Essay

 

Comparison And Contrast Between Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” And James Baldwin’s “Giovanni’s Room”

 

 

2010

 

 

O’Connor’s “A good man is hard to find” and Baldwin’s “Giovanni’s room” were written in the 1950s. They represent different genres - while “A good man is hard to find” is a short story, “Giovanni’s room” is a novel.

The characters in them are quite different as well. The short story introduces very few characters – the selfish and manipulative Grandmother (who doesn’t have a name); the escaped convict, named Misfit (but the author never mentions his real name); the Mother (who is also unnamed); Bailey – the son of the Grandmother, John Wesley – the grandparent named after the founder of Methodism, and June Star – a girl who is just as selfish as her grandmother. The characters of O’Connor have very strict roles in the story, and they don’t turn aside from their initial parts.  The contrast between them and the characters of Baldwin is evident. “Giovanni’s room” introduces numerous characters with inner conflicts (unlike the characters from O’Conner’s short story). The main character (David) experiences the deepest inner controversy in the novel. He wanders between his homosexuality and his idealistic idea of manhood, which excludes him being with another man.

The story and the novel treat different problems of the society during that time. O’Connor concentrates on the problem of transformation (i.e. the unnamed grandmother who is more concerned about how to look like a good Christian woman transforms herself into a charitable and graceful woman who touches her killer).

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Темата е разработена 2010 г.

Не съдържа таблици.

 

Ключови думи:

short story, novel, inner conflicts, idealistic idea of manhood, roles in the story, comparison and contrast