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Flannery O'Connor's short stories often have similarities. Two of O'Connor's short stories, "The Lame Shall Enter First" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find" share similarities and differences in themes. One of the main themes in these two stories is the gaining of something through error. In both of these stories, by the time something was gained by error, it would be too late for the main characters to change. The main characters in these two stories help shape the similar themes by having similar perspectives of life.
The Grandmother in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and Sheppard in “The Lame Shall Enter First” are very much alike. Both of these characters had very unrealistic views of life and what it meant to be “good”. Sheppard’s weekend job was talking with the young people at a local reformatory, he was a “counselor”. While at this job, Sheppard met a teenager named Rufus Johnson, who was very poor and troubled delinquent. Sheppard wanted to help him as much as he could beause he noticed that Rufus had an unusually high IQ, he even gave him a key to his house. With Sheppard’s jobs and all of his focus on helping people, he did not have much time to be with his own son, Norton. Sheppard viewed Norton as a very selfish person, even though he was not, because he compared Norton to Rufus and the other underprivileged delinquents that he dealt with at the reformatory. Sheppard had a very distorted and unrealistic view on life, he thought that the children from the reformatory were his number on priority and paid little attention to his own son, Norton. Rufus had made Norton believe that his mother was “somewhere”. This made Norton commit suicide thinking that he would be able to see his mother again. The suicide of Norton was the only thing that made Sheppard come to the realization that he had wasted the time that he could have spent with his son. “His heart constricted with a repulsion for himself so clear and intense that he gasped for breath. He had stuffed his own emptiness with good works like a glutton. He had ignored his own child to feed his vision of himself.” (Lame, 399) Sheppard realizes that the reason that he spent so much time and effort at the reformatory and helping Rufus was to make himself a “good” person and he was blinded so much by it that he didn’t realize that his son needed his attention.
The Grandmother from “A Good Man is Hard to Find” has a similar defect. The Grandmother didn’t realize that she was a very selfish lady, like Sheppard had not realized that he was only helping people at the reformatory so that he could view himself as a “good person”. The Grandmother thought that “good” meant a person who had a high status and wealth. In the beginning of the story Grandma was trying to get her son Bailey to change his mind about going to Florida because “She wanted to visit some of her connections in East Tennessee”(Good Man, 324). She dressed up in fancy clothes when they went to Florida so that “In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at one that she was a lady.” (Good Man, 366) When June Star tells Sammy’s wife that she wouldn’t live in her house for a million dollars, the Grandmother asks Sammy’s wife if she was “ashamed” (Good Man, 368). When the Grandma talks with the Misfit, she tells him that “You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must have come from nice people!”(Good Man, 371) This shows the Grandmothers attitude and how she thought that wealth and status were very important. It took the death of her family and talking with the Misfit for the Grandmother to finally realize that wealth and status didn’t necessarily make a person “good”. Her selfishness finally ended when she puts her hand on the Misfit’s shoulder and says “Why, you’re one of my babies. Your one of my own children!”.(Good Man, 375) Unfortunately for the Grandmother, like Sheppard, it was too late and her family was already dead.
Even though both Sheppard and the Grandma came to the realization that the way they had been viewing life and how they defined “good” was wrong, they differ in some ways. Sheppard was a good person, and had believed in change, unlike the Grandmother, who was a very selfish person who focused mainly on wealth and status. In both of these stories, it takes something drastic to happen (in both cases, death) for the main characters to realize that the way they had been viewing life and the what they thought being “good” is was wrong, and in both cases, it was too late for the characters to make a change.
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Flannery O'Connor's short stories often have similarities. Two of O'Connor's short stories, "The Lame Shall Enter First" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find"<~~add comma before quotation marks share similarities and differences in themes. One of the main themes in these two stories is the gaining of something<~~delete “of” and “the” to make this phrasing smoother through error. In both of these stories, by the time something was gained by error, it would be<~~change tense; delete “would be” and insert “was” too late for the main characters to change. The main characters in these two stories help shape the similar themes by having similar perspectives of<~~change “of” to “on” life.
