You’re one of my own children!”
The Misfit isn’t literally the grandmother’s child
; rather, this points to the fact that she realizes they are both human beings. Her comment seems inappropriate—even insane—given the circumstances, but this is actually the grandmother’s most lucid moment in the story.
What does the misfit mean at the end when he says about the grandmother?
The Misfit is talking about the grandmother,
who finally experiences transcendence in the moment before her death
. Until then, she had led a life not overly exemplified by virtue. It is only when threatened with the reality of death that she finds the depth of true goodness within herself.
How did the grandmother recognize the misfit?
In the last moment of her life, the grandmother suddenly recognizes The Misfit
as a fellow human being and child of god. She pities him and wants to comfort him
. That this revelation comes to her at such a time allows her to die with peace in her heart.
Why does the grandmother touch the misfit?
The grandmother calls the Misfit
a good man because she is trying desperately to save herself
. She uses the protections that have served her throughout her life. She tries to offer the Misfit money, which is pointless, as he can simply kill her and take it (as he point outs).
Why does the misfit shoot the grandmother last?
The Misfit kills the grandmother
last to make her death more painful
(at least to the reader). The grandmother has to endure listening to the other five members of her family get shot in closer range (even though, in her selfish attitude, she doesn’t seem to care much).
Why does the misfit compare himself to Jesus?
This is why he calls himself the Misfit:
because his punishment doesn’t fit his crime (or his lack of crime)
. Because Jesus accepted a horrible punishment, without having committed a crime, the Misfit believes Jesus upset the balance of crimes and punishments for humanity.
What does Grandma say to the misfit before he kills her?
Consider the following line, which is found just before she reaches out to the Misfit: ”
“Maybe He didn’t raise the dead
,” the old lady mumbled, not knowing what she was saying and feeling so dizzy that she sank down in the ditch with her legs twisted under her.”
Why does the grandmother call the misfit one of my babies?
In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, the grandmother says that the Misfit is one of her children even though she only has one
son because she’s trying to appeal to his better nature
, while also seeing him for the first time as a fellow human being.
What do we learn from the conversation between the misfit and the grandmother?
During this dialogue with the grandmother, we learn that
the Misfit’s father had early recognized in him an individual who would have to know “why it [life] is
,” and we learn that the Misfit has pondered the human condition and has reached certain conclusions concerning his experience with life.
How does the misfit view himself?
Because the Misfit has questioned himself and his life so closely, he
reveals a self-awareness that the grandmother lacks
. He knows he isn’t a great man, but he also knows that there are others worse than him. He forms rudimentary philosophies, such as “no pleasure but meanness” and “the crime don’t matter.”
Why does the misfit call himself The Misfit?
Near the end of the story, the Misfit tells the grandmother that he calls himself the Misfit “
because [he] can’t make what all [he] done wrong fit what all [he] gone through in punishment
.” In other words, his punishment has not fit his so-called crime; it is, in a very literal way, a mis-fit.
How does the misfit justify his actions?
How does the Misfit justify his actions in the following passage? “
‘I found out the crime don’t matter. You can do one thing or you can do another, kill a man or take a tire off his car, because sooner or later you’re going to forget what it was you done and just be punished for it.
“‘
Why is the grandmother selfish in a good man is hard to find?
The grandmother’s most selfish display is
her lack of intervention on behalf of her family when the Misfit decides to kill them all
. She begs desperately to save herself, yet she makes no similar plea as her grandchildren, daughter-in-law, and son are led into the woods and shot.
How does Red Sammy respond when the grandmother calls him a good man?
In both conversations the grandmother describes the characters as good men. After a moment’s reflection Red Sammy Butts agrees, “
as if he were struck with this answer
.” He has an excessively high opinion of himself. The grandmother calls The Misfit a good man.
How is the grandmother in A Good Man Is Hard to Find a misfit?
The unnamed grandmother in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”
considers herself morally superior to others by virtue of her being a “lady
,” and she freely and frequently passes judgment on others. … When the Misfit systematically murders the family, the grandmother never once begs him to spare her children or grandchildren.
Who is the grandmother in A Good Man Is Hard to Find?
The Grandmother is
an elderly Southern lady, and Bailey’s mother
. She is a naïve woman, despite her age, and seems to only think of herself. Against her son’s wishes, she brings her cat along in the car, ultimately causing the wreck that leads to the family’s deaths.
