A Good Man Is Hard To Find

Flannery O’Connor short story “A Good man is Hard to Find” displays a broken, disrespectful, and rude family taking a trip to Florida, but along the way the family stumbles upon a group of escaped convicts. In the short story the grandmother, an exceedingly traditional and moral virtue women, uses the word “good” frequently throughout the story. Other characters in the story like the Misfit and Bailey uses the word good aswell, but in a different sense. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, the word good is defined by the word’s traditional meaning, due to the fact the grandmother is a traditional women and uses the word most often over the other characters.
Particularly, in the short story the grandmother is viewed as traditional and proper women

due to the fact the grandmother lead a moral life growing up, and believes the world around her is falling apart. For example, from the Cummings Study Guide, Michael J. Cummings states, “Bailey’s mother realizes that the world has gone astray … she is ignorant of her own shortcomings”. In other words Cummings point is that the grandmother’s view of the world from when she was younger has not changed even when she is much older than before. With the statement Cumming urges the readers to assume the grandmother is not aware of time changing and how rude and nagging she has become around her family because the grandmother still acts the same way she did from her earlier life. Also, from the The Cummings Study Guide, Michael J. Cummings writes, “Edgar Atkins Teagarden would have been a good man to marry simply because he held Coca-Cola stock, and she begrudge the money America sents to Europe”. Basically, Cumming is warning the audience that the grandmother only says a person is a good man if he is simply wealthy. Which defines the way the word good is seen throughout the short story because the grandmother uses the word when discussing about her past and how she views men in a traditional state.
Specifically, the grandmother is seen to believe good is found in all men, no matter the person’s past life since the grandmother continuously reminds the Misfit he is one.

In the story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the grandmother is presumed to be faking her plea to the Misfit in order to spare her own life. According to Literature Resource Center, in the article “The Secular Meaning in ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’”, author Stanley Renner states, “One is that of a believable old lady.... the other is that of culture of which she is so representative a figure”. In other words, Renner is stating that the grandmother is presented as a lovable old lady, but also sticks to her traditional side too. For example, the grandmother was probably faking her plea about the misfit being a good man, since she probably saw the Misfit as a bad man, in order to save her own life. From the same article “The Secular Meaning in ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’”, Stanley Renner claims, “For one thing, she personifies the ideal of gentility, manners, and breeding inherited from the old plantation culture”. The essence of Renner’s statement is that the grandmother is seen as a traditional southern women, which means the grandmother only sees and believes in doing what’s right. Which clearly explains the grandmother views of the Misfit to be a lie since she sees him as a bad man because the Misfit is not the definition of the word good in the grandmother’s eyes. Continuing from the Literature Resource

Center Stanley Renner also writes, “ Of course, the grandmother is far from what she thinks she is, and thus she personifies a culture whose pretensions of honorable gentility are belied by reality”. In other words Renners means that the grandmother is living in a world in her mind that is still like the “good ole days”, even though the times has change. Due to the statement above the grandmother still believes men and women should have manners, be honorable, and be respectful, which leads to the definition of good through the short story because the grandmother lies and pretends to believe that good in still around in her own world.
In addition to the grandmother being viewed as a traditional southern lady, the grandmother also views good through her faith.

In the article, “An Overview ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’”. Author Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton states, “ an individual may not earn opportunities for grace by good works, but he or she may turn away from grace when it offered.” Basically, Piedmont-Marton is warning the audience that the Misfit had an opportunity of grace, when the grandmother touches his cheek, but turns the offer down, which to the grandmother is not how she views what a good man is to be. Another example from the same article, Elisabeth Piedmont- Marton writes, “ She also cautions the readers that they ‘Should be on the lookout for such things as the action of grace in the grandmother’s soul, and not for the dead bodies”. In other words, Piedmont-Marton wants the audience to realise the grandmother, before she was murdered, came to the realization that the world has changed and her values no longer apply to the “new” world around her. The statement also interprets that the Misfit proves to the grandmother that good is no longer existing in a society full of “bad”, and only her faith can help her. Continuing from the article “An Overview ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find”, Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton states, “ O'Connor uses the Misfit’s deeply held and passionate as a foil… to the grandmother's easy platitudes and cliches.” Piedmont-Marton’s point is that the grandmother only sees the

world her way through her faith and traditions, while the Misfit views the world as malicious and hostile place. The quote above also shows that the grandmother's life has been a constant repeat of the same lifestyle over and over again, since her faith and beliefs have stayed identical from her past. Which proves the definition of the word good is shown throughout the short story “ A Good Man is Hard to Find” since part of the grandmothers views of the word is through her faith.
Not only has the word good been defined through the grandmother, but has also been defined through other characters in the short story as well. From the article “‘One of my Babies: The Misfit and the Grandmother”, author Stephen C. Bandy states, “somewhat more ominously, the Misfit--after he has fired three bullets into her chest--pronounces that she might have been a good women… if it had been somebody to shoot her every minute of her life”. In other words the author believes the Misfit’s definition of the word good would of been “benefit or advantage someone or something” (Oxford) because the Misfit only cares about saving himself since he benefits from others. For example, the Misfit only killed the family because he did not want to get caught for the terrible mistakes he’s made from his past. Another example from the same article “‘One of my Babies: The Misfit and the Grandmother”, Stephen C. Bandy writes, “ Her fruitless deception of her son Bailey, or her shameless pandering to the gas stations… in the automatic way of habitual flatterer, that he is indeed a good man-- a casual tossing- off of the phrase.” Bandy’s point is that the grandmother would overuse the word good on her son Bailey to get want she wanted. In other words Bailey’s definition, of the word good, which would be " having the qualities required for a particular role” (Oxford), would have no effect or meaning considering his mother never put thought or heart into the word when speaking about her son. Which once again proves the traditional meaning of the word good is the best definition because the grandmother is the only one in the short story who has real view of the word.
The word “good” can be defined in numerous ways, but in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the grandmother uses the word in original context which is “possessing or displaying moral virtue”(Oxford). Throughout the story the readers discover that the grandmother is living in her own little world and still views the world the same way as she did growing up, which was a traditional southern lifestyle. Which allows the readers to assume the grandmother is a traditional woman who has customary beliefs in everything she does and every person she meets. Evidence above has proven the word good is defined by the word’s traditional meaning since the story provides great detail of the grandmother views, life, and faith.