How do you determine the goodness of a person? Do you even evaluate the character of the people you most often pal around with or are you happy as long as there is no tension? Is goodness based on appearance or reputation? I believe the term good is so loosely thrown around this day and age; we merely believe what our eyes tell us. Too often we allow pre conceived notions and presuppositions gauge our view of a person. I think you need to strip a person down to their core values, their inmost being to see what they really stand for. Traumatic events sometimes peel back the façade and expose true character. That moment of chilling, brutal honesty is evident in a favorite short story of mine “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, by Flannery O’Connor. This story really rattled my cage, forcing me to take a look at my own values. I encourage you to read this story it’s linked below; what in the story was most significant to you? Feedback is greatly appreciated and encouraged!
http://books.google.com/books?id=a19bBAt1gx8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=good+man+is+hard+to+find&cd=2#v=onepage&q=&f=false
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Finally read the story. I think what stuck out most to me was that I liked the grandmother so much, even though I guess it's arguable that her unfortunate clumsiness lead to the even more unfortunate run in with The Misfit. I "sided" with her from the very beginning, a sentiment initiated with feeling bad for her because of how much her grandkids disrespected her and her son disregarded her. I couldn't really get away from that throughout the rest of the story. She seemed to be battling something in the dementia spectrum, and because of that it bothered me even more that she was so disrespected.
ReplyDeleteOf course the conclusion was a little unsettling. I only finished it a half hr ago or so and I'm still not sure what to make of it. The Misfit said something along the lines of "she would have been a good woman if she had someone there to shoot her every minute of her life" which got me thinking on how my outlook on life would change if I lived like it could end any second. I know in my heart that it can, but i still make plans and live for "...I can do that tomorrow." Something interesting to think about.