It is clear and definite that the Misfit lacks empathy,
a psychopath
, and is not one of those murderers that does it for fun and so see their victim in pain, a sadist. Towards the end of the short story, the Misfit is expresses how he kills people for the meanness of doing it (O ‘Connor 308).
What does the misfit symbolize?
The Misfit is a character of surprising depth. He is first introduced to the readers as a vague fear, one that
represents the possibility of violence in the world
.
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 did the misfit kill the grandmother?
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).
Is the misfit innocent?
It’s
hard to believe The Misfit is actually innocent
, regardless of whether he killed his father. He kills the grandmother’s family in such a casual manner that it seems as if he’s used to murder. And toward the end of the story, it becomes easier to believe that he’s done a lot of nasty things.
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.
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 the misfit say about pleasure?
We never directly learn that the Misfit has a favorite saying, but he says twice the one we most associate with him, with variation. It’s the last sentence of the story and sums up the Misfit’s weary viewpoint: “
It’s no real pleasure in life.”
Is the misfit the grandmother’s son?
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.
What does the misfit say about Jesus?
The Misfit responds to the Grandmother’s words “
Jesus, Jesus
,” by saying that Jesus threw everything off balance. He goes on a little later to add to this idea: Jesus was the only One that ever raised the dead,” The Misfit continued, “and He shouldn’t have done it. He shown everything off balance.
Who is the real misfit in a good man is hard to find?
The Misfit, the pathological killer who murders an entire family in this story, was apparently fabricated from newspaper accounts of two criminals who had terrorized the Atlanta area in the early 1950s;
Red Sammy Butts
, according to another critic, may have been based on a local “good ole boy” who had made good and …
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.
What is the misfit’s motivation for killing the family?
It is
his psychosis and his predatory lifestyle that drive him to kill the family
. The text shows that the Misfit possesses great self-knowledge. He knows that what he does is wrong, but he does not feel apologetic or sorry for either himself or his victims. It is evident that he chose this path at an early age.
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.
Who does the grandmother consider a good man?
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.
