Braddy Reads A Good Man Is Hard To Find

Hey, look, it's a literature book. That sounds like something someone would read if it was on a list of goals or something. Pretty cool, huh?

I've joked before that literature is all about how depressing a story one can tell. That's not entirely true - there are plenty of happy, cheerful stories out there that end well for most of the parties involved. The stigma that all literature is dark is fairly undeserved.

This collection of stories, however, is the reason that stigma exists. Flannery O'Connor's story collection is called A Good Man is Hard to Find, but it could just as easily be called Miserable People are Miserable to Each Other Until Someone Dies.

There's not a single likeable character in this entire collection of short stories, except for possibly the wide-eyed, innocent boy Harry in the story "The River" (spoiler alert: he dies). Everyone is conceited and self-righteous. They're cruel out of some sick sense of entitlement and, in some cases, piety. If the book had ENDED with the story "A Good Man is Hard to Find" rather than starting with it, the bald-faced cruelty of The Misfit would be almost refreshing.

None of this is to say that the book is terrible, mind. Since most of the characters are devout Christians, their often contradictory behavior serves to mirror some of our own hypocrisy's, whether we profess a Christian faith or not. And O'Connor is a great writer who employs dialog with tremendous skill.

A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories isn't a relaxing bedtime read, but, like most classics, is classic for a reason. Well worth the time spent.