Use of Symbolism in A Good Man is Hard to Find
Use of Symbolism in "A Good Man is Hard to Find"
The short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” represents symbolism which leaves the readers of Flannery O’Conner’s work with many images and ideas of what he really means. O”Conner grew up in the south in Savannah and Milledgeville Georgia and believes the most important influences on her life were “being a Catholic and a Southerner and a writer.” (Discovering Literature 318) Her early life explains why she writes about the south in this story and provides symbolism between the grandmother and the Old South. The grandmother represents the Old South with her knowledge of historic homes and wanting respect. Because she is the oldest of the vacationers, the grandmother is an opinionated woman whom tries to control every situation.
People who grew up in the Old South are very educated about historic homes and the history of their native state which influences old southerners to become more interested in sight seeing places of this character. In the beginning of the story the grandmother is trying to persuade her son and his family of traveling to East Tennessee rather than Florida. She supports her idea by telling her son, Bailey, that East Tennessee will be more educational for the children since they have never vacationed there before. Later in the story when they are traveling to Florida she mentions a plantation she knew and expressed interest in taking a short detour to see the home. The grandmother again wants to educate the children of the plantation and mentions some of the qualities of the home such as the “beautiful glass in the front door way and the candle lamp in the hall,” although the kids were more interested in the secret panel that she had lied about just to get their attention.
Another characteristic that the grandmother has that represents the Old South is her morals and values of respect. She comes on very strong with this important issue when the young boy, John Wesley, ordered to go through Georgia fast so that he wouldn’t have to look at it much. The remark the boy made struck the grandmother in the wrong place and came back with “In my time,” said the grandmother, folding her vein fingers, “children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else.” Furthermore a characteristic that is more...