The actions described in the story take place during the Postwar Midcentury. The story is set between the late 40s or early 50s of the twentieth century. This fact influenced the problematics raised by the author and defined the atmosphere of the narrative.
Detailed answer:
Flannery O’Connor wrote A Good Man Is Hard to Find. He does not define the time of his story. Nevertheless, it is possible to guess about it. Readers can meet references to veterans. Also, O`Connor describes the war throughout the text. The author mentions military events by writing “the way Europe acted…” It means that WWII already ended. However, readers may note descriptions of gunshots. The author mentions the screams of people. It indicates the presence of after-war actions.
There is another reference that sets the second time border. It is the book entitled Gone With the Wind, published in 1936. This fact proves that O’Connor describes America after the 40s.
On the other hand, O’Connor wrote the story in 1953. You can see that she already knew the look of the war. The tragic events inspired her in many aspects.
Finally, the characters used cars. Transport was not common before the war. This fact supports the mentioned guess. O’Connor describes the period between the end of the war and the late 50s. A Good Man Is Hard to Find has the Postwar Midcentury time setting.