There is another instance in the story that illustrates the way that the grandmother feels about herself, in an arrogant sense. When she sees a young black child with no pants, she explains to the grandchildren how poor people are in the country. Though she makes no mention of how unfortunate this is, instead she begins to talk about her wish to learn how to paint, and how she would paint a picture of that boy in front of his old shack.
In believing that she is a lady, she attempts to rule the family and teach the grandchildren about how they should view the world, through her own lens. Although the lens does not fit, as the world has changed and the grandmother goes back and forth between looking to the past and dealing with the future. There is an obvious disconnect of time here, just as there is within the family. The obvious disconnect of the family highlighted is the exasperation of Bailey toward his mother and the condescension of the children toward the grandmother. Though the grandmother sometimes acts haughty and overbearing, she does act as if she has the welfare of her family and the world at large in her thoughts and actions. Though her lie about the plantation leads them all to death. The lie she tells about the plantation is that there is treasure hidden somewhere in a secret place in the house. This excites the children, as they want to explore the passage and even come up with ways to get into the house (an illegal act itself). The grandmother knows that this family is very chaotic and unbalanced, so the children would get their way. The lie and the talk of finding treasure, because of the children's greed led the family to their destruction, as one lie begins a course of what may be considered sins, to the ultimate sin of all.
This lie leads to the meeting with the Misfit. The Misfit embodies all that is to be feared in the world. He is lawless and immoral.
