Do you think the grandmother changes throughout the story? If not, why not? If so, why? Use evidence from the text to backup your opinion.
[In the story, “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” by Flannery O’Connor, we are introduced a grandmother, who could be considered to have changed character by the end of the story, but in reality she only changed some of her tactics to get her way.] The story begins by explaining that the grandmother “didn’t want to go to Florida” and was “seizing at every chance to change Baily’s [her son’s] mind” (O’Connor, 1). She said that a criminal named “The Misfit” was on the loose in Florida in an attempt to cancel the trip. In reality, she only wanted to “visit some of her connections in East Tennessee” (1). We learn from the first page of this chapter that she selfish and manipulative; she always got her way. She was pushy, but the family still ended up driving to Florida. Partially into the trip, the grandmother recalled an old plantation that she wanted to visit. She knew that Bailey would not like to take a detour so she “craftily” told the children about a “secret panel” that didn’t really exist (9). Once again, she is manipulative and only gives thought to herself. The story proceeds and In an unfortunate turn of events, the family gets into a car accident and the Misfit comes upon them. Her family members are taken away from her, all the while she begs for her life. She acts a bit more kind and calls the Misfit a “good man” (17). She tells him he’s “got good blood” and that he wouldn’t “shoot a lady” (21). It is all to no avail and in a last attempt she calls him her baby and child. The Misfit then shoots her three times. This could be viewed as her changing as a character and becoming more compassionate, but she still remained manipulative and selfish. The kind words were only further attempted manipulation. The grandmother was manipulative and selfish from the point before departing on this trip, up to the moment she begs for her own life by trying to manipulate the Misfit while her family members get killed.
