Introduction
It is important to note that in the short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, people’s understanding of a good person is insufficient and mistaken. It is impossible to find a single meaning of the term good person because each individual has their own experience. Thus, it is essential to analyze the short story from the point of view that everyone is guilty of something.
Analyzing the Short Story Through the Lens of Universal Guilt
The author describes the difficulty of finding an ideal person because everyone has certain positive and negative traits. The characters in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” demonstrate that this problem is common and everyone is guilty of something. All the characters are portrayed as selfish and can be judged by their actions.
For example, the grandmother attempts to show herself honesty and kindness, but the author demonstrates that she is self-serving, which makes her similar to a Misfit (O’Connor, 1962). Therefore, in the context of the grandmother, it becomes clear that she is guilty of her own self-interest and attempts to hide it. Accordingly, the woman tries to present herself as decent, but she is manipulating her son.
The woman tries to convince Bailey to change his route and indicates that the Misfit is released. Grandma says, “Here this fellow that calls himself The Misfit is loose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida, and you read here what it says he did to these people. Just read it. I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn’t answer to my conscience if I did” (O’Connor, 1962, p. 356). Thus, the character constantly struggles to prove that she has a strong conscience and means well, although she tries to persuade everyone to do what is in her best interest. This grandmother’s philosophy resulted in tragic consequences for her later on.
Conclusion
Thus, it is challenging to find morally honest people because even those who seem honest or maintain this image are guilty of something. Everyone has a particular flaw and makes mistakes and dishonest actions daily.
Reference
O’Connor, F. (1962). A good man is hard to find. New English Library.