This article clarifies central ideas in Flannery O’Connor’s short story A Good Man is Hard to Find. The article discusses how the writer develops the story’s themes and how they reflect the author’s life and philosophical views. The key concept presented in the article is the idea that Flannery O’Connor’s stories share a particular pattern (Vala, 2018). For example, the theme of sickness and illnesses is presented as a leading force in changing the characters and their environment (Vala, 2018). Another concept emphasized in the paper is mortality and its significance as a source of consciousness. The heroes of her stories become aware of death as they succumb to sickness, and through it, Flannery O’Connor tries to present her potential redemption of the characters.
Vala’s article offered an exciting approach to understanding the author’s message. I was able to discover how Flannery O’Connor incorporated optimism in her works. Despite the gothic and violent nature of the story, the article claims that the author’s message is to show how people are one step away from graceful salvation and understanding their nature (Vala, 2018). People can become good if they make one violent action and see their true nature (Vala, 2018). This idea is unique because it is not supporting widespread criticisms of the brutality in the story. Instead, it focuses on the symbolic meaning of violence and tries to achieve a deeper understanding of the author’s motives and ideas. In addition, the article suggests facts from O’Connor’s life that influenced the work. For example, O’Connor suffered from lupus, and therefore the theme of illness became the central part of the oeuvre (Vala, 2018). In conclusion, I believe incorporating some of the article’s ideas will be beneficial for my writing.
Reference
Vala, J. P. (2018). A good man is easy to find: Flannery O’Connor’s theology of death. University of Chitral Journal of Linguistics & Literature, 2(1), 23-28.