, he sees the lines that create motion. Now the lines of motion that interest the writer are usually invisible. They are lines of spiritual motion. And in this story you should be on the lookout for such things as the action of grace in the Grandmother's soul, and not for the dead bodies. We hear many complaints about the prevalence of violence in modern fiction, and it is always assumed that this violence is bad thing and meant to be an end in itself. With the serious writer, violence is never an end in itself. It is the extreme situation that best reveals what we are essentially, and I believe these are times when writers are more interested in what we are essentially than in the tenor of our daily lives. Violence is a force which can be used for good or evil, and among other things taken by it is the kingdom of heaven. But regardless of what can be taken by it, the man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to take into eternity with him; and since the characters in this story are all on the verge of eternity, it is appropriate to think of what they take with them. In any case, I hope that if you consider these points in connection with the story, you will come to see it as something more than an account of a family murdered on the way to Florida. "

[@deanas8251]

Amanda Garfield j

[@mainmast8955]

interesting take.

[@valty3727]

+1

[@amandagarfield2432]

@FILIP LANGE www.amerlit.com/sstory/SSTORY%20OConnor,%20Flannery%20A%20Good%20Man%20Is%20Hard%20to%20Find%20(1955)%20analysis%20by%207%20critics.pdf I believe have the full excerpt. It's from a book where she talks about her writing.

[@jaiwanthreddy]

This was very useful. Thanks for posting it here.

[@Steven-lh2bu]

Your video has greatly helped me understand this story and look at it in so many different views. Keep up the great work!

[@SixMinuteScholar]

+Steven Montesantos Thanks so much! Glad these help!

[@KoalaLuv]

Years later this video is helping me with my english class, thank you:3 from the future.

[@clarissasegura999]

Thank you so much !!!! Please never stop making these videos!!!! 💝

[@wwjdzv]

This was kind of a hard read for me, you made it so much clearer thank you so much!! this videos are very helpful keep them coming! :)

[@SixMinuteScholar]

You're welcome! And thanks. :-)

[@elleelle5847]

I felt really sorry for the mother and the baby. I actually felt sorry for all of them, except the Missfit, who is a blatant psychopath. People don't deserve death for being "annoying" or not to someone else's taste. It actually disturbs me that people try to rationalise the cold blooded murderer in this short story.

[@BossJoss-Josilyn]

you said it best here.

[@richgenix]

No cap you saving the fuk out of me! I have reading for my comp ii class and now my professor thinks I’m a genius because I’d the summaries I give 😭

[@zoeychang2664]

I am learning English now. I love the way that you explain stories. Your videos really encourage me to read more of the great stories. Thank you again for making great videos!

[@andrewclover1462]

This story has fascinated me for years, both in terms of what I think I understand and what continues to puzzle me.

[@sailorchiaki]

I think what really got me was that this poor man had become so deluded from being falsely accused and that he's not killing for bloodlust, but because that's the only way he can find real happiness. This story is really well-written.

[@livywithane]

It’s like he’s seeking out ppl to kill just so he can be accused rightly and justly… he’s strange and very messed up in the head

[@juanescobar4377]

Thank you I am taking a class at college, and your videos help me a lot.

[@tgmolitor6215]

Consider this story to be an allegory of the death of the Old South. Early on in the story, the grandmother gives the reply "Gone With the Wind," when John Wesley asks, "Where's the plantation?" This is foreshadowing dialogue to the story's ending. The Misfit puts three killing bullets into the grandmother (the Old South), ending four traditional Southern characteristics: a feudal theory of society, a code of chivalry, the ancient concept of the gentleman (in this story, the lady), and a non-creedal faith. May the Old South (and its ladies) rest in peace.

[@thesoundguild9458]

Wow! I couldn't have said it better!

[@britteach]

As you say, no one changes or grows or is saved in the story. However, if the reader thinks about what O'Connor has done, it may lead to his own salvation. "The Life You Save May be Your Own," the title itself, gives me another way to think about the story, Salvation cannot occur without a genuine desire to be saved. This is why I love O'Connor so much. She is so wise. "The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it." She is bluntly honest, too.

[@missvida6251]

The misfit meant that if the grandmother had a gun in her face every minute of her life, maybe she would be a loving, empathetic, god loving woman all the time.

