Humor and Violence in A Good Man Is Hard to Find

Flannery OConnors A Good Man Is Hard to Find is surely one of the funniest stories anyone has ever written about the murder of innocent people. Maybe thats not saying much, except that it is also, without a doubt, one of the funniest stories anyone has ever written about anything. So, how can something so disturbing make us laugh so hard? The murders themselves are chilling, not funny, yet perhaps the story achieves its humor not in spite of the violence, but because of it. As OConnor herself writes in The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery OConnor: In my own experience, everything funny I have written is more terrible than it is funny, or only funny because it is terrible, or only terrible because it is funny.   The stark contrast between the humor and the violence seems to accentuate both. What Makes the Story Funny? Humor is, of course, subjective, but we find the grandmothers self-righteousness, nostalgia, and attempts at manipulation hilarious. OConnors ability to switch seamlessly from a neutral perspective to the grandmothers point of view lends even greater comedy to the scene. For instance, the narration remains absolutely deadpan as we learn that the grandmother secretly brings the cat because she is afraid he might brush against one of the gas burners and accidentally asphyxiate himself. The narrator passes no judgment on the grandmothers preposterous concern but rather lets it speak for itself. Similarly, when OConnor writes that the grandmother pointed out interesting details of the scenery, we know that everyone else in the car probably doesnt find them interesting at all and wishes shed be quiet. And when Bailey refuses to dance with his mother to the jukebox, OConnor writes that Bailey didnt have a naturally sunny disposition like she [the grandmother] did and trips made him nervous. The clichà ©d, self-flattering phrasing of naturally sunny disposition tips readers off that this is the grandmothers opinion, not the narrators. Readers can see that its not road trips that make Bailey tense: its his mother. But the grandmother does have redeeming qualities. For instance, shes the only adult who takes the time to play with the children. And the children arent exactly angels, which also helps balance out some of the grandmothers negative qualities. The grandson rudely suggests that if the grandmother doesnt want to go to Florida, she should just stay home. Then the granddaughter adds, She wouldnt stay at home for a million bucks [†¦] Afraid shed miss something. She has to go everywhere we go. These children are so awful, theyre funny. Purpose of the Humor To understand the union of violence and humor in A Good Man Is Hard to Find, its helpful to remember that OConnor was a devout Catholic. In Mystery and Manners, OConnor writes that my subject in fiction is the action of grace in territory largely held by the devil. This is true for all her stories, all the time. In the case of A Good Man Is Hard to Find, the devil is not the Misfit, but rather whatever has led the grandmother to define goodness as wearing the right clothes and behaving like a lady. The grace in the story is the realization that leads her to reach out toward the Misfit and call him one of my own children. Ordinarily, Im not so quick to allow authors to have the last word on interpreting their work, so if you favor a different explanation, be my guest. But OConnor has written so extensively -- and pointedly --about her religious motivations that its hard to dismiss her observations. In Mystery and Manners, OConnor says: Either one is serious about salvation or one is not. And it is well to realize that the maximum amount of seriousness admits the maximum amount of comedy. Only if we are secure in our beliefs can we see the comical side of the universe. Interestingly, because OConnors humor is so engaging, it allows her stories to pull in readers who might not want to read a story about the possibility of divine grace, or who might not recognize this theme in her stories at all. I think the humor initially helps distance readers from the characters; were laughing so hard at them that were deep into the story before we start to recognize ourselves in their behavior. By the time we are hit with the maximum amount of seriousness as Bailey and John Wesley are led into the woods, its too late to turn back. Youll notice that I havent used the words comic relief here, even though that might be the role of humor in many other literary works. But everything Ive ever read about OConnor suggests that she wasnt particularly concerned about providing relief for her readers -- and in fact, she aimed for just the opposite.