Question

Some readers have found the grandmother sympathetic and others have found her a figure of evil, portrayed with imagery often associated with witches. What do you think of her?

Answer 1

1. The characterization of the surrounding family lets the audience believe she’s a sweet old woman trying to protect her family from the Misfit.

On the first page, the grandmother is trying to warn her family about the Misfit being in Florida and tried to convince them not to go, but they didn’t listen.

This gives the audience the illusion that they don’t like to listen to her.

The parents allow the kids to be rude to her throughout the story making her seem innocent.

At the end of the story we see that her manipulation and untruthfulness got them killed.

She lied about the cat, the house, and manipulated her son into turning down that dirt road.

Her character is what caused the surrounding members die as well as herself. 2

Some readers have found the grandmother sympathetic and others have found her a figure of evil, portrayed with imagery often associated with witches.

These conflicting responses can be resolved by pointing out where in the story the readers feel this way.

At the end of the story, the audience may feel that the grandmother was actually evil because she lied to the son, and used the children to manipulate him into turning down the dirt road. After she realized she’d done wrong, she kept quiet about it.

At the beginning, the readers may have felt bad because of the way the rest of the family treated her and the fact that she didn’t get to go to Tennessee like she wanted to.

Technically, if they would have gone with what she said and not gone to Florida, they’d all be alive.

scene also helps the reader understand what the grandmother considers to be a good man.

The plot advances because Red Sammy’s is the best in town and this signifies that this was their last supper.

What do you think of her?

Grandmothers took part in your upbringing, your childhood memories are most probably filled with joy and the feeling of safety and comfort.

One of the most important roles a Grandma has, is to carry the wisdom of generations.

They've experienced all aspects of what it's like to be a mom, and can share lessons learned about parenting, self-care, and practical tips for success. And it's not just wisdom from issues pertaining to motherhood, either.