[@BluffBoy935]

What a wonderful and insightful literary analysis! Thank you for providing this analysis and explaining how dialogue contributes to character development, even if minor!

[@Briefly21]

Very insightful and helpful. I would love to see more of Flannery O'Connor's short stories.

[@maaburne85]

I think there is potential at the end of the story that the misfit may change. Although he does shoot the grandmother, it's clear he takes the religious conversation more seriously than her. Just before he shoots her, his eyes are described as "red rimmed and pale and defenseless looking," as if her last ditch compassion (reaching out and touching him and calling him "one of my own babies") breaks through his nihilism or solipsism. He tells the grandmother there is "no pleasure but meanness," but then he tells Bobby Lee (last sentence) "there is no real pleasure in life." O'Connor herself called the Misfit a "spoiled prophet." I don't think the misfit is trying to have "happiness"--he's trying to have truth.

[@joebyrne182]

Marvelous

[@Franciscaa2001]

Joe Byrne u

[@Skullkan6]

The Sufjan Stevens song implies she affected him "someone's left me creased"

[@angelrosas3724]

He kills the children and baby. He is too far gone. "I can fix him"

[@ernie7453]

As soon as I heard her say “judgmental” I tuned out.

[@stephaniehammett5050]

Wow. What you said about the scapegoating made a lot of sense. Thanks for the video :)

[@codacreator6162]

The grandmother had a revelation right at the end, under threat of imminent death--thus the final comment by the Misfit when he says that she would have been a good woman if there'd been someone there to shoot her every minute of her life. The point is that she, like most of us, takes a lot of her life and position for granted, which in O'Connor's mind is a sin.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Yes, interesting! These characters are beyond saving, but the reader isn't. They wasted their lives being petty and bickering with each other, but we have the chance to learn from them. You are making me want to re-read the story again!

[@martinmartin1363]

We are all fallen creatures and the suffering of Jesus resonates with mankind he died gladly and forgave everyone for sinning against him. It’s easy to see Jesus when everything is joyful and happiness in our lives but not in the pain and suffering . But it’s in the pain and suffering we are drawn closer to God, to suffer and die for the one you love is the greatest love of all. So embrace the cross and suffer and show compassion for those who suffer in this world and God will reward you with peace in your heart.

[@OzoneGamerStation]

I'm having trouble with analyzing the text and cannot find any literary elements or techniques that brings the story alive. How about the theme? Would you say the theme of the story is hypocrisy and self awareness of how flawed she really is? What was the Flannery O'Connor's purpose? I'm still pretty confused. If anyone can answer. Thanks.

[@BarbaraGreenBurke1016]

It's about we are all sinners but God's grace is bigger than our sin.

[@ekmackenzie]

Thank you so much for your videos!! I’m taking English comp. and hate these horrible stories I have to read, but your video analysis always make me feel better and also help me understand the meanings!! Thank you!!

[@glenrotchin5523]

I enjoyed your thoughts on this very puzzling and disturbing story. My take is that the story is a moralistic tale about honesty. Those who are dishonest with themselves and other will pay the price for their dishonesty (chiefly the grandmother, but also the family as a whole in a certain way) and the one who is unfailingly honest (the misfit) will render ultimate judgement. The dishonest life is not worth living. It’s interesting to note the clearly Christian aspect of the story, that the family is redeemed in death.

[@abrahamziah5553]

you are one of the greatest synthesizers I have ever met

[@chrismissimer7315]

Favorite short story I read in high school, that, lord of the flies, and to kill a mockingbird

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Chris Missimer Great, great books!

[@rowanfinley2879]

For more insights into this short story, check out my article: vocal.media/families/insight-into-mary-flannery-o-connor-s-short-story-a-good-man-is-hard-to-find

[@shabanahfazal6512]

Fantastic insights - an enlightening read that complements the very good video above. Thank you for sharing!

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Good question! My feeling is that the misfit finds her annoying and bossy. He can imagine that she is always nagging and up on a high horse, thinking she knows best. In that case, he thinks someone should have shut her up or stood up to her (or shot her). Does that help?

[@remissao13]

Oh, man, I absolutely love the collection where this short story come from.