The Grandmother in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and Sheppard in “The Lame Shall Enter First” are very much alike. Both of these characters had very unrealistic views of life and what it meant to be “good”.<~~here and throughout the paper, the punctuation (comma or period) goes BEFORE the quotation marks; also, what are you quoting here? Sheppard’s weekend job was talking with the young people at a local reformatory,<~~fix run-on he was a “counselor”. <~~?? While at this job, Sheppard met a teenager named Rufus Johnson, who was very<~~add “a” before “very” poor and troubled delinquent. Sheppard wanted to help him as much as he could beause<~~fix spelling he noticed that Rufus had an unusually high IQ, <~~fix run-on he even gave him a key to his house. With Sheppard’s jobs and all of his focus on helping people, he did not have much time to be with his own son, Norton. Sheppard viewed Norton as a very selfish person, even though he was not, because he compared Norton to Rufus and the other underprivileged delinquents that he dealt with at the reformatory. Sheppard had a very distorted and unrealistic view on<~~?? life, he thought that the children from the reformatory were his number on<~~?? priority and paid little attention to his own son, Norton. Rufus had made Norton believe that his mother was “somewhere”. <~~?? This made Norton commit suicide thinking that he would be able to see his mother again. The suicide of Norton<~~awkward phrasing; “Norton’s suicide” is smoother was the only thing that made Sheppard come to the realization that he had wasted the time that he could have spent with his son. “His heart constricted with a repulsion for himself so clear and intense that he gasped for breath. He had stuffed his own emptiness with good works like a glutton. He had ignored his own child to feed his vision of himself.” (Lame, 399) <~~After an in-text quotation, you put the period after the citation, not before the parentheses. Sheppard realizes<~~tense shift; you’ve been writing in the past tense, but suddenly switched to present; fix it. that the reason that he spent so much time and effort at the reformatory and helping Rufus was to make himself a “good” <~~?? person<~~need comma in compound sentence and he was blinded so much by it that he didn’t realize that his son needed his attention.
The Grandmother from “A Good Man is Hard to Find” has a similar defect. The Grandmother didn’t realize that she was a very selfish lady, like Sheppard had not realized that he was only helping people at the reformatory so that he could view himself as a “good person”. <~~This paragraph is supposed to be about Grandmother; omit all references to Sheppard. The Grandmother thought that “good” <~~?? meant a person who had a high status and wealth. In the beginning of the story Grandma was trying to get her son Bailey to change his mind about going to Florida because “She wanted to visit some of her connections in East Tennessee”(Good Man, 324). <~~lower-case “s” on “she” and space before parentheses. She dressed up in fancy clothes when they went to Florida so that “In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at one that she was a lady.” (Good Man, 366) <~~?? When June Star tells Sammy’s wife that she wouldn’t live in her house for a million dollars, the Grandmother asks Sammy’s wife if she was “ashamed” (Good Man, 368). When the Grandma<~~Grandmother, not Grandma talks with the Misfit, she tells him that<~~delete “that” and put a comma after “him” “You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must have come from nice people!”(Good Man, 371) This shows the Grandmothers<~~possessive attitude and how she thought that wealth and status were very important. It took the death of her family and talking with the Misfit for the Grandmother to finally realize that wealth and status didn’t necessarily make a person “good”. Her selfishness finally ended when she puts<~~tense shift her hand on the Misfit’s shoulder and says<~~tense shift; add comma “Why, you’re one of my babies. Your one of my own children!”.(Good Man, 375) <~~?? Unfortunately for the Grandmother, like Sheppard, it was too late and her family was already dead.
Even though both Sheppard and the Grandma<~~?? came to the realization that the way they had been viewing life and how they defined “good” <~~?? was wrong, they differ in some ways. Sheppard was a good person, <~~delete comma and had believed in change, unlike the Grandmother, who was a very selfish person who focused mainly on wealth and status. In both of these stories, it takes something drastic to happen<~~awkward phrasing; rephrase with out using “it takes” (in both cases, death) for the main characters to realize that the way they had been viewing life and the what they thought being “good” <~~?? is was wrong, and in both cases, it was too late for the characters to make a change.
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Overall, your essay is well-written and effectively compares the themes and characters in Flannery O'Connor's short stories. However, there are some areas where you can make improvements. Here are some suggestions:
1. Clarify your thesis statement: While you mention that the main characters have similar perspectives and the stories share similarities and differences in themes, it would be helpful to explicitly state this in your introduction to clearly establish the focus of your essay.
2. Provide more context: It would be beneficial to briefly introduce the two stories and their plot summaries before discussing the characters and themes. This will help readers who may not be familiar with the stories understand the context of your analysis.
3. Use proper citation format: When referencing the page numbers of quotes from the stories, use the correct formatting style. For example, instead of (Good Man, 324), use proper citation format such as (O'Connor 324).
4. Analyze quotes in more detail: After including a quote, analyze it further to explain its significance and how it supports your argument. This will strengthen your points and provide a deeper understanding of the characters and themes.
5. Consider a more organized structure: Currently, the paragraphs seem to jump between discussing Sheppard and the Grandmother. It may be helpful to dedicate separate paragraphs to each character's similarities, differences, and their realizations.
6. Conclude with a summary and a reflection on the overall significance: In your conclusion, summarize the main points discussed in your essay and reflect on the importance or broader implications of the similarities and differences you have identified. This will provide a final thought for the reader to consider.
By implementing these suggestions, your essay will become more cohesive, insightful, and engaging for your readers. Good luck with your revisions!