Foreshadowing
Where is the Misfit's escape mentioned?
Newspaper
Who causes the family's crash?
Grandmother
Why does the Grandmother want to go to Tennessee?
To visit connections/avoid Florida
What does the cat symbolize?
Chaos/ Grandmother's selfishness
"She would have been a good woman if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life"
The misfit
What is said about how the Grandmother is dressed?
Anyone who found her in a crash would know she is a lady
The Grandmother calls the Misfit a "good man". Why is this ironic?
He's a murderer
Why does the Grandmother bring up the Misfit early in the story?
What is a major theme?
Grace/morality/self deception/violence
"You're one of my own children!"
Grandmother
What road does the Grandmother insist they take?
Dirt road to the plantation
What is ironic about the title?
The "good man" is the killer. No one in the story is truly good.
What does the grandmother value the most?
Appearances - being seen as a lady
What does the misfit represent?
Moral questioning and violence
"A good man is hard to find"
Red Sammy Butts
What does Red Sammy say about people?
A good man is hard to find
The grandmother's attempt to save her life by talking does what?
Gets her killed faster
Why does the misfit kill?
He doesn't know. He questions meaning and punishment.
How does O'connor define grace?
Unearned, comes through suffering
"Maybe He didn't raise the dead"
Grandmother
What does the grandmother do that causes them to crash?
Kicks her feet, startling the cat
How is the Grandmother's final moment ironic?
She finds grace/connection only in death
What motivates the grandmother's final gesture?
Genuine moment of grace, recognition of shared humanity, fear
What does the plantation symbolize?
The grandmother's nostalgia for a false, idealized past
"It's no real pleasure in life"
Misfit