Religion vs Reality - "Good Man is Hard to Find"

Putting more thought about who was the main character in the story "Good Man is Hard to Find" (class discussion), actually I felt like both the Grandmother and The Misfit are both the main character of this story, where Grandmother was representing Religion and The Misfit was representing Reality. As I mentioned on my reading assignment, the Grandmother was the wise (wo) man of this story, predicting the future (the ending of the story). She was an old fashion, typical southern woman, deeply influenced by Christianity (As with O’Connor). The Misfit, in the other hand, was sunk in reality. He mentioned he used to believe in Christianity, but after his father’s death (him causing it or not) he could only think about running away and perhaps killing. His mind was fogged his past, even confusing reality at times. SO the grandmother gets shot at the end of the story. Does that mean reality conquers religion? I don’t think so. This is how I interpreted O’Connor’s religion vs reality. Before grandmother was shot, she was comforting The Misfit by her, in a way, persuasion to believe in god again, and that god will forgive him for what he has done. The Misfit felt the comfort until she actually touched him. He all of the sudden got scared of the fact that his mind was clearing up by this godly figure and shot her. It is obvious that his action was unintended. Grandmother’s whole family was shot in the forest because The Misfit and his crew did not want leave evidence in such obvious location, so if everything was as planned, The Misfit wouldn’t have killed the Grandmother until she was taken into the wood. But instead, he shot her before the fact. Therefore I sense that it was his fear that made him do such thing. So at the end, I would interpret that Religion won the game of Religion vs Reality.

“Parker’s Back”

- Parker married Sarah Ruth because she wouldn’t give into him unless they get married and she married him because he provided her a husband and a way out of her house.
- He could account because she was textbook and what could be consider fashion/Christian woman. He himself was a wild child who didn’t know where he was going.
- His employer thought he was lazy and wasn’t very intelligent, which he was lazy and had low work ethic.
- Basis of him getting a tattoo is a child fantasy of being looked at with amazement like the man in the circus. He seem to get a new tattoo every time he traveled somewhere new or did something different with his life.
- This statement makes you think that he did not want to be combined by the government, religion, or navy. It also gives a explanation of his lashing out behavior.
- He went to get his tattoo on his back to try and manipulate Sarah Ruth to like the tattoo that he got.
- It shows that Parker is aware that he is acting irrational and he will regret his decision.
- By him making that statement, Parker shows that he does deserve some sympathy. He feels like a man should stand on his own feet and live his life with his pains.
- Sarah Ruth did not want him to come in with only his initial because she felt he should take responsibility by saying his full name. This humbles parker.

“Revelation”

- Mrs. Turpin is a high self righteous woman who believes that she would give up things for anyone, no matter their position in life. She is totally contradiction to what she says and thinks such as she feels sorry for the people around her because they were of lower status.
- The author seems to simply let Mrs. Turpin think what she wants without changing her words. The author doesn’t seem to agree or even logically find a path through Mrs. Turpin’s thinking but represents it in a direct view from Mrs. Turpin.
- The teenager and her mother have the same angry mother – teenager resentment relationship many moms have with their daughters, just a bit more violent with the daughter. The mother feels as if the girl should be grateful where the daughter doesn’t seem to care about anything truly. Mrs. Turpin seems to anger the girl when she talks about being a happy person or trusting in Jesus or just being positive in general.
- The basic plot of this book is to see the thoughts of a self-righteous woman and see how they don’t seem to change even after violent events happen to her. The turning point is where the girl threw the book at Mrs. Turpin. It was the point in which she starts questioning her ideals and thinking on life. The conclusion was where she saw the souls like her and Claud going up but they were the only ones on key which shows she didn’t change at all.
- Mrs. Turpin is only nice to the black farm workers because she wants them to work. She shows her mean side by shunning them for trying to say anything nice to her or about her. She feels like their flattery is worth nothing and shouldn’t be even spoken because it’s basically a waste of her time.
- With the atmosphere of the story it was supposed to be the presence of God. The change of the setting and the different colors of the world was supposed to show how Mrs. Turpin sees the presence of the Lord.
- Finally every person is equal in the eyes of God. Mrs. Turpin still say her and Claud as the only two people singing on key.

“A Good Man is Hard to Find”

- O’Conner begins to foreshadow at the very beginning when the grandmother begins to complain about the trip to Florida and wanting travel in Tennessee instead. Her reasoning was even the notorious Misfit. She continues with the foreshadowing through the unfortunate events and complaining of the children. She again remarks about the Misfit and even says it’s hard to find good people in the world today.
- She both young and old at the same time. She is young in the sense she gives excuses and becomes selfish about what she wants to do about the trip. Then she even takes her cat although the entire family didn’t want to bring the cat along. She is a wise woman in the fact she knew the Misfit was someone to stay away from and know that people in the world can be evil. She also is old in the fact she talks a lot about her past and what things were like. She is the same woman at the beginning of the story as she is at the end.
- She sees that he was not necessary an evil person but a person that made bad decisions. He could be one of her own children or grandchildren that misbehave but are not evil. That he went further with his misbehavior.
- The Misfit was a person that was lost in the world. He was smart but lead the wrong type of life. Although one could not be sure if he would have been better had he had someone to help lead him in the right path.
- I think that they would be wrong. The idea of evil and good or bad and nice people run deep throughout this story. Once looked at deeper the issue turns from black and white to a grey. Its hard to label someone bad or good or evil or nice.

