Flannery O'Connor (1366-7), "A Good Man is Hard to Find," 1381-92
Alice Walker, "Everyday Use"
Study Questions:
1. At the end of "A Good Man is Hard to Find," the Grandmother exclaims to the Misfit, "Why you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children." Although not literally true, how might it be true thematically?
2. Standard readings of “Everyday Use” position Wangero (Dee) as the character who fails to understand the true meaning of her heritage and Mama as the character who stands up for that meaning. How might you reverse (or at least trouble) that reading by focusing on Mama’s
control of the narrative, her possible control of Maggie, and her feelings of inadequacy when faced by her daughter?
