Present But Weak // Emmett Bryant

     In A Good Man Is Hard to Find Flannery O'Connor illustrates what it means for a person to have morals and how those morals play out in one's life. Through the character of the grandmother, O'Connor makes it clear that no matter how 'good' someone's morals are (which most of the time are subjective), that does not mean they have any conviction. And yet, on the other hand, the misfits ideals are vile and wrong yet he is the most genuine and sincere person between the grandmother and he because at least he has the conviction to back up his morals. The grandmother's morals were so weak that in the face of a trial she even questioned the divinity of Christ -- this coming from a person who claimed to cherish and exemplify Christian piety. This story makes me call to mind the scripture about the tax collector and the pharisee. Of course, the stories do not mesh together perfectly, but we still see two individuals. One is a hypocrite that only puts on a façade of living by their morals, and the other is an evil person, who at least lives as true as possible to the best of their knowledge. That is the difference between the two. It does not matter how much someone walks around displaying just how good their morals are. If they do not have the conviction and mental integrity to live out what they profess to believe about themselves and the world, then they are no better off than a criminal who finds the greatest pleasure through pain. So in essence I think O'Connor was trying to convey the message that we should not hold morals that are present, but weak. 

I commented on Ashlyn Scism's post and on Josh Naqvi's post. 

Comments

  1. Emma LandryMarch 28, 2022 at 9:53 PM

    I enjoyed reading your post, Emmett. The grandmother reminds me of Revelation 3:16, in which God tells us: "So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth." The grandmother is truly all talk, but she does not treat people who are different from her with basic human dignity and the love of Christ until she is at gunpoint. Additionally, though she believes in her self-righteousness, her stretching of the truth and utter selfishness lead to disaster. It is quite interesting how the coldblooded Misfit is more worthy of respect overall because of his lack of hypocrisy.
    -Emma Landry

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 29, 2022 at 12:23 AM

    This reminds me almost of Hamilton where Alexander keeps trying for most, if not all, of the musical to figure out what Burr's morals were. To find out what someone's morals are is an important part to determine what they would fall for.

    ~Madalyn Dillard

    ReplyDelete
  3. Emory CooperMarch 29, 2022 at 9:27 AM

    Good post! Now that you point it out, it is true that the grandmother showed weak convictions in contrast to the Misfit. I think this came out in the grandmother because she feared for her life. On the other hand, the Misfit was in complete control of the situation, so he had no reason to act contrary to his image as a criminal. I wonder what he would have said if he was the one in danger... Again, good post!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A House Divided//Emily Otts

The words Jesus spoke in Matthew 12 remind me so much of this play: "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand." (Matthew 12:25) King Lear, at the end of the day, is about a family being divided multiple ways. These divisions arise over greed and hatred for one another and cause the whole family to be ruined because of it. King Lear first divides the kingdom after his daughter Cordelia does not proclaim her love to him, so he banishes her. Later, his daughters go against him for not doing as they asked, believing he is unfit and unworthy to be king, secretly plotting against him. But all of this comes to a head in Act 5. After capturing King Lear and Cordelia, Edmund plans to have them killed. You would believe the sisters would be able to work together because their plan is working, but an even greater division has risen between them. Both of them wish to have Edmund for themselves, and they plot against each o...
Read more

The Plague in Everyone// Emily Otts

     In part 4 of the Plague , Tarrou tells Rieux about how he has had the plague forever. Except, this is not the same plague as the one ravaging the town. Tarrou speaks of how his father was a lawyer who believed in the death penalty, how he saw so many people support it and be comfortable about it, and how he had to witness the executions of prisoners. He explains how this sort of mindset is a plague itself, one Tarrou had been fighting for a long time. " That's why everybody in the world looks so tired; everyone is more or less sick of plague. But that is also why some of us, those who want to get the plague out of their systems, feel such desperate weariness, a weariness from which nothing remains to set us free except death" (Camus, part 4, chapter 6). Tarrou wants to desperately not submit to such awful ways of thinking.      Tarrou does not realize it, but the plague he is talking about is sin. Everyone has it, some people give in to it and let...
Read more

The Thirst for Knowledge

     With Book Seven of Milton's Paradise Lost, Raphael is continuing his exposition on Satan's apostasy. The plan is to expose Adam and Eve to the wretched fate of those who cross God's will. The more he shed's light on the subject, however, the more Adam is inclined to ask for more information. He wants to know everything about the subject, as well as God and His creation.      However, while the taste of such knowledge leaves Adam yearning for more, there are boundaries. It is like a toddler eating a cookie... and eventually begging her mother for the rest of the jar. Is it a coincidence that the one thing Adam and Eve are not to touch is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? Most readers know how the story ends: these toddlers are never going to be content with a few cookies. They're going in for the jar.   There is a statement in the Bible that is constantly being repeated throughout the Old Testament: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of ...
Read more