The following paper gives an in-depth analysis of Flannery O’Connor’s acclaimed short story A Good Man Is Hard To Find. A detailed account of O’Connor’s life and her status as a fervent Roman Catholic in the predominantly Protestant South during the period of World War II and the Cold War sheds light on her literary motivations and her brilliant use of the grotesque. The historical and religious context complements the second part of the paper, which consists of a thorough textual analysis of A Good Man Is Hard To Find. Special emphasis is put on the exploration of character relationships, important themes and cultural signifiers, which again links up with the first part of the paper.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Flannery O‘Connor
2.1. Biography
2.2. Relationships
2.3. Bibliography and Awards
3. Historical and Socio-Cultural Background
3.1. The Southern Literary Renaissance
3.2. The Cold War Narrative
3.2.1 The Myth of Pastoral Innocence
3.2.2. An American “Culture Religion“
3.2.3. The South and Segregation
4. Defining the Style
4.1. O’Connor’s Church
4.2. The Southern Grotesque
5. Textual Analysis
5.1. The Plot
5.2. The Characters
5 .2.1 The grandmother
5.2.2. The Misfit
5.2.3. June Star and John Wesley
5.2.4. Bailey and the children’s mother
5.2.5. Red Sammy Butts
5.3. Themes and Motifs
5.3.1 The Concept of Grace
5.3.2. Good vs. Evil
5.3.3. Southern Manners and Protestantism
5.3.4. Dysfunctional Family
5.4. Narrative Technique
5.5. Presentation of Settings
5.6. Cultural Signifiers
5.6.1. “The Tennessee Waltz”, tap-dancing and “Gone with the Wind”
5.6.2. “Queen for a Day”
5.6.3. “The watermelon story”
5.6.4. Pitty Sing
6. Conclusion
7. Bibliography
- Quote paper
- Bachelor Katharina Eder (Author), 2009, Flannery O’Connor, "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" - an Analysis, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/171943
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