Discussion Board

 Introduction
Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” first appeared in the author’s
short story collection by the same name, which was published in 1955. Since then, it has become
one of O’Connor’s most highly regarded works of short fiction because it exhibits all the
characteristics for which she is best known: a contrast of violent action with humorously and
carefully drawn characters and a philosophy that underscores her devout Roman Catholic faith.
Critics have admired the prose and the way O’Connor infuses the story with her Catholic belief
about the role God’s grace plays in the lives of ordinary people. The story is disturbing and
humorous at the same time—a quality shared by many of O’Connor’s other works, including her
novels
Wise Blood
and
The Violent Bear It Away.
Though the story begins innocently enough, O’Connor introduces the character of the Misfit, an
escaped murderer who kills the entire family at the end of the story. Through this character,
O’Connor explores the Christian concept of “grace”—that a divine pardon from God is available
simply for the asking. In the story, it is the Grandmother—a petty, cantankerous, and overbearing
individual—who attains grace at the moment of her death, when she reaches out to the Misfit and
recognizes him as one of her own children. For O’Connor, God’s grace is a force outside the
character, something undeserved, an insight or moment of epiphany. Often, however, O’Connor’s
characters miss moments of opportunity to make some connection; their spiritual blindness keeps
them from seeing truth.
“A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is the title story of O’Connor’s first short story collection, and,
therefore, often serves as an introduction to the rest of her fiction. The story is enjoyable for its
humorous portrayal of a family embarking on a vacation; O’Connor has been unforgiving in her
portrayal of these characters—they are not likable. However, in creating characters that elicit
little sympathy from readers, O’Connor has carefully set the premise for her main argument: that
grace is for everyone, even those who seem loathesome.
Plot
O’Connor’s story is told by a third person narrator, but the focus is on the Grandmother’s
perspective of events. Even though she complains that she would rather go to Tennessee than
Florida for vacation, she packs herself (and secretly her cat, Pitty Sing) in the car with her son
Bailey, his wife, and their children June Star, John Wesley, and the baby. In a comical instance