“A good man is hard to find” is Flannery O’Connor’s speculation regarding human hypocrisy. The story presents a deep analysis of human behavior and of the consequences that egocentric attitudes might bring. The reader observes the grandmother’s interactions with her family throughout the story. While claiming to be a true lady, she acts rather selfishly, and this trait contributes to the fate of her family.
O’Connor creates a clear picture of what kind of person the grandmother is from the very first pages. She is a rather self-centered person, who thinks she is always right. For example, she believes that the whole family needs to go to Tennessee because of her wish. The grandmother even takes the cat into the car, even though she knows her son does not like it. She constantly complains about the present times and tells stories about the past, when everything used to be better, in her opinion. This is probably why her family often prefers to ignore her. The reader observes the grandmother telling stories, trying to teach her grandchildren something, perhaps partly out of a desire not to be ignored. She is glad to talk to Red Sammy, the first person in the story to discuss something with her. The key event of the story is the grandmother’s encounter with a criminal named The Misfit. Arguably, everything could have ended well for the whole family had she not decided to point out to the criminal that she “recognized [him] at once” (O’Connor, 1953, p. 195).
The grandmother should have stayed quiet, but her desire to matter for once made her say that aloud. She probably did not even think before telling the criminal that she recognized him. Not a single person from her family took her seriously, so the grandmother grabbed the opportunity to be noticed. The decision to speak out becomes the doom of the grandmother and her entire family.
Reference
O’Connor, F. (1953). A good man is hard to find. In Phillips, W., Rahv, P. & O’Connor, F. The Avon book of modern writing: A collection of original contributors by today’s leading writers. (pp. 186-199). Avon publications.