Discussion: A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor

A discussion of Flannery O’Connor’s story “A Good Man is Hard to Find."

My audiobook-style video performance of “A Good Man is Hard to Find”

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[SpenelliSpeaks]

This is such an amazing celebration! Thank you for doing this! I'll be checking out the reading for sure! ::)) Thank you again!
I'm very interested in your further conversation on Flannery's writing - thank you for taking the time to dive in there. I'm very intrigued.
You are wonderful. I really enjoyed this.

[kamicastillo]

This is brilliant Hannah. I just jumped over from your reading the story. It's shocking to me that without your interpretation, i do not think I would have ever realized all that is in this story. In fact, I know I would not have. I learned more from you in 18 minutes than I ever have from anyone. You are amazing!

[ChristIsLord]

Wow what a lovely explanation of this short story. You are such a treasure of knowledge. I’m lucky to have found your channel. Keep up the great work! God bless!

[ChristyLuisDostoevskyinSpace]

This is fabulous! Thank you so much for doing the research and presenting it to us. Learning and growth are huge themes in O'Connor's fiction. Of course, it often takes major confrontation before her characters grow. I think she would approve of critical thinking and conversation about her language and values, today. However I, too, am disappointed that anyone would judge her without actually reading her work.

[DebMcDonald]

Thanks for doing this and for linking the other videos. I watched them all. Flannery is one of my favourite authors. I have been disabled for the past 10 years and love reading her letters in the collection Habit of Being. Especially the ones about her faith and having lupus. I have read this story many times and it reminds me of asking my grandmother why she got all dressed up to go to the doctor when she was going to take her clothes off anyway. I don’t think she answered me. Deb

[marianryan]

Thank you for this absolutely wonderful conversation about this story, one of my all-time favorites. You've enlightened me on quite a few touches I'd glosed over. The origin of Pity Sing! Beautiful conclusion to the video. I'm sorry to hear about her name being summarily removed from that dorm, though the NYer article did make some good arguments. I will always hold her work in high esteem.

[CourtneyFerriter]

Hannah, this was such a nuanced discussion and close reading of various aspects of this story. Thank you for this.
Also, I did my undergraduate work at UNC-CH!

[BookishTexan]

O'Connor was such a great writer. I think her racism (granted based on a limited knowledge provided by the New Yorker article) and Faulkner's racism seem very similar to me. I think both were racially tolerant but preferred that African Americans continue to be patient. I don't think either approved of racist violence and both highlighted the connection between Southern ignorance and racism in their work, but neither seemed willing to challenge it and both seemed willing to defend elements of the "Southern Way of Life." Both lived at time when things were changing and it would be nice if they both rejected racism completely, but given who they were and where they lived this would have been very unusual. I'm not bothered by the removal of O'Connor's name from that dorm, thing like that don't seem very significant to me. But O'Connor should be read because her work is free from whatever racist attitudes she retained.

Your discussion of the story was great. I learned so much. I wish I'd seen your video before I made my own two months ago.

[JosipJasenović]

You are a bright spot in the darkness of 21st century may God bless you

[creolelady]

I love Southern Gothic Alays have since I was introduced to it when I was 13. I am from the deep South

[tilly.]

Wow! thank you for your insight. This is a great, great(!) video.

[elstongunn]

It is very sad on so many levels that we, Americans, are on the precipice of having our most thoughtful, talented authors and their incredible works lost on the twisted, mindless altar of “wokeism”.  

That people who are too young, stupid and shallow to know anything of life, history, and the very subjects against which they ignorantly protest can “cancel” books, topics, and people who have contributed some of the most significant works of our history is a testament to the horrible disservice our educational system has done to them.  

Instead of bowing to their ignorance by changing the name of the building, the institution should have educated them on why they should be proud to live in a building named after this very gifted author. They might have learned something about humanity, humility, and the human condition.

[TheCodeXCantina]

Thanks for the talk, Hannah. I didn't know about the university removing her name. Many people are on the side that any form of racism is grounds for removal. Anti-racism is picking up and it's being applied to behavior past and present. I look forward to future discussions on it.
Mmmm. Dressed-to-be-killed as opposed to dressed-to-kill. Interesting. Solid call out on the cat name. Great job on this!

[AlmostMonumental]

And, since you asked, if O'Connor used "such language" as a symbol of that being spoken at the time, I'm pretty sure you should too. What? They are flawed characters, as you said.

[SandyLuise]

Why should I care what Paul Elie thinks?

[AlmostMonumental]

I sure you meant to say, "The World In Which Flannery O'Connor Was Living."

[peterwu]

You are overthinking the racism. It was normal for that time and place and was essentially internalized on all sides, by blacks and whites alike. It isn't like this is an abolitionist story. I think you shouldn't censor it because in so doing, you are detracting from the realism.

[EveryoneWhoReadsitMustConverse]

Beautiful Hannah! Omg I love this so much, you so eloquently shine light on what O'Connor does in this story.
So happy for this vid and hope others watch this before mine because the context you give for her is priceless! 😁