English 11 Unit One Essay Outline Ms.

Laurin

I. Introduction
A. Thesis statement: In A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery OConner
reveals the characters through indirect characterization: description of the
characters appearance, dialogue, and portrayal of characters actions.
II. Body Paragraph #1
A. Topic sentence: OConner create different appearance for each character by
use clothing to make us thing more deeply of who they really are.
B. Supporting evidence:
i. A young women in slack and was tied around with a green head kerchief
that have two points on the top like a rabbit ears. This women dress normal
and simple. So this represents herself that she is a careless person. Also, she
still had the same dress when she went out on the vacation.
ii. Grandmother had on a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white
violet on the brim and navy blue dress with a small white dot. Her collars and
cuffs were white organdy and she had a pinned a purple spray of cloth
iii. The misfit and his criminal friend choose the cloth randomly which it
mismatch cloth
C. Clincher sentence: the outfit that we wear will represent who we are and our
personality because we will choose cloth that match and fit to ourselves
III. Body Paragraph #2
A. Topic sentence: Another indirect characterization in a good man is hard to
find that show personality of character is the dialogue.
B. Supporting evidence:
i.
ii. no I certainly wouldnt june star said. I wouldnt live in a
broken- down place like this for a minions bucks! and she run back.
Speak straightforwardly what they think)
iii.
ii. p.11 there were a secret panel
Clincher sentence: Word that we use to speaking reveal signature of each person. It
shows your perspective of life, what age you are and how you were grown up.

Body Paragraph #3
A. Topic sentence: one of the popular ways that most of author use to reveal the
character is action. In this story, OConner let the character show themselves
by use the action or behavior to reflect what kind of person they are and what
they love or hate.
B. Supporting evidence:
i. they played a game by choosing cloud and making the other two guess
what shape it suggested.
ii. When june star said he didnt play fair, and they begin to slap each
other over the grandmother
ii. She was hiding a basket with pitty sing, the cat, in it. She didnt intent
for the cat to be alone. Her son bailey, didnt like to arrive at a motel
with a cat (get what she want )2
English 11 Unit One Essay Outline Ms. Laurin

C. Clincher sentence: our action truly describes our character. It show the pattern
of everything in life that you have been through. Good character will have good
action but bad character will give the opposite habit.

V. Conclusion
A. Rephrased thesis statement: to show the character of this short story,
OConner choose to use three indirect characterization: representation of characters
appearance, speech and their behavior and action to present the character.
English 11 Unit One Essay Outline Ms. Laurin

Implicit meaning

Flannery OConnor was born in the savannah, Virginia and her family was

catholic. So religion motivated her style of writing. In the story, she uses this influence to

create the characters. Catholicism is very important to character so it includes in the story

but the author did not truly describe about the belief. Flannery OConnor uses many of

the indirect characterization in the story but not just describe the belief. She also uses it to

describe characters trait. In A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery OConnor reveals

the characters through indirect characterization: description of the characters appearance,

dialogue, and portrayal of characters actions.

OConnor create different appearance for each character by use clothing to make us

thing more deeply of who they really are. OConnor states, A young women in slack and

was tied around with a green head kerchief that have two points on the top like a rabbit

ears (p.8). This shows how women dress up along the story. She dress very simply and

use only kerchief to decorate herself. So it reveals that the woman doesnt care about

herself too much. By contrast, grandmother wears many accessories and putting a lot of

outfit together. The author explains, She had on the navy blue straw sailor hat with a

bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dotviolets

containing a sachet(p.9). Dressing of grandmother shows her carefulness in everything

that she chooses to wear even the little thing such as color and design of fabric. She cares

what she looks like only herself. This also is one of the hints that the author uses to imply

about the personality of grandmother. It shows that she care what she look like and very

selfish. Moreover, the author describes the outfit of misfit that he chooses the cloth

randomly which it not match to each other. It can reflect that he didnt care about his

appearance and that mean he was far from the civilize quality. The outfit that we wear will
English 11 Unit One Essay Outline Ms. Laurin

represent of who we are and our personality because when we choose to wear something,

we will find the cloth that match and fit to ourselves.

Another indirect characterization in a good man is hard to find that show

personality of character is the dialogue. From the story: no I certainly wouldnt June star

said. I wouldnt live in a broken- down place like this for a minions bucks! (p.10). This

quote views the nature of children that they always speak straightforwardly of what they

think even it might cause someone to fell shame. John Wesley said, Lets go to see it! We

will find it well poke all the woodwork and find it! (p.11). This quote also describes a

normal of the juveniles that they will do whatever they want and not think carefully about

the effect. On the other hand, the adult shows the complex meaning from their dialogue.

Since the misfit comes to help the family from the accident and the grandmother recognize

him. The grandmother said, You wouldnt shoot lady, would you?(p.14). First, it might

seem like grandmother try to help all of the member in family to escape from the misfit but

it not. She cares only herself because the lady that she mentions is means just her. Most of

good mother will protect her child first and keep them away from the dangerous situation

but she only worry about her life. Furthermore, grandmother said, There was a secret

panel in this house (p.11). This speech explain that she lie about the secret panel in the

house to convince the kid and make them more interested so that the kid will persuade their

dad to went their. So, it showing that she not only selfish but she also like to exaggerate

and lie to others. Word that we use to speaking reveal signature of each person. It shows

your perspective of life, what age you are and how you were grown up.

One of the popular ways that most authors use to reveal the character is action. In

this story, OConnor let the characters show themselves by use the action or behavior to

reflect what kind of person they are and what they love or hate. The author states, June

star said he didnt paly fair, and they began to slap each other over the grandmother(p.10).
English 11 Unit One Essay Outline Ms. Laurin

This action shows the aggressive of the children that they are disrespectful to old person in

their family. So, this event can reveal to society in the family that their parent do not tech

them about manner and how to behave with the older person. The author also uses this

action to give us some background about relationship in family that shows why June Star

says a lot of awful word along the story. In addition, grandmother, we all know what kind

of person she is since the story began because we learn from her action. OConnor writes,

She was hiding a basket with pity sing, the cat, in it. She didnt intent for the cat to be

alone. Her son bailey, didnt like to arrive at a motel with a cat (p.1). This event showing

that grandmother tries to do whatever she want and she have to get it even others didnt

like. The action truly describes each character. It shows the pattern of everything in life that

you have been through. Good character will have good action but bad character will give

the opposite habit.

To show the character of this short story, OConnor chooses to use three indirect

characterizations: representation of characters cloth, speech and their behavior to present

the character. Moreover, the story reveal about the perspective of death and life throughout

the characters. Misfit say in the end that grandmother will be better person if she have gun

point on her head. So it mean misfit thought that when death is close to people. It will

make them become a good person. On the other hand, since bailey died the women not

care about her life and go in to the wood without any resist because she think life is not

important anymore when the person we love died.

English 11 Unit One Essay Outline Ms. Laurin

Reference

O'Connor, F. (1953). A Good Man is Hard to Find (pp. 8-18).