If we have a look at the role of the grandmother and what
she contributes, I don't necessarily think either of the two options you have suggested
can be accurately used to describe her. However, if I had to pick one, I would say she
is definitely more benign than evil.
Clearly the evil
character in this story is the Misfit. Ably supported by his henchmen, he calculatingly
disposes of the family and lastly shoots the grandmother in cold blood at the end. The
grandmother is definitely not an evil character in the same way. However, we have to
admit that she is an extremely selfish, egocentrical and distorted character who always
tries to manipulate others to try and get her own way. There are plenty of examples to
show this, but most important perhaps is when the grandmother realises that she might
not know where the house she used to live in actually is after they have been trying to
find it and how the cat, that her son told her not to take, makes his
appearance:
"It's not much farther," the grandmother said
and just as she said it, a horrible thought came to her. The thought was so embarrassing
that she turned red in the face and her eyes dilated and her feet jumped up, upsetting
her valise in teh corner. The instant the valise moved, the newspaper top she had over
the basket under it rose with a snarl and Pitty Sing, the cat, sprang onto Bailey's
shoulder.
This of course
causes the crash that makes them easy pickings for the Misfit. So, although the
grandmother is not evil, and has good intentions, we can't precisely call her benign, as
her "good intentions" actually lead the family to meet their
doom.
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