[@meganwindt828]

your videos are really helpful for me! my english teacher doesn't explain stories this in depth and I'm really appreciative towards these!!

[@lilybel5615]

True, the family is a little bit shallow but the Misfit is a psychopath... He agrees that he has committed crimes but justice hasn't been served fairly to him. In fact, he even said, "sign everything you do and keep a copy. Then you'll know what you done and you can hold up the crime to the punishment and see do they match and in the end you'll have something to prove you ain't been treated right." That's a clear example of narcissism and lack of empathy. What the hell?

[@Sam-Nador]

Thanks for the great ideas

[@jakenovak7881]

I wish I could be you, or even just a little more intellegent

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Haha! But, no. Only you can be you -- which is awesome!

[@jakenovak7881]

Yeah its just difficult when you waste your high school years doing drugs then 19 comes around and you realize how important it is to be educated, Knowledge is Power

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Knowledge is Power -- so true. You are on your way now. :-)

[@tracyjimenez1134]

❣

[@SixMinuteScholar]

You're welcome! Good luck with your next semester, whatever it brings!

[@shakespearaamina9117]

Thank you!

[@I_am_vickthor]

Your video on “My last Duchess” made me start watching your videos because you helped analyze it very well. Ever since, I’ve recommended you to friends and put them into your channel but for this video, I’m lost on what you are talking about. you are not giving enough background on the story. you explain it like the audience (we) have full knowledge of the story but not everyone does because if I did, we wouldn’t be here so to speak

[@jerrydiem7755]

I believe that the story is posing a moral dilemma for the reader,challenging you to see that,even in this instance,with characters devoid of redeeming qualities,that this is cold blooded murder.Perhaps,to the author,there is a kind of justice being met out to them because she portrays them as superficial and mean spirited.However,that may be any of us,on any given day.She is asking the reader whether they would be prepared for sudden death or would we be all to human at the end.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Yes! Very good insight! Thanks for helping me see that.

[@tatripp]

I think the grandmother learns a lot in the story although it is during a very short moment. She realizes through the misfit that she is like him. Her morality is frail and based on silly things like the way people look, their blood, their teeth, etc. The misfit tells her that she would have been a good woman "if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life." It took her facing her own death to realize her faults. She was full of flaws.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Yes, I agree. She discovers that she has been shallow. Great observation!

[@pj2012100]

awesome reflection, thank you!

[@SixMinuteScholar]

I see what you mean! Yes, that makes sense. He fulfills the societal role that was handed to him and decides to be the criminal that they assumed he was.

[@hichamsabri7585]

thank you for your video it has helped me to figure out this story. and try to look at it from different perspective thank you again

[@loranceluo2497]

I love the video so much. I wish you are my professor. Keep uploading please!

[@mayapilgram8868]

I have midterms tomorrow and this cleared up everything up for me! Thanks so much!

[@SixMinuteScholar]

I'm glad! Hope your exam went well!

[@martinvalencia07]

Do you think that the family actually deserved to be killed? In my opinion, they were all extremely flat characters and the only person in this whole story who made some sort of sense and had some personality, is the grandmother. I see no unification within the family and the whole trip was just a setup for failure. I just strongly believe that the grandmother is the only one who didn't deserve to die, but hey, it happened. Short stories make me hate people lol. That's how you know it was good.

[@Packaroo]

The story is 100 percent crap.

[@김규현-y1f]

This video helped me a lot. Thanks :)

[@SixMinuteScholar]

;-) The ideas are sexy, I think!

[@jennifercb7622]

I am currently writhing an essay about this short story and these are some great points and ideas. Thank you so much

[@Adil.25]

can you share your essay with me

[@zatzme100]

The story is about the action of God's grace according to Flannery herself.

[@sebastianhadjidimitris9503]

Thanks for the video, it has helped me a lot!. I have a doubt about the subtitles as they are perfectly set, Did you add them,?

[@SixMinuteScholar]

My son helped me with the subtitles!

