"She would of been a good woman, The Misfit said, if it had beeen somebody here to shoot her every minute of her life."
This quote takes place after the Misfit kills the grandmother. The story displays grandmother as a selfish, immoral person who thinks highly of herself. She does not want to go to Florida and tries to convince her son to go to where she wants to go instead. She also does as she wishes and even though her son cannot stand the cat, she sneaks it in the car anyway. The grandmother is also manipulative and self centered. She tells the children about this house with a secret panel which causes an uproar in the car...forcing Bailey to pull off and see it. This manipulation is not for the childern's benefit, but her own. When the accident happens, she does not own up to her mistakes for bringing the cat and does not confess that she made a mistake...since the house was actually in Tennessee. Her misjudgement and selfishness to see the old house causes the family to get killed.
The way grandmother dresses also shows how she thinks of herself. Bailey's wife is dressed in khaki's while she is "dressed to impress." Her hat is a major symbol of her pride and personality ...flamboyount and uptight. But towards the end of the story after the misfit has killed her whole family, it becomes clear to her that she is human just like the misfit is and she is not a good person. This quote is significant because it confirms that the grandmother is not a good person and it shows irony because the grandmother comes to this realization right before she dies.
-Lena
I agree wish your description and others that the grandmother was self-centered and selfish. I used the quote about the secret panel and while it does show manipulation I chose to see it in a more positive light and specifically talk about the interaction of the grandmother and the children. However, I completely agree that it was just another example of the grandmothers' selfishness and your quote makes clear exactly how this personality trait played out for her in the end.
ReplyDeleteI like the quote that you choose and I also found the grandmother to be an interesting character. She was very self-centered and always had something to say but her son was very quiet and didn't show much emotion. Why do you think there is such a contrast between these two related characters?
ReplyDeleteI was so annoyed with the grandmother the entire time I read this passage, like I'm sure everyone else was. Do you think that her coming to the realization that she's not what she wants to be was worth it? Her family was all dead, but in her last seconds she may have felt some type of guilt, finally. Do you think that justifies the outcome?
ReplyDeleteLena, how did you get to the point you did about the grandmother not being a good person? good post!
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