Saturday, January 24, 2015

What is the climax of the story "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"?

The climax, or the highest point of action, comes when Bailey, the grandmother's son, wrecks the car.  At the grandmother's urging, and despite Bailey's reluctance, Bailey turns the car around to go visit an old plantation home which his mother says will be educational for them (and the children want to see because of a promised "secret panel"). 

However, when miles pass and the grandmother begins to doubt her memory of the location, she becomes agitated and accidentally sets off a series of mishaps:  her jerking bumps a valise (a suitcase) which upset the cat, Pitty-Sing, who jumps on Bailey and makes him steer improperly.  The car then tumbles over and lands "in a gulch off the side of the road." 

This sets the climax into motion.  Passersby who happen to see the accident come to the scene, but not, as the grandmother expects, to their aid.  Instead, the pair are the escaped convicts the grandmother had read about and discussed with Red Sammy's wife in the barbecue stand.  The outlaws have no other intent but to rob and then kill, which leads to the startling conclusion. 

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