Terror Management Theory

Death cannot be controlled but people can put up measures that shield them from disasters that may lead to death. Interactions between people have led to the development of culture. Human culture dictate that humans are superior to animals thus they are bound to live meaningful lives and leave a mark on earth upon their demise. Humans invented religion to explain mysteries such as death and other supernatural activities. The short story A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor narrates a story whose theme corresponds to the ideologies proposed in the management of terror theory. While patiently waiting for help, The Misfit arrives and kills the all family members but sparring the grandmother. The grandmother tells the criminal about Jesus thinking that he will spare her. At the end, the Misfit kills the grandmother by shooting her three times in the chest.

Synthesis and Analysis The Actual Situation The family is going for a vacation but there is a loose criminal on the way. According to the terror management theory, death occurs unexpectedly and no one has control over it (Ayars and Greenberg 5). At this point, the family knew that they have survived a life threating incident. Having the survived the crush, they were certain that they would proceed safely. Little did they know that a dangerous criminal was about to launch terror them. The terror management theory proposes that death is unpredictable. It comes as a surprise like in this case. Good vs. Evil The short story A Good Man is Hard to find demonstrate how there are two sides of life, the good, and the bad (Allbaugh 11). There is a confrontation between two people, the grandmother and The Misfit.

The grandmother is a humble, kind, and superficial being. On the contrary, The Misfit is a heartless criminal who exhibits evil savagery (Gale). She tries to convince the criminal that there is a higher authority that is watching what is happening. Although The Misfit seems to be agreeing to her agreement, he still kills her. The grandmother appears to had received spiritual and divide nourishment, she dies smiling while facing the sky. Manipulation The terror management theory is connected to the theory of evolution. The theory of evolution provides that humans are superior to animals thus they can be referred to as intelligent beings. Family Family is one of the cultural values that is used to sustain generations. The family is the basic unit of the society. Since terror management theory outlines that death occurs randomly and unexpectedly, it is important to maintain national identity and posterity.

The terror management theory suggests that family and societal perspective sexual affairs are linked to death. Families transitions into another and that’s how immortality is achieved. In A Good Man is Hard to find, the author demonstrates how death occur unexpectedly in line with the terror management theory. Works Cited Allbaugh, Thomas. When Good Meaning Is Hard to Find: Reading Flannery O'Connor's Good Man as a Quest for the Good. Doing Good, Departing from Evil: Research Findings in the Twenty-first Century 279 (2009): 11. Ayars, Alisabeth, Uri Lifshin, and Jeff Greenberg. New English Library, 1962.