Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find”
Passage: The passage is from page 31.
“Jesus was the only One that ever raised the dead,” The Misfit
continued, “and He shouldn’t have done it. He thown everything off
balance. If He did what He said, then it’s nothing for you to do but thow
away everything and follow Him, and if He didn’t, then it’s nothing for
you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can —
by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other
meanness to him. No pleasure but meanness,” he said and his voice had
become almost a snarl . . .
“I wasn’t there so I can’t say He didn’t,” The Misfit said. “I wisht I had
of been there,” he said, hitting the ground with his fist. “It ain’t right I
wasn’t there because if I had of been there I would of known. Listen
lady,” he said in a high voice, “if I had of been there I would of known
and I wouldn’t be like I am now.”
Discuss how these passages provide evidence of the Misfit’s spiritual crisis: In what sense has he lost his faith? How have his life experiences seemingly justified this crisis? What effect on the grandmother does his crisis have as she is listening to him tell his life story?
