Why does the misfit have the entire family killed?

Why does the misfit have the entire family killed?

One reason that the Misfit has to kill the family is that the grandmother recognizes him as an escaped criminal. He had already been waving his gun around and behaving as though he is agitated, but her recognizing him seems to have made it impossible for him to spare the family’s lives.

What does the misfit say after he shoots the grandmother?

Just as he says no, she hears two gunshots. The Misfit says he used to be a gospel singer, and the grandmother chants, “pray, pray.” He says he wasn’t a bad child but that at one point he went to prison for a crime he can’t remember committing. He says a psychiatrist told him he’d killed his father.

Did the misfit enjoy killing the grandmother?

When the Grandmother makes her final grand gesture, reaching out to The Misfit as if he were her son, he shoots and kills her. With the story’s final line, however, the Misfit chastises his henchman for taking pleasure in the killings, and we get the sense that something about the encounter might have changed him.

Why does the misfit shoot the grandmother in the end?

The Misfit kills the grandmother last to make her death more painful (at least to the reader). The grandmother has to endure listening to the other five members of her family get shot in closer range (even though, in her selfish attitude, she doesn’t seem to care much).

How does Red Sam treat his wife?

The Grandmother says he is a “good man” for doing so. Red Sam’s wife comes over, delivers the food, and agrees that nobody can be trusted these days. Like The Grandmother, Red Sam is clearly a hypocrite: he chastises his wife for not working hard enough, and then takes a seat himself.

What happens to the grandmother?

This moment of grace is hugely important in the story. The Misfit kills the grandmother, recoiling from what seems so foreign to him, but the grandmother has already had her moment of redemption. She’s grown at the moment of death more than she ever did before in her life, and dies with a peaceful smile on her face.

What does Red Sammy do?

Red Sammy’s purpose in the story is to reiterate the fact that one cannot trust anyone. This is a foreshadowing of the ex-convicts murdering the family. Also he says that “A good man is hard to find” (452).

Why did the misfit want to kill the family?

Although The Misfit intends to murder the family to protect himself, he seems to take no pleasure in his role, as though the job was imposed upon him and he has no choice. When he smiled he showed a row of strong white teeth. “God never made a finer woman than my mother and my daddy’s heart was pure gold,” he said.

Why was the misfit in prison in a good man?

It is unclear why he was in prison. The Misfit hints that it could have been for the death of his father, but quickly states that it is not true, since his father died of the flu. According to the Misfit, he comes from a good family, although he also hints that his father also committed crimes, even though he was never caught.

How is the misfit different from the other characters?

With his violent, wanton killing, the Misfit seems an unlikely source to look to for spiritual or moral guidance, but he demonstrates a deep conviction that the other characters lack. Unlike the grandmother, who simply assumes that she is morally superior to everyone else, the Misfit seriously questions the meaning of life and his role in it.

Why does the grandmother say the Misfit is a good man?

The grandmother repeatedly insists that The Misfit must be a “good man” because he comes from “nice people.” Whether she truly believes her own words remains unclear: She could simply be attempting to flatter him, or she may truly be trying to connect him to some kernel of inner goodness.