[@rosalinguinn406]

Not to rain on everyone's parade but Balcarcel seems to be missing the key elements to this story. For example O'Connor the author of this story was severely religious and she hid deeper meanings throughout the story. Like how the 'Tower' that Balcarcel refers to as a 'road side dinner' was actually meant to be interpreted as Hell due to the burning of flesh and also 'Red Sammy' who is the owner, that one is really obvious. Also the Misfits behavior is a parallel to the rebellion Lucifer made against God. The Misfit questioned the validity of the resurrection because he wasn't there. The Grandmother in her last moments gave the Misfit grace, which is another nod to the grace Jesus bestowed upon us when he died for us. Also the three times the Grandmother is shot is in place of three bullets for: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There are many others but this video is really superficial in her character dissection. Missing all religious tones altogether.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Rosalin Guinn Thank you for adding a new perspective to the story! I do differ with you -- which is a sign of how deep this story is! -- in that I see the grandmother as the "bad guy" in many ways. With her holier-than-thou ways, she isn't the figure of loving sacrifice that Jesus is. Go into a college database and read some of the scholarship on this story. Certainly O'Connor was deeply religious. She hated for shallow folks to pretend at being Christian as a guise to judge others, as the grandmother does. The misfit is what is called "sin eater" in this context.

[@moisesnapoles2153]

You don’t explain good, you explain really well !! 😊

[@zoepollard7291]

Thank you for this, I have a hard time comprehending while reading but your explanations made the story ten times better.

[@leolacasse6278]

this is a cheap story resembling thousands of other lurid tales. if Flan could find no good in her characters it was only because there was no good in her life. She only respected two things: her father, who died the same way she was destined. and the Catholic church, because she was Irish. the only motive for her stories was to put down protestants accusing them of being idiotically literal in their perception of Christianity. Though she was a devout Catholic, she was deeply anti-Christian. Her personal story is far more interesting than her confused works.

[@kevinbrooks4898]

There is beauty in literary academia

[@ziziar9078]

Who is the antagonist and protagonist in this story?

[@angelrosas3724]

"she would have been a good man if someone had been there to shoot her every day"

[@hassanboufassil3332]

Thank you so much... so can you tell the general message of the story

[@SixMinuteScholar]

You'll benefit from thinking through this on your own, so I won't spoil that discovery process for you. ;-)

[@gungunidhoop5942]

Beautifully explained. This story keeps bothering me every now and then . Though I had thought of these themes in a superficial and blurry manner, you gave me much clarity. Thanks

[@faustocoppi7537]

odd and remarkable that most people never mention 'the other' misfit in the story. Is it true that there are no likable character in the story? Is the character named 'The Misfit' the only one that could be named The Misfit? While babbling in the car about children in relation to their 'native states', the grandmother exclaims: "Oh look at the cute little pickaninny!" ... Everybody in the car looks at the boy, and the boy waves at them. There is your (and I agre:, the only friendly one) likable character!

[@01123heavenlybe]

The ground is pure. The sun is love.

[@janiceworsley8344]

Eudora Welty wrote a story with many similarities

[@ThePapasmurf1946]

The whole family fails to use filters in what they say - whatever comes into their minds comes right out their mouths. This can lead to all kinds of trouble, and in this case, even in the face of danger, they just blurt out things that alarm and upset the armed men.

[@myravillalobos277]

I have a research paper due over this story but I don't really understand what my professor is asking for and I'm wondering if you could explain it more..? This is it... Discuss the family in the story as representative of a typical (Godless) American family. Are they a bleak depiction of the family that has lost touch with God, belief, the value system of religion?

[@garymattscheck9066]

There's a song by that name.

[@foubellefille]

After I read this I felt like the misfit was killing because he had served time in prison for nothing. so basically he killed so that it was not wasted time. Does that make sense?

[@Alexadria205]

"People can be on the wrong path, even though they seem to be on the right path." I think this is the most profound social commentary I've ever heard. It makes sense that this idea has blown over my head in these modern times. Its extremely relevant today in my opinion.

[@kristoffjirehmisamisgarbo7554]

What music fits to A good man is hard to find? Help me out people for educationl purposes

[@brayansantillan9762]

Badbunny

[@ankitkeshav2669]

It's lovely. I read this story today and was looking for analysis like this.

[@Iyonna_Lewis_]

So I am writing a literary Analysis paper on this story. What is a good thesis statement I am kinda struggling. Your video is very helpful.

