Page 18 - 名媛直播 - Knighted 2019

who are not as fortunate, her perception of her own superiority regarding social standing and race
is clear.

Teagarden鈥檚 function is two-fold: not only is he used to expose the grandmother鈥檚 racial
superiority complex, but also he illustrates the grandmother鈥檚 perception of a gentleman,
marking a defining moment in the story in which O鈥機onnor emphasizes that the grandmother鈥檚
perception is centered around appearances; Mr. Teagarden is a 鈥渧ery good-looking man and a
gentleman,鈥� not to mention a 鈥渨ealthy man鈥� (O鈥機onnor, 鈥淕ood Man鈥� 251). Thus, in the
grandmother鈥檚 eyes, he is a good man.

Once the family encounters The Misfit, manipulation becomes the grandmother鈥檚
primary method of trying to control him and save herself. She tells him that he does not look like
he has 鈥渃ommon blood,鈥� implying that he must come from a higher social status (O鈥機onnor,
鈥淕ood Man鈥� 257). Owens explains, 鈥淭he grandmother's value system is founded upon particular
notions of aristocracy and heredity. According to this system, there is a specific, superior class of
people, the gentility鈥� (101). Therefore, how could a gentleman possibly shoot a lady? When that
tactic fails, she tries to convince him that he is a 鈥済ood man . . . [and] must come from nice
people!鈥� (O鈥機onnor, 鈥淕ood Man鈥� 257). To this, The Misfit agrees: 鈥淵es mam . . . [the] finest
people in the world鈥� (O鈥機onnor, 鈥淕ood Man鈥� 257). He does not, however, agree to being a good
man, and says, 鈥淣ome, I ain鈥檛 a good man鈥� (O鈥機onnor, 鈥淕ood Man鈥� 257). He is upfront about
who he is and he does not try to convince anyone otherwise, contradicting the archetypal model
of a murderer. In her final attempt to save herself, the grandmother resorts to a tactic of prayer.
She tells him that 鈥淚f [he] would pray . . . Jesus would help [him],鈥� for she believes that surely a
Christian would never, ever shoot a lady (O鈥機onnor, 鈥淕ood Man鈥� 259).

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