A Good Man Is Hard To Find: Character Analysis

In Flannery O’Conner’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” there were reasons why the Misfit, the wanted prisoner, killed the grandmother, the selfish prominent character. Although she did not want to travel in the direction the Misfit was headed, her selfish decisions led her and her family in an unfortunate accident which led them to be approached by the Misfit. His psychological instability, his moral code and being recognized by the grandmother ultimately led to her demise.

While researching this short story you complete a close reading you come to recognize the close details that come to expose a theme that is elusive and shows different parallels of what Grandma considers being a good man within different parts of the story. In order to bring further understanding I am going to give you a brief summary on the short story.

In the Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” we find out that the title indicates of what the story is about. The title actually came from the lyrics of a song written by Eddie Green in 1918. The title of “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Conner is quite ironic really. The reader expects to eventually find a good man in the story, but is quite surprised at the ending of the story. The title "A Good Man is Hard to Find" is expressed clearly in this story by introducing a variety of male personalities that all have one thing in common; they are not truly good men.

n the Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” we find out that the title indicates of what the story is about. The title actually came from the lyrics of a song written by Eddie Green in 1918. The title of “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Conner is quite ironic really. The reader expects to eventually find a good man in the story, but is quite surprised at the ending of the story. The title "A Good Man is Hard to Find" is expressed clearly in this story by introducing a variety of male personalities that all have one thing in common, they are not truly good men.

Exploring the idea that all men are born sinners, O’Connor demonstrates immoral indulgences entertained by various characters. Readers are introduced to grandmother, an elderly woman whose consistent unscrupulous behavior exhibits her inner motives. Grandmother uses subtle, indirect confrontation to get her way until she is faced with The Misfit, a runaway criminal who believes that crime is a justifiable. In “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” Flannery O’Connor uses characterization to display a loss of morals, imagery to portray evil in society, and symbolism to emphasize the struggle of obtaining grace to prove how life is nihilistic without religion.

“She would have been a good woman,” The Misfit said, “if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life,” (O’Conner pg. 418). In Flannery O’Conner’s short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” she explained the dynamics of how the grandmother is an unlikely recipient of grace, she related the actions of the Misfit with religion, and also, the intangible definitions of a good man. The short story is about a family going on a trip to Florida, but the grandmother did not want to go on this trip. She wanted to go to Tennessee, but since she lived with her son Bailey she went with them where they wanted to go. While on the drive the grandmother remembers about a plantation she went to when she was a young lady. Bailey decides

Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” focuses on the contrast between “good” and “evil.” Through the characterization of the Grandmother and The Misfit, O’Connor reveals that in reality there are no drastic differences between the two, only that one has already come to accept his fate and the other is still blinded by her own selfish ways. From the beginning, the true nature of the Grandmother begins to unfold. It is evident that she will say just about anything to get her way, only she’ll do it in a manner that illustrates her as one whose sole purpose is to look out for her family, “See here...this fellow that calls himself the misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida… I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal aloose like that… I couldn’t answer to my own conscience if I did.”(117) O’Connor’s use of the word “conscience” leads the reader to believe that the Grandmother has good morals and values, but upon further investigation it’s evident that this “good” only runs so deep. At first glance, this moment can be perceived as one filled with sincere fear on the grandmothers part, however, the chances of the family actually running into a loose criminal on a family road trip is one in a million. Which leads to the conclusion that the Grandmothers sole intention is to scare her son into submission, so that she may go to Tennessee to visit her old friends. Nearing the end of the family’s life, the Grandmother’s

It was first published in 1953 in the anthology The Avon Book of Modern Writing. In 1960, it was collected in the anthology The House of Fiction, published by Charles Scribner's Sons. "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," One of O’Connors most famous short stories is titled after a song recorded in 1927-28 by Bessie Smith a blues singer, that informed women that had a faithful man at home to follow her advice and give him a lot of affection; because “A Good man was hard to find”. After finding out that her man was cheating on her (Kirk).

Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” gives readers a front row seat to the chilling tale of a southern family’s murder at the hands of an escaped convict who calls himself “The Misfit” and his associates. On their way to Florida for a vacation, the family stops to visit an abandoned house and ends up in a car accident, where they are found by The Misfit, and subsequently killed. While the murder is the climax of the story, O’Connor writes a cast of uniquely flawed characters that are the true focus of the narrative; each character adds a layer to the convoluted tale.

Throughout people’s daily lives, new choices are thrown their way. These choices can be miniscule, or they can be the choices that change a life forever. In the Misfit’s life, he had choices and obstacles thrown his way from the beginning, but when he was sent away and thrown in a penitentiary, he lost his faith. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, O’Connor shows how the choices we make can affect our lives tremendously, which show in the correlation between the misfits behavior in the beginning of his life to his actions now , to how the family’s actions allowed them to encounter the Misfit, and how the Grandmother’s actions, words,and faith affect her whole family's lives.

Moments later The Misfit releases some of his stress when he tells two of his companions to bring two of the children back into the woods. The grandmother hears gunfire and shivers in pain, not knowing the two children were just killed. She then begins to ask The Misfit about his life, "I just know you're a good man," the woman said (O'Connor 688). The Misfit slowly began to tell the woman about his parents and his childhood. He explained how his father looked down upon him; "you're a different breed of dog," he once said (O'Connor 688). The grandmother waits with anticipation as The Misfit tells her about his life. After hearing about his hardships and misfortunes, tells The Misfit to pray for help. He listens to her and shows no response. The Misfit did not know what he was punished for: "somewheres along the line I done something wrong and I got sent to the penitentiary…I forget what I done lady. I set there… trying to remember what it was I done and I

In the story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, the unprecedented ending was marked by the dramatic last words of the grandmother: “Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own babies.” This revelation furthers the contrast between the families of both the grandmother and the Misfit, while enforcing the similarities between the grandmother and the Misfit. Throughout the story, the author skillfully adds hints to describe the relationship that the grandmother has with her son and her grandchildren.

Throughout the course of literature class, we have to read articles, stories, poems and analyze them. Then answer and respond to a few questions on the readings. One story that is interesting is “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” by Flannery O’Connor. The story is about a family that consists of a grandmother(the mom of the family), Bailey(the son of the grandmother), June Star(daughter of Bailey), John Wesley(son of Bailey), the mother and the baby, that go on a trip to Florida where they experience challenges and dark tragedies but throughout the trip it can be shown the personality that some of the characters have. Two characters that are significant is the Misfit (A criminal) and the grandmother. Throughout the beginning of the story the character/personality of the grandmother is selfish but then changes from the beginning, middle and the end of the story to becoming a better person just like the Misfit, who shifts from saying that he is a criminal to him questioning and hoping he is not which means that both of them represents that there is good underneath all the evil.

Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find’ tells of a seemingly normal family with a bit of dysfunction. Throughout this tale, the author fabricates a number of characters, some inconsiderable, others full of depth and history that present themselves wildly open to interpretation. Looking into O’Connor’s past, it is clear to see her relationship with a number of these fictional minds and pull from these the meaning behind her hidden pain and anguish. We are therefore presented with a mother and sons family who are prisoners in a manipulative, destructive relationship.

With his violent killing, the Misfit seems an unlikely source to look to for 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. He has carefully considered his actions in life and examined his experiences to find lessons within them. He has even renamed himself because of one of these lessons, believing that his punishment didn’t fit the crime. He reveals a self-awareness that the grandmother lacked and questions it. He knows he is not a great man, but he also knows that there are others worse than him. He forms rudimentary philosophies, such as “no pleasure but meanness” and “the crime don’t matter.” The Misfit’s philosophies may be morally corrupt, but they are consistent. Unlike the grandmother, whose moral code falls apart the moment it’s challenged, the Misfit has a steady view of life and acts according to what he believes is right. His beliefs and actions