May Angelou states that “prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future, and renders the present inaccessible” (Machado and Lugo 1). History has proven that white supremacy negatively affects society’s ethical values by causing whites’ painful indifference to black people, affirming white privilege (ignoring their complicity in racial inequality), and promoting negative stereotypes about black people. O’Connor’s short story demonstrates that a good man is hard to find by providing evidence of the fall of the moral values in society. Prejudice is an obvious obstacle to a reasonable evaluation of a situation or a person. Modifications of the two characters’ stereotypes, personified by the Grandmother and the Misfit, are employed to convey the moral of the narrative. The Misfit states to the Grandmother: “I ain’t a good man…but I ain’t the worst in the world neither” (O’Connor 321). Thus, he demonstrates that unlike the Grandmother, who believes she is ethically superior to everyone else, the Misfit sincerely considers existence’s nature and place in it. He has thoroughly examined his acts in life and analyzed his experiences in order to uncover lessons.
Notably, one of the shreds of evidence of moral decay is racism. O’Connor claims that “a good man is hard to find…Everything is getting terrible” (361). First, racism is based on the notion that observed racial disparities may be linked to underlying biological differences that result in stereotypes (Leong 1293). Second, racism refers to prejudice, which is the negative assessment of another racial group compared to one’s own. Finally, the idea represents unfair group treatment, for instance, discrimination. Although evolutionary psychologists believe that prejudice is genetically encoded in humans, social psychology theory contends that prejudice is taught via imitation of others or by how people build their psychological reality (1294). Leong claims that “prejudice is viewed as a core aspect of individual racism and racial discrimination” (1294).
Prejudice force people to make wrongful assumptions and conclusions. For instance, when facing a Misfit, a grandmother says that she knows that he is a good person and probably comes “from nice people” (O’Connor, 320). The irony is that the Misfit, the murderer, agrees and adds the “finest people in the world” (O’Connor, 320). Grandmother’s opinion is not based on the Misfit’s experience; thus, the link between her thinking and prejudice is illustrated. Through her words and deeds, the Grandmother exhibits racial and class prejudice. She is egotistical and self-centered, and she believes that good character comes from being raised by good people. Racism is an instance of prejudice and discrimination; racist ideas are the foundation for the assumption that social and cultural disparities between racially designated groups are caused by biological/genetic variation (Mason 440). Consequently, using the racism-as-feelings approach, it may appear paradoxical that racists are sometimes unaware of the discriminatory consequences of their behavior. Understanding that racism happens at the institutional level adds another degree of complication to the basic notion that racism is a sentiment that each individual may choose to possess or ignore (Mason 437).
To conclude, prejudice is a foundation of moral decay, leading to stereotyping, discrimination, and racism. The Grandmother in O’Connor’s story is an example of racial and class prejudice. The decline of moral values leads to discrimination, which may impact society’s well-being and opportunities. Moreover, prejudice is based on biases, stereotypes, ignorance, and selfishness; thus, it is harmful and immoral.
Works Cited
Leong, Frederick T. Encyclopedia of Counseling. Sage, 2008.
Machado, Mychal A., and Ashley M. Lugo. “A Behavioral Analysis of Two Strategies to Eliminate Racial Bias in Police Use of Force.” Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2021, pp. 1-11. doi.org/10.1007/s40617-021-00551-1
Mason, Patrick L. Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. 2nd ed., Cengage Learning, 2013.
O’Connor, Flannery. A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories. Brace and Company, 1955.