A Good Man: O'Connor's Dynamic Reader-Author Assault Essay

"A Good Man is Hard to Find" is a perfect example of how an author and the reader can be in absolute dynamics. Flannery O'Connor created an assault to consciousness regarding the complacent as well as the wise that induces the characters and the reader into violent circumstances. As O'Connor states, the meaning of fiction should be considered not to be of abstract meaning but rather an experienced meaning and feeling that is experienced by the reader. The treatment of characters in the story creates a feeling of reinforcing the view of man as a fallen creature. It should be noted that the story illustrates the destruction of a normal family. The first feeling of the family is that of disrespect as well as dissension that characterize the relationship with each other. The vanity and the self-centered attitude of the grandmother are apparent, which creates an ironic foreshadowing regarding the end of the story.

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The author creates a feeling of foreboding regarding the display of the foibles of the family. When the family is leaving the tower, the children tend to be attracted to gray monkeys that attracted their attention. It should be noted that the ape family animals have been commonly used in Christianity to symbolize malice, sin, cunning, and lust. In this regard, one gets a feeling of slothfulness of man's soul and his blindness towards greed. Therefore, the representation of symbolic monkey at the tower that sits on a Chinaberry tree, which is a self-centered animal was the best choice for symbolizing the epitome of greed in the family. In this regard, the book by O'Connor is excellent writing, a food for thought, although quite brutal to reality. The absolute reality and attack by the author cannot be for the fainthearted.

The story by O'Connor is an intense dark piece, which illustrates the parental rules during the 60s. As a person who values gender equity, the book is disturbing as it creates a feeling of disgust towards the feeling of girls engaging in indecent behavior willingly. There is a lot of toxicity that is created in family relationships, as depicted by the grandmother, who is a narcissist. However, the story is still able to reveal important life lessons through such controversial characters. It is important to illustrate ideas that are shared with my classmates' view of the story that life needs more values beyond vanity. In this regard, despite how rich, pretty, or influential someone could be, none of these are vital when facing death, and nothing matters no more since one will leave everything behind.

Despite having a different storyline and characters, Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find" depicts a lot of similarity with Joyce Oats' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been." The vain personality of characters is among the major considerations of commonality. In "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been," I felt a lot of sympathy for Connie after analyzing the relationship she had with the grandmother. Despite the challenges, Connie created an attractive persona of an adult through her clothing, general behavior, and hairstyle. However, the love and romance that she depicts and the sexual nature with images of the pop culture surrounding her are more different from the reality of adult sexuality. Besides, it can be deduced that the line between fantasy and reality is blurred by Arnold, whose physical appearance makes him seem both human and less human.

The book by Joyce Oats is a tale of insecurity and a romantic teenager who is drawn into a situation of foreboding violence. Considering that the story is illustrated from the perspective of Connie while she is not the narrator, one can see and feel the gradual dismantling of the first impressions through Connie's eyes. There is always a huge difference between character and reality as Arnold's romantic words are not original but rather are taken from popular songs. It should be noted that nothing from is genuine in that friendship save for the violent intentions and the skills of psychological and physical intimidation. Many teenage girls tend to depict Connie's behavior and attitude. However, this character creates an identity that is easy to manipulate and that can easily be exploited malicious characters like Arnold.

Conclusion

The book by Joyce Oats is an interesting piece that raises a lot of awareness through very disturbing. It is annoying how the story is created to try and depict the girl to have such characters by choice at that teenage period. When Arnold tells Connie that "Yes I am your lover" (p.133), after a back and forth pushes is a horrible feeling to the reader who has the background of the nature of the character. He is luring the girl with fake love, and while he was trying to tell him how love is great, the realization of malice creates a feeling of how people tend to lure others. This is a feeling that is shared with classmates, especially with the threats that are posed to Connie if she failed to accompany Arnold. The story creates a feeling that there should be punishment for evil misdeeds in society.

Works Cited

Oates, Joyce. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Univ. Press, 2002. Print.

O'Connor, Flannery. A Good Man Is Hard to Find. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1993. Print.