Flannery OConnors short story A Good Man is Hard to Find, displays characters that avoid their personal weaknesses. Particularly, OConnor shows these weaknesses in Bailey. Through different relationships, Bailey illustrates his passiveness and lack of courage to confront people. Baileys lack of courageousness exhibits his weakness through interaction between his children, mother, and The Misfit.
The interaction between Bailey and his two children, John Wesley and June Star, portrays one of his weaknesses. Both of the children do not have respect for anyone, especially for their father. Evidence of this weakness is shown one afternoon while driving in the car. The childrens grandmother told them about a house with six white columns across the front and that there was an avenue of oaks leading up to it (270). The grandmother also told the children about a secret panel inside the house. John Wesley and June Star both start to irritate Bailey about going to this mysterious house. Bailey immediately tells the children no, and they began to yell and scream. After listening to June Star whine and John Wesley kicked the back of the seat so hard that his father could
feel the blows in his kidneys, Bailey gives into his weakness (271). By letting the children be disrespectful and get their way, Bailey illustrates this weakness on account of ineffective parenting skills. These unsuccessful skills establish the personal weakness of Bailey and his childrens relationship.
Another relationship displaying Baileys weakness is with his mother. Baileys mother seems to still treat him as a child. The mother exhibits this by telling Bailey how he should make decisions. One decision the mother wants Bailey to change is the location for a family vacation. The mother reads the newspaper and finds an article about The Misfit. While reading the article, she instantly believes that they will encounter The Misfit, a criminal, if they go to Florida. She shakes the newspaper at her son to read and says, Now look here, Bailey with a demeaning tone (266). Throughout the story the mother constantly uses this similar tone. Time again, Bailey conforms to different requests made by his mother. Even though Bailey is an adult, he cannot work up enough courage to confront his mother. As a result, Bailey remains spineless and acts like a child around his mother.
Finally Baileys encounter with The Misfit demonstrates the last relationship proving his weakness. Bailey comes across The Misfit while traveling with his family. The family decided to drive down a dirt road, the road with the mysterious house, off from the highway. As they were driving, the grandmothers cat jumps out of the basket and leaped onto Baileys shoulder.
Bailey looses control of the car and an accident transpires. Bailey and his family wait till finally they see a car coming down the road. Unfortunately, The Misfit and his friends are in the car. Once the men approach the family, Baileys mother said, Youre The Misfit! (273). The Misfit was not going to let these people get away and decides something needs to be done. While commotion arises, Bailey yelled, Hush! Everybody shut up and let me handle this! (274). For the first time, Bailey faces his weakness. Bailey tries to remain firm but once again lacks courage to confront people. Baileys own spinelessness not only gets him killed, but his family too. Weaknesses Bailey has toward his children and mother probably got him killed. Bailey did not try to face up to his weaknesses within personal relationships. Consequently, this hindered him in handling The Misfit to save his family.
Bailey illustrates his passiveness either with his children, mother, and ultimately The Misfit. Through each relationship, Bailey does not show courage and inner strength. Bailey continuously lets people take advantage of him and treat him as a child. Flannery OConnor may present each character avoiding their personal weaknesses because it gives an enhanced meaning to the title and story. So, is it hard to find a good man?
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