A Man With Good Values Is Hard To Find.
Throughout my life my parents, peers, and teachers have shaped my thoughts and beliefs. Some of them have taught me my values; others have shaped my way of life. Granted, I have known that everyone has been raised differently, no two people are alike which I don't find as a bad thing. However when I compare myself to the characters in Flannery O"Connor's short story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find"; our views and lifestyles appear to be complete opposites. For instance, the Grandmother in O"Connor's story appears to be perfect, then as the story continues, it becomes obvious that she is a very manipulative woman. The "perfect" Grandmother makes me wonder whether she never had values to begin with or if she just forgot them at that time in her life. Consequently: her family, including: her son Bailey, his wife, her grandson John Wesley, and her granddaughter June Star; were not too respectful of her as a family member and an adult. In addition to the family, there is also another character whose morals and values I question, the Misfit. The author paints an intricate picture that to me shows faultless examples of, "the loss of respect for adults and family". .
As the story is set in motion it appears that the Grandmother is the ideal relative, which is shown when she offers to take the baby from her worn-out daughter-in-law, "she set him on her knee and bounced him and told him about the things they were passing" (O"Connor 1955). My views began to change as the action of the story was set in motion. When the family was in their car wreck and ran into the Misfit, the Grandmothers true colors began to show. For instance, when she felt her life was in danger, she claimed that she was a devout Christian, of good blood. She was persistent in telling the Misfit all this and then commenting to him that she knew he was a good man and that she recognized that he, "didn't look a bit like he had common blood in him" (O"Connor 1955).
