Lucy Santora
ApPARENT
John Paul II High School
Faculty Sponsor: Heather Cernoch (heathercernoch@johnpauliihs.org)
ApPARENT
How is humanity defined by filial piety? How can the future reap experience from its
predecessors? How is society a product of its makers? Flannery O’Connor attempts to answer
these questions by exploring the foibles of human nature through character dialogue in “A Good
Man is Hard to Find,” cautioning readers that parenting plays a vital role in the development of a
person’s concept of morality.
The aspect of disrespectful children is illustrated in the early pages of the story by the
sarcastic tone of June Star and John Wesley as they snap at adults in the story. When the
grandmother expresses her apprehensions about traveling to Florida, John fires back a short
retort saying, “If you don’t want to go to Florida, why dontcha stay home?” (O’Connor) June
Star plays off this jest with extreme exaggerations that their grandmother wouldn’t let the family
go anywhere without her even if offered to “be queen for a day” or “a million bucks.” O’Connor
employs short syntax and hyperbole in order to highlight the spoiled nature of the children. She
further develops the children’s lack of appreciation through their remarks during the trip to
Florida. John refers to Tennessee as a “hillbilly dumping ground” and Georgia as a “lousy state.”
This reflects the opinions his parents exposed John to and the absence of a filter, which his
parents neglected to develop. If their parents had instilled better values and demanded more
respect from their children, John and June would not act out in such a disgraceful manner. At
Red Sam’s June refers to the restaurant as “a broken-down place” in front of Red Sam’s wife.
Again, Bailey says nothing, letting such insubordinate behavior slide for the time being, even
when his mother asks him, “Aren’t you ashamed?” The grandmother projects a strong sense of
respect, yet there is disconnect in this attribute since it is not passed to her son. Here O’Connor
points out that it does not matter if one’s parents are good people; what matters is that parents
teach their children strong values and morals. Soon after they are on the road again, the children
kick and scream their way into getting to make an extra stop to see an old plantation, claiming
they “never do what they wanted to do.” O’Connor tries to show that the children learn they can
manipulate their way into getting what they want, they are above social courtesies, and their
actions have no consequences. The Misfit and his accomplices, whose consciences lack a general
respect for others, exhibit the negative outcomes of children whose upbringing doesn’t mold
them in the aspects of right and wrong.
Bailey, the impatient husband and son of the grandmother, is a symbol of unnecessary
agitation and its catastrophic implications, and he is definitely the source of his kids’ lack of
respect. He continually disregards his mother’s opinion and treats her as a nuisance—a bee that
won’t stop buzzing. When his mother warns him against traveling through an area with a
criminal on the loose, Bailey doesn’t even acknowledge that she speaks. Here O’Connor inserts
her dark humor; if Bailey had listened to his mother or inquired more about the whereabouts of
the criminal, he may have assessed the situation better and avoided the murder of his entire
family. The outcome is indeed grotesque and dark, but it was avoidable. It is also possible that if
Bailey wasn’t so easily annoyed his mother would have shared her desire to bring Pitty Sing
along for the trip instead of attempting to hide the cat. A proper discussion would have at least
made Bailey aware of the cat’s presence and could have prevented the crash. O’Connor points
out that belittling someone’s opinion can result in having a hard time “answering to one’s
conscience.” However, Bailey is not entirely to blame for this exchange between mother and son.
One can easily point to the flaws of Bailey’s mother in his upbringing. Bailey lacks the tender
qualities his children also lack; he is disrespectful and insensitive.
O’Connor uses the voice of the grandmother to present that people are not of a singular
character but rather a quilt-work of multiple traits. In the opening conversation with her son, the
grandmother comes across as overbearing and stubborn. She rants about The Misfit on the loose
and how their family could become the victims of his atrocities, conjuring an image within the
reader of the “grandma from the other side of the family.” As aforementioned, the grandmother’s
family group is unruly. The grandmother fails as a parental figure two-fold, once with Bailey and
once again with her grandchildren. Despite her efforts, she is unable to command respect. The
reader has a sense of pity for the grandmother, who is abused by her family’s sarcasm and
disdain. Paradoxically, the reader is also annoyed with the grandmother, who can’t seem to say
or do the right thing in any given scenario. The grandmother is unable to convince her son of her
concerns, makes a poor choice by sneaking Pitty Sing along for the trip, and even uses her
grandchildren’s poor behavior to manipulate her own son into driving where she wants. The first
flaw alludes to a strained mother-son relationship while the second demonstrates the
grandmother’s sense of self-importance; she wants to bring the cat and thus the opinion of the
family doesn’t matter, and her want is her action. The latter flaw shows the grandmother
adapting to the nature of her younger relatives. They taught her how to play their game of
pushing buttons and applying just enough innocent pressure so they can achieve their desired
outcome. O’Connor demonstrates that humans are susceptible to error, but the grandmother is
the beacon of good intentions with poor execution.
The Misfit, too, is, for lack of a better term, a product of bad parenting. His conscience is
detached from his actions, and consequently, he sees human life as without intrinsic value.
During his conversation with the grandmother, the old woman, trembling with fear, says, “You
wouldn’t shoot a lady, would you?” to which he responds, “I would hate to have to.” This shows
that there is, indeed, a shred of his heart susceptible to the pain of wrongdoing, yet it is not strong
enough to prevent him from engaging in such action. When the grandmother proclaims, “I know
you’re a good man,” the Misfit answers, “I ain’t a good man.” This shows that The Misfit has a
sense of what is right and what is wrong—at least enough to assess that his actions fall into the
latter category, yet he takes no measures to alter his destructive course. Why would he neglect
what he knows is righteous to engage in wrongdoing? The Misfit briefly mentions his parents,
specifically his absentee father. He discusses that his father had a “way with the law” and was
able to “deal with authority.” This points to the criminal nature of his father and that this was the
primary role model in the Misfit’s formative years. Unlike the grandmother, the Misfit’s father
did exceptionally well in passing on his finer attributes. Unfortunately, the definition of “finer” is
in the eye of the beholder. O’Connor uses this moment to shed light on the position of a role
model in a child’s formation of character. The Misfit obviously took his father seriously,
believed him to be royalty, and consequentially took the path he outlined. On the other hand,
Bailey viewed his mother as an overbearing nuisance, didn’t waste a breath on listening to her
wisdom, and thus matured without her qualities of respect and courtesy. This chain continues
from Bailey down to June Star and John Wesley. Like the Misfit, they idolize their father. When
they see their father condescending his mother, they believe they can—or even should—act in
the same manner. The human species is geared toward adopting traits from our experience with
important figures in our lives. O’Connor’s purpose is to address this issue and caution against
becoming stagnant in our social knowledge. She warns that society must pause and look into
itself to assess its character with regard to what portion of it is a conscious choice and what part
of it is mere muscle memory formulated by parental influence.
Those who are carbon copies of their parents, in both positive and negative aspects,
don’t realize it until they are at gunpoint. O’Connor uses this exhibition of family bickering and
dark comedy to portray the importance of creating character based on individual definitions of
morality instead of wearing the definition your mother gave you.
Works Cited
O’Connor, Flannery. “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.” A Good Man Is Hard to Find. N.p., n.d.
Web. 05 Oct. 2014.