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Essay / Analysis of John Desmond's review of A Good Man is Hard to Find
John Desmond gives his views on O'Connor's short story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find." He does this from a religious and philosophical perspective in his article "Flannery O'Connor's Misfit and the Mystery of Evil." Desmond focuses on "good" and "evil", which seem to be the two main categories of the story. The story has to do with the nature of good and evil and the degradation of society over time. One thing that stands out about it is how vivid the characters are that the smart, smart kids you know kind of represent how you know today's kids are terrible. The grandmother aims to bring peace to the criminal's mind and bring him out of wickedness. The Misfit has been evil for so long that he doesn't even remember why he started. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay I think Desmond is saying that the Misfit balances between good and evil, which seems to be evident in O'Connor's story. Desmond realizes this, approaching his argument with questionable and insightful observations. Sometimes the author contradicts the debate, saying that the grandmother is neither good nor innocent. She lied to her son about a "secret panel" in the house to persuade him to go there. Although she was the main reason the family took a detour and encountered the Misfit gang. The wrong house address was given to his son because the house is not in Georgia, but in Tennessee. We can therefore hardly blame the old woman for being nostalgic. Desmond claims that this shows the sinful selfishness of the grandmother, who killed her entire family; therefore, the woman cannot be considered “good”. However, it is the grandmother who tries to understand the Misfit's feelings and makes him see his life differently. While talking to the grandmother about his life, the Misfit begins to feel agitated, and we see a hint of emotion. When there is a chance that the Misfit will abandon the world of evil and become a prophet. However, even at the end of the story, he continues to deny good. Desmond's main focus here is on the correlation between good and evil. However, Desmond compares the plot and religious stories. O'Connor never directly referenced this biblical story, but Desmond included this aspect in his analysis. In one case, the author indicates that the grandmother's words about the Misfit's goodness are false according to Jesus Christ, who once told one of his apostles that "no one should be called good." In general, the author quite skillfully uses religious information in his work, going beyond general biblical facts and delving deeper into the main problem of the story. What it does is draw parallels between fiction and reality, engaging the reader and teaching them a lesson. This is an overall exemplary analytical reading that goes beyond the given plot and the reviewer's speculations about it and involves information from other spheres, which makes the writing deeper. In general, Desmond approaches the argument of his article philosophically, mentioning religious facts. He deliberates on the grandmother's impact on the Misfit and his behavior, etc. The reading includes both the events and the author's thoughts, supported by quotes from O'Connor's story. Using religion as the main tool in his critical analysis to support the idea that the Misfit is bad, while the grandmother is good. Furthermore, the critic engages psychology in his text, analyzing the criminal's reluctance and stubbornness to?