The Grandmother Doesn't Change

          [In "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor, the grandmother is an important character who, although appearing to go through some changes during the book, does not actually significantly change the way she acts.] She seems grumpier at times, and happier at others, but throughout it all, it seems like all she wants is to disagree or go against what people around her are saying and doing. There were two important sections of the book that I think show this. The first is at the beginning with her son. She says she does not want to go to Florida, then she brought her cat that she knew he didn't want her to bring, then she made him go see the house that turned out not to actually be there. She really just wanted to do whatever he didn't' want to do, like on page 1 where it says, "she was seizing at every chance to change Bailey's mind." The second part where it is obvious that she just wants to go against what people want or say and never really changes, is towards the end with the Misfit. It is less clear in this part, but even when she knows she is in great danger, she still disagrees with him, first with how many times their car rolled over on page 14, and then, more adamantly, on pages 15 and several after that when she says "I know you're a good man at heart. I can just look at you and tell." He eventually starts disagreeing with her, but she sticks to this point until she dies, which is what makes me think that she doesn't really change throughout the story. It is possible that she only continues to disagree to convince herself that she won't die and that her family isn't dead, but it is more likely that old habits die hard, and disagreeing is what she does until the end.