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Eng 124 Final Exam Essay

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English
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Cuyamaca College
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Inspiration from A Good Man is Hard to Find
Every story has a key aspect in it. “A Good Ma is Hard to Find” revolves around
redemption. Religious views are dominant in Flannery O'Connor's list of short stories. The theme
stems from the influence of her Roman Catholic background. A Good Man is Hard to Find is
not an exception and has in it instances where grace and redemption are experienced by
spiritually flawed individuals in totally unexpected ways. The story is one of the most inspiring
from Flannery O'Connor's collection. In A Good Man is Hard to Find, the author brings to life
the story of the Grandmother's family travelling from Georgia to Florida for a vacation
(O'Connor, 1972, p118). Through the use of symbolism, irony and foreshadowing, O'Connor
successfully evokes a feeling of inspiration to the reader, especially regarding the subject of
grace and redemption.
Through the use of symbolism, I found A Good Man is Hard to Find, inspiring
regarding grace and redemption. The Grandmother experiences redemption towards her death.
Her whole life has been full of self-righteousness, judging and condemning others (O'Connor
118). From her last experiences and also encounter with the Misfit, she realizes she has been a
sinner. This would be unexpected, and one notices that it is never too late to get saved. After the
Grandmother is shot, a cloudless sky is seen (O'Connor, 1972, p132). Such a sky is an ingredient

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of a beautiful day, and this is evidenced by the Grandmother's smile. The smile she pulls before
dying signifies that she has found peace and filled with grace, especially after realizing that she
is flawed like everyone else. I found these events a source of inspiration as they clearly show that
one can experience God's grace at any point in their life regardless of their age and their past
lives.
Irony is also another literacy device that evoked inspiration in A Good Man is Hard to
Find. O'Connor has illustrated several instances where sinners actually teach self-righteous
individuals the art of loving people, being compassionate and assessing their spiritual life. The
self-proclaimed Grandmother manipulates the children, and they end up driving down a detour
and eventually get killed by the Misfit (O'Connor, 1972, p129). After killing all the family
members, the Misfit engages in a conversation with the Grandmother. While readers would
expect the Grandmother to be lead the Misfit into righteousness, the contrary happens. The
Misfit helps her realize the flaws in her life and that she was a sinner like everyone else. As the
Grandmother reaches out to the deranged murderer, she states, 'WHY, you're one of my own
children' (O'Connor, 1972, p132). She finally finds it easy to understand others and be
compassionate to them. She sees everyone as a child of God. The Misfit, a sinner, becomes the
Grandmother's source of spiritual light, and she dies while having understood that real pleasures
in life can only be found in Christ, and we are all flawed. This is an inspiration to sinners as it is
an indication that God can still use them in special ways. The Grandmother's mistaken
perception of salvation is only dismantled after meeting the Misfit.
There are also several instances of foreshadowing in A Good Man is Hard to Find
which show that we can easily avoid dangerous encounters and experiences in life only if we are
keen to note the red flags. O'Connor illustrates various misfortunes that the family would have

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Surname 1 Student's Name Instructor’s Name Course Title Date Inspiration from “A Good Man is Hard to Find” Every story has a key aspect in it. “A Good Ma is Hard to Find” revolves around redemption. Religious views are dominant in Flannery O'Connor's list of short stories. The theme stems from the influence of her Roman Catholic background. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is not an exception and has in it instances where grace and redemption are experienced by spiritually flawed individuals in totally unexpected ways. The story is one of the most inspiring from Flannery O'Connor's collection. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” the author brings to life the story of the Grandmother's family travelling from Georgia to Florida for a vacation (O'Connor, 1972, p118). Through the use of symbolism, irony and foreshadowing, O'Connor successfully evokes a feeling of inspiration to the reader, especially regarding the subject of grace and redemption. Through the use of symbolism, I found “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” inspiring regarding grace and redemption. The Grandmother experiences redemption towards her death. Her whole life has been full of self-righteousness, judging ...
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I was having a hard time with this subject, and this was a great help.

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