“A Good Man Is Hard to Find” - Summary of O’Connor's Beliefs

“A Good Man Is Hard to Find”: Summary of the Story

“A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is a short story written by Flannery O’Connor in 1953. O’Connor was a writer who was known for her Southern Gothic genre of writing, and “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is no exception to this genre. This summary essay tells a lot about who O’Connor is as a person and what her moral beliefs are. For example, O’Connor’s Christian beliefs are hinted at by the fact that the Grandmother asks the Misfit to pray, and even more subliminally, by the names of John Wesley and June Star which are analogies for an English Cleric and Lucifer, respectively. There is also a constant negative connotation present in the story—either caused by a character’s action or by bad luck—which contributes to O’Connor’s Southern Gothic style, and the consequences induced by a character’s actions are attributed to the belief of free will.

Other than this story telling the readers a lot about O’Connor’s beliefs, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is also a story that is full of intriguing characters. What makes these characters even more interesting is the fact that each character seems to represent and embody a twisted trait of mankind. Out of the various characters mentioned in the story, there is one in particular that this analysis will be taking a look at: the grandma. Throughout the story, the grandma is portrayed as being caring and frivolous; however, when taking a deeper look at her, one may see that the grandma is actually a character who is selfish and sly. The story begins with the grandma’s slyness being demonstrated by the following sentence: “The grandmother didn’t want to go to Florida. She wanted to visit […] Tennessee and she was seizing at every chance to change Bailey’s mind.” Shortly after those sentences, the grandma attempts to persuade Bailey with intimidation of what could happen in the improbable event that they run into The Misfit, an inmate on the loose. The first few sentences introduce the grandma as a character who is willing to manipulate and lie to others to get her way. A few sentences later, the grandma’s grandchildren start to ridicule her for putting up a fight against  going on a trip she is not forced to go on. During the lampooning, June Star says the following about the grandma: “She wouldn’t stay at home for a million bucks […] Afraid she’d miss something. She has to go everywhere we go.” The grandma does not repel the quote, so it can be assumed that what June Star said is true: that the grandma does not want the family to experience something and she misses out, which is a form of selfishness. The first few paragraphs serve to demonstrate the grandma’s selfish and sly nature.

The next few paragraphs of the story proceed to describe the family on their road trip to Florida. In the tenth paragraph, the grandma’s slyness is made apparent again. This act of slyness is demonstrated when it states that the grandmother was “hiding a basket with Pitty Sing, the cat.” The grandmother, rather than making it aware that she was bringing the cat, chooses to sneak the cat along. During and following paragraph eighteen, the grandmother says a statement that is hypocritical. The grandmother states that “children were more respectful […] People did right then,” but shortly after stating how respectful people were back in her days, the grandmother says, “Oh look at the cute little pickaninny!” as the family passes a black child. This is a hypocritical and racist statement that reveals how the grandmother believes she does no wrong while those around her are disrespectful and unappreciative.

After being on the road for a while, the family stops at “The Tower” to get a meal. While in the restaurant, the grandmother and Red Sam discuss how times have changed and how people have become ruder. After Sam explains a confrontation that he had, the grandma acknowledges Red Sam as “a good man!” Which is the first instance of a “good man” mentioned in the story. Back on the road, the grandmother remembers that a beautiful plantation is nearby. Sheproposes that the family takes a detour and  visits the plantation. After her idea was rejected, the grandmother, in an act of slyness, lies to the kids in order to manipulate them and make them cause a tantrum that would lead to Bailey agreeing to make the only divergence for the entire trip. After being on route to the plantation for minutes, the grandmother made the realization that the plantation she was thinking of was in another state. Coming to this realization, “her feet jumped […] and Pitty Sing, the cat, sprang onto Bailey’s shoulder” which caused the car to go out of the road and flip over once before landing off the side of the road.

The grandmother, rather than worrying about the members of her family, was “hoping she was injured so that Bailey’s wrath would not come down on her all at once.” The grandmother was selfish and was more worried about being shouted at than the well-being of her own family. After the crash, the family waited for help to come. Then, a group of men came to help them out and the grandmother quickly called out one of the men as The Misfit, which doomed the family’s fate. After acknowledging The Misfit, the grandmother quickly begins to plead that he spares her life. As her family is being killed, the grandmother offers The Misfit salvation and a chance to atone for his sins through praying to God, to which he replies that he does not need help, and states, “I’m doing all right by myself.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, throughout the story, the grandma uses her slyness to satisfy and meet her selfish desires. She is scared of confrontation, and so she sneaks around it. Also, the grandmother’s action to meet her selfish needs is what eventually leads to the family’s death, and these unfortunate events could have been prevented if the family just worked together.