[@OsmanWithAttitude]

Not to disagree with you but this story is only about two characters, the grandmother and the misfit. "If only there had been some one to shoot her every minute..." Implies to the fact that she was able to find her moment of grace when she realized that there was nothing more left for her in her life, and NOT because the misfit hated her so much. Shouldn't be analysing the family so much because they are there for the sake of the story and NOT for actual moral of the story.

[@marykatherineschmitz3007]

Is what the waitress says to the girl supposed to be a compliment or creepy?

[@antidepressant11]

Scapegoating. Happens in the workplace. No one wants to be "it".

[@travvistodd6016]

You spend too much time operating under the assumption that art is somehow required to give us characters to "root for," which is especially absurd when it comes to Flannery O'Connor's work. She wasn't trying to create comfort food to comfort the delusions of comfortable people.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

So true! She is deliberately making the reader squirm. Maybe I should revisit this video . . .

[@travvistodd6016]

I'm re-reading Mystery and Manners and as usual it's astounding how much insight O'Connor has into her own creative process, and her artistic motivations. She's one of the greatest writers I've ever encountered, and I'd trade a substantial body part for a couple more books from her. Too bad that's impossible.

[@christopherbf1197]

love it

[@jblaze2467]

Didn't even call her racism out lmao smh!

[@RapIsReligion]

J Mayhem on god fuck that bih i’m glad she got popped

[@anonymousdude9099]

Who cares?

[@gorkajames6475]

Read my dads essay on this as a kid and it scared the hell out of me for about a week

[@wcscott18tx]

For some reason I relate the Misfit to the Joker in the Dark Knight movies. Someone who just wants to see the world burn. I don't understand people who are just evil for no reason....

[@britteach]

Hi Rebecca, Thank you for this analysis. AGMIHTF was my introduction to Flannery O'Connor and it remains for me the essence of who she is as a writer. For years, I found it extremely unsettling that I identified with the Misfit, but, as you suggest, that may be her point. When the grandmother tells him that he could be one of her own babies, we could see it as an act of desperation, pleading to be spared, or as a moment of clarity. "One of the thieves was saved..." Thanks for your insights.

[@superblackteen]

Hey , so can u explain to me in dummy terms what the misfit ment when he said "she would have been a good lady if she got shot everyday of her life"

[@dflexus]

the reference to jail and how he didn't remember why is a biblical one. how adamnand eve ate the apple and we suffer their sins is what she was saying and are labeled sinners

[@carlosulloa7127]

Thank you. This video was really helpful.!

[@SixMinuteScholar]

You're welcome!

[@beautifulandmotivated3181]

I believe that when the story brings up how the Misfit was served injustice and didn’t do any crime, it adds to the message (that I get from the story) that the Misfit doesn’t want to be bad necessarily but he has those components in him and believes that he might as well use them and let them serve their purpose. It’s almost like he despises his own nature and as humans in the real world, it’s hard to accept ourselves.

[@LouiseERne98]

Why do you think the writer named this story by this name. What is the theme and symbol in this story?

[@leslieannvanhumbeck7630]

You don't understand it because you're an atheist. You totally ignored all the spiritual themes that were central to the story. Flannery O'Connor went to mass every day.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

:-)

[@yrk4938]

you are great !!!!!

[@melissais]

Wow, those were interesting views, I honestly didn't think about it much after I read it other than "i finally read a whole book for class" but it did make me feel sad that the whole family died. Your video was very interesting, can't wait to contribute your ideas in the classroom soon!

[@SimmSumm]

Thank you so much for your videos. These videos help me so much in my college literature class

[@samrobbins2248]

... I came here because I wanted to listen to tom waits... your right these characters are horid

[@BrazosP]

Thanks for the commentary. I think Flannery uses the Misfit to show redemption and salvation for the family.

[@anthonyzolanski8775]

You’re literally a living legend THANK YOU

[@simonjack3963]

well u was a great. i hv exam tommorw and never read ths story just right nw with ur awesome video, i feel i get it all, thx alot

[@dwanderful1]

Not looking forward to reading this

[@erickaz.1158]

You helped me SO MUCH!!!! I understand the story a lot more now. THANK YOU SO MUCH ILY❤️