Review of "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

"A Good Man Is Hard To Find" by Flannery O'Connor began with an innocent family's road trip to Florida. In the opening paragraph, the grandmother discusses 'The Misfit's' escape from prison and his route to Florida, hoping to visit east Tennessee instead. On their way to Florida, the family crashes and receives help from a group of men armed with guns. The grandmother eventually concludes that one of the men is the infamous Misfit. At the end of the short story, the grandmother and her family encounter The Misfit’s wrath. I find it interesting to think about how the title of the short story relates to the plot. The family sought help from a good Samaritan; I believe they were looking for a “good man”. Instead, the family encountered an evil group, making it “hard” to find “a good man”. The ending was foreshadowed when Red Sammy said, “A good man is hard to find. Everything is getting terrible. I remember the day you could go off and leave your screen door unlatched. Not no more” (O’Conner 147). Also, I noticed the special use of diction throughout the short story. When each character spoke, he or she had an apparent southern accent. Some examples include “not no more”, “Ain’t she cute?”, “Yes’m”, and “I ain’t recalled it to this day”. Also, I found the use of religion interesting especially if you compare this short story to “Revelation” by Flannery O’Conner. In “Revelation”, Mary Grace served as the messenger for Mrs. Turpin to save herself before dying. In a similar way, I believe the grandmother serves as the messenger for The Misfit. The grandmother continues to question The Misfit’s beliefs in God throughout their encounter. She even says, “If you would pray, Jesus would help you” (152). The grandmother gives The Misfit a chance to change his lifestyle before continuing down the same path.  Even though she was shot and killed, the grandmother serves as an important character to help the readers understand who The Misfit is.