The Art of Traditionalism: How the Settings of “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and Home Shape Plot and

Where one is from is beyond just a location; where one is from is a beyond just a piece of one’s history; where one is from is a definitive, shaping aspect of life that reaches deep into the fibers of humanity, leaving no man immune to its effects. The aspect of “where” plays an integral role in both Marilynn Robinson’s Home and Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. While one takes place in fictional small town Iowa and the other on a roadside in the southern United States, both of these classics portray similar themes through their plot and characters because of their location: traditionalism, religion, the effect of discomfort on the protagonist.

Traditionalism rears its head in both Home and “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, altering the trajectory of both piece’s plotlines. Each geographic location, rural Iowa and the deep South, root themselves in being proper, from an appearance and a linguistic standpoint. Each protagonist’s proper dress appears at key points in the story. In Home, Jack consistently suits up in pivotal moments; when first arriving at his childhood home, attending church, and having dinner with the Ames’s. Further, the importance of traditionalism to Jack is stressed when describing Jack’s drunken mishap. Robinson writes:

“His [Jack’s] solicitude for that suit must have sunk so far into him that he had been a little careful of it even in his extremis, If he remembered to keep the jacket closed to hide the smudge on the trousers, it would be about as presentable as it ever was. This clearly a relief to him. He asked her for a needle and thread and secured a hanging button” (301-302).

Even in Jack’s belligerent state, he recognized the ceremonial value of his suit. This shows that his traditional Gilead roots permeate to the subconscious. Not only do Jack’s drunken actions display the importance of traditionalism, but by dirtying Jack’s suit Robinson metaphorically alludes to how Jack no longer fits into traditional ways.

While Jack struggles to assimilate back into the traditional values of Gilead, the grandma in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is too rooted in traditionalism to adjust to modern attitudes. In some morbid foreshadowing, O’Connor describes the physical appearance of the grandma as follows: “In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady” (O’Connor, 423). The reader can certainly tell the grandma is uncomfortable about the present attitudes of society, which not only shapes her character but also the outcome of the story. In Red’s barbeque joint, she scolds her granddaughter, June Star, for her lack of manners, and then talks about better times with Red Sam, the owner, about how rotten people have become (427).

This lack of adaptability and traditional Southern upbringing plays a role in how the grandma acts with both her family and the Misfit, which arguable brought her family to demise. Once the grandma obnoxiously points out his identity, the Misfit replies “[…] it would have been better for all of you, lady, if you hadn’t of reckernized me” (429). The protagonist’s lack of wherewithal and upkeep with present-day attitudes causes dire consequences for her family. Many places rooted in traditionalism also have deep religious ties, and these communities are no exception.

These settings afford religion to play a pivotal role in the plotline of the story, making Gilead and the South – along with the characters within them - parallel each other in many ways. The name Gilead itself refers to a Biblical utopia, but the pressure religion puts on each both Jack and the Misfit is far from utopian. The pressure crumbles each family in their own perspective way; in Home from a close friend and from within, in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” from an external source, the Misfit. Throughout the novel, Jack struggles to coexist within a community filled with expectations, primarily formed via religion, in his small hometown. Jack, who poses as both the prodigal son and the small town antihero, always seems to fall short these lofty expectations. While it seems like time stood still in Gilead, Jack was out learning about the world. This worldly view provides Jack with a strong opinion; meaning he does not succumb to the religious authority and legitimacy of his father and Reverend Ames, especially in regards to morality and what makes a good person. While sitting out on the porch, Jack asks what each reverend thinks about predestination. Jack respects both the men he poses the question to, but disagrees with their thoughts on what defines predeterminism versus fate in regards to Christianity. If Jack had stayed in Gilead his entire life, he would likely be in line with their religiously-correct opinion.

Where Jack’s world views pushed him away from Christianity, the Misfit’s delusion never allows him to have a mature relationship with Christ. Jack and the Misfit both disagree with aspects on Christianity, however, they are opposed because of different reasons. While Jack disagrees because his knowledge gained through traveling, the Misfit denies he needs the help of Jesus at all. That being said, the grandma still pleadingly asks the Misfit to reconsider his views, only to receive the response “I’m doing all right by myself” (431). While the South has taught the Misfit to believe in the existence of a deity, his general delusion about reality clouds him from seeing the argument the grandma is trying to pose. Both Jack and the Misfit grew up in religiously-centric places, but their lack of belief in Christianity makes them outliers.

The setting of each of these pieces shapes each protagonist because of the uncomfortable situation they have put themselves in. Jack’s original abandonment of Gilead in Home not only shapes his character and actions, but also does not allow him to leave because of the on-setting guilt and moral debt he feels to his father and his past. In a similar situation, the grandma’s actions also constrain her family from physically leaving the area. Her incessant request to bring her cat along on the road trip is the catalyst for the initial accident when the cat jumps on Bailey’s neck, causing their car to roll over. Jack seems constantly shifty, uncomfortable, and out-of-place from the second he steps foot in Gilead. As stated by Boughton when Jack’s brother Teddy is at the house “Is Jack here? I hope you can find him, because it seems like I never even get a clear look at him” (Robinson, 260). At this time, Jack has been around for months, but his ghosts that haunt Gilead make him a shadow of his former self, much like the grandma is a shadow of herself in the last moments of her life.

The grandma is obviously wildly uncomfortable as she frantically tried to negotiate for her life with the Misfit; a situation, as stated previously, that would have never arisen if not for her actions. The grandma, who was a rotten character from the start of the story, is complimented by the Misfit after he kills her. While she lays lifeless in the ditch, the Misfit says “She would of been a good woman if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life” to one of his cronies (O’Connor, 433). The Misfit may be delusional about his own sins, but he still is a strong judge of character in this instance. Throughout the story the grandma displays she self-absorbed, unheard by her family, and manipulative. However, when she is pleading for her life, it could be argued she genuinely wants the Misfit to turn to Christianity for repentance. Before this final moment, the grandma had not shown a glimmer of care for others, a basic value of Christianity. This dire situation seemed to have brought out the best in the grandma, but the worst in Jack.

In summary, the setting of each of these stories effect each plotline, and the characters within them, through three mediums: traditionalism, religion, and the effect of discomfort on the protagonist. Ironically, the vice that takes hold of Jack is the struggle to maintain traditionalist beliefs, while the grandma’s inability to adapt to modern beliefs is her downfall. Both Home and “A Good Man is Hard to Find” are molded by their setting. While set in completely different parts of the United States, the value systems mirror each other to a large extent.

#morality #FlanneryOConnor #fiction #setting