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'A Good Man Is Hard To Fine'

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The short story I chose to read was a Good Man is Hard to Fine. The story is about a family that decided to take a vacation, grandmother included, to Florida. The family seems to be the traditional family, three children husband and wife. Throughout the story the main focus seems to be the family’s grandmother. In the reading the grandmother controlled everything. In the beginning you wouldn't think so but because her persuasion is subliminal and she was manipulative it showed throughout the story she got her way with no rebuttal. From reading the story I determined that the grandmother was self-absorbed, manipulative and very talkative.

The grandmother made it very clear that she did not want to travel to Florida for the family vacation. …show more content…
Most of the time it was blatant and then other times it was subliminal. For example when she first started talking about the old plantation, she knew that Bailey wouldn't stop to see it. The reading said that she craftily lied in order to get her way, which is also manipulation. This act falls under both self-absorbed and manipulative, more so manipulative because in her mind it was a game of tug of war and she was determined to win by any means necessary. As far as her blatant manipulation that came in later in the story after the accident when she was talking to The Misfit about praying. I don’t really understand her relationship with The Misfit. I couldn't tell if she was actually sorry for what she had gotten the family into or if she was just trying to talk manipulate herself out of the situation. The grandmother, felt as if maybe if I take them off course then we won't make it to Florida and could possibly end up in Tennessee. I don’t think she meant to cause an accident but I do feel like she was glad it happened because she really didn't want to go to Florida. If she had not been so manipulative in the first place maybe the family trip would've been successful. When I was reading the story I couldn't quite understand why she didn't want to go to Florida, people revisit states that they go to all the time and her reading the paper I feel like she knew more about The Misfit then what she lead on. When they …show more content…
From the very beginning of the story she was the only person talking. Everything that was said, everything that was done was from the point of view of the grandmother. Even when no one responded or paid her any attention she talked. Throughout the story, I feel, she made up stories in order to get a reaction from someone, which ended up being the children. It never mattered if what she had to say was nice or not she talked and spoke her opinion. The family could have easily said just kill her and we will pretend that none of this happened. With all of the anger that built up in Bailey I’m sure he felt that way. The story didn't say what Bailey said to his mother but it had to have been something out of character if The Misfit felt as though he needed to apologize for his behavior. The grandmother’s talkative characteristic caused the family to be killed. Had the grandmother shut her mouth, not mention the fact that she knew who The Misfit was and let Bailey try to get them out of the situation I think that the family would have lived. I believe that the grandmother felt guilty about what transpired because even after she heard he son and grandson get murdered she could have shut up and started praying, instead she talked and tried to

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