Naomi

In my Japanese History Class we were asked to read this book called “Naomi”. Naomi is a waitress at a restaurant, very poor, post WWI. One day, this westerner guy came to the restaurant and decides to “hit” on her. Telling her, come with me and you will be much happier. So she did, considering that she didn’t have much to lose any way. Pretty much the whole story talks about her being spoiled, then she gained too much self-confidence and starts cheating on him. Then at the end they broke up but she seduces the man back to her. He was trapped In her world I guess. Reading this I hoped that Japanese wouldn’t think, considering this is a book about Japanese westernalizing, that all westerners are like this nor the Americans think that Japanese women are all like her. Reading these novels definitely makes me hate to be the one in the middle (like in US History, when we talk about WWII, I feel this unneeded tension in the class).

The Horror of the Little Family Farce – Stephen Hancok

Recently I went to the University of Memphis Theatre to see a production called “The Horror of the Little Family Farce”. The setting is in the not so distant pa, up to the present; in a living room and kitchen. The house hold included Mother and Father, son and daughter (about 25-30), and the family of the son and daughter (4 children). The story was talking about a typical country side house hold where the mother had more power (well I shouldn’t say typical). The whole play was rather comedic, focuses on Mother-Father argument, Brother-sister argument, Mother-Father-Brother-Sister argument, Mother-grandchild conflict, etc. The story gets very interesting at the end of the play where the mother past away. The son and daughter ends up shooting all of each other’s children and spouses. Then as they were shooting each other, their mothers voice comes down from another door. The son and daughter stops shooting and start blaming the situation to each other as they undressed to a rather childish cloth. So I went out in the lobby and was asked by couple people if I understood it. Well it was rather simple, the whole play was like playing with a doll house which the title makes more sense (well at least a family with 10+ member, to me, is not little.). I enjoyed the play very much, reminds me of “Glass Menagerie” that we read recently.

Matrix?

From the short piece “Harrison Bergeron” author Kurt Vonnegut brings to mind a lot of different controversial issues. The most obvious issue is technology versus human rights. In this story it is not the fear of AI that readers feel but the fear of fellow human beings. The reason this story, however short it is, is able to draw so many emotions is the extinct of what humans can do to other humans. Although the head gear and the mechanical utensils to keep people from thinking outside of the box are scary and overwhelming it’s the idea that other human beings can place so much force over other people and see it as justified. Like the evil power Hitler held, the Handicapper General abused the power entrusted to her. The fear of this story comes from the idea of placing someone in power that will only serve destroy the country.

Difference in PoV

Coming from a male’s perspective this poem may not bring up the same empowered feelings as from a woman’s point of view but it does put in perspective the idea that girls growing up in today’s world are becoming much more interested and allowed in the world of math and science. As a computer science major and a soon to be father it is interesting to think that instead of going into a male dominated field there will be more women and that my possible daughter maybe more interested in calculators and beakers rather than boys and Barbie dolls. This transition of thought is not a major one or an offending on just a new thought that I had never seriously considered. Women have the same rights as men but to see girls growing into women that will stand next to that idea is something I can truly hope for the future and my daughter.

Cont. Heroism - Rite of Passage

This poem represented heroism from the small host of the story but before that it presented a violent side of children that has grown only worse in the passing years. It is scary to see seven or six year old boys talking about how simply they could kill a two year old child or even a seven year old child threatening a six year old. To make the violence even more disturbing is the fact the situation was diverted by concentrating this anger away from the current guests to someone much younger and weaker. This is seen in today’s politics with wars going on in Africa that many Americans do not look into. Many of the Somalian warlords in Africa grouped together to try and annihilate the Isalmists in 2006. Although this boy’s thinking of bringing peace to the group saved the party he did not resolve any resentment. Is that not the same thing that these warlords are doing? They are giving to their own people and finding peace within the group but at a price of enlarging a war.

Cont. Heroism - A & P

Although A & P shows heroism from this teenager by him standing up for what he thought was right by walking out on the job. By showing his heroism he lost his job and also showed no business etiquette over three young women in bathing suits. The idea of him standing up for what he believed in was strong but sometimes people do not chose the most beneficial ways to make their points. For example, PETA members that throw red paint or even animal blood on people wearing fur does get the attention of the media but instead of spending money on helping animals they spend the money on trying to get out of lawsuits and jail.