Questions for 10/21/09

“A Good Man is Hard to Find”
1. Near the beginning O’Connor says that “in case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady”, describing the grandmother. Red Sammy seems to emphasize that the Misfit would come this way.
2. The grandmother is an old-fashioned lady whose remarks reveal that she is somewhat “stuck in her ways”. She remains static as she seems to believe that there is good in everybody.
3. She realizes that the Misfit is just like her grandchildren in the way that their generation just does not agree with the older generation.
4. That the Misfit was an average guy who believes that world is ultimately going to be judged for what they do no matter how simple it is. This reflects O’Connor’s view that the South’s religious views are coming to a violent end.
“Revelation”
6. The vision that Mrs. Turpin gets afterwards reveals the answer to that question.
7. That piety actually puts a person below everyone else instead of above as a pious person may believe. She is left with the new view that maybe she is not better than everyone else and that she should stop putting people in “classes” as she usually does.
“Parker’s Back”
5. It shows that his views on life are shallow and that he does not like to look at the big picture
6. He did it so Sarah Ruth would finally accept him. He expected her to finally look at him other than just some bum that does not know what he is doing
7. It shows that he did not believe his own feelings.
8. That he does not really care about anyone but himself and he does not deserve his own sympathy by his standards.
9. She feels like he is hiding who he really is and by whispering his name he finally admits to himself who he really is.