Carol Ashey

ENGL 232 K
Dr. Theado
March 20, 2013
Southern Grandmother Found Shot Dead in Georgia WoodsThe Misfit Suspected Culprit
As I began reading A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor, I had the feeling
that I may have read it before. It had sounded a lot like a story I had read in my English
Composition course at a previous collegethe one where the family was shot to death in the
end. Curious to see whether the stories were the same, I looked at the end of the story, and sure
enough, they were the same.
The first time I had read the story, I remembered being wary of it, especially towards the
end where the grandmother and The Misfit are discussing faith. I wasnt sure what to make of it
because I couldnt tell whether the author was Christian or not. I had assumed it was secular, and
when secular works mention faith, I tend to be cautious of them in order to gain what they mean
in terms of faith and whether they are taking a positive or negative view.
I enjoyed rereading A Good Man Is Hard To Find because now, I could understand it
better, based off the content. The first time I read this, I was living in northern Virginia, which
did not have many of the cultural qualities that the Deep South does. Since I have moved to
Georgia and have seen how many Southerners view faith and family, I gained a richer sense of
Southern life. I could feel the humid heat of the summer and see the tall pine trees as the family
drove through the state.
She pointed out the interesting details of the scenery: Stone Mountain; the blue granite
that in some places came up to both sides of the highway; the brilliant red clay banks slightly

Ashey

streaked with purple; and the various crops that made rows of green lace-work on the ground
(1305). When I read the description above I could immediately see it. I recognized Stone
Mountain as I used to live in that area and have been to it, and that red clay certainly is
everywhere. I liked rereading the text because I could see the deep Southern pride of the
grandmother and understand the cultural aspect presented.
I also enjoyed reading the life excerpt of the author as it helped me to understand the
Christian viewpoint of writing how the world really is and how other people see it. Learning that
the author was Catholic helped to understand the text more and quelled my suspicions. As a
Christian writer, I have often wondered how to portray faith without seeming overtly so. Reading
the biography of Flannery OConner and the description, which stated concerning her work The
Violent Bear It Away: aaccount of the struggle between Christianity and secularism that
explores the consequences of mans refusal to see things as they really are and act
accordingly. Also stated about the author which helped me to see that you can write Christian
works without it looking like you are was this: Miss OConnoris fiercely concerned with
moral, even theological, problems. It was refreshing to see that another writer felt the same way
I do, religiously.