Summary Of 'A Good Man Is Hard To Find By Flannery O' Connor

Multitudinous authors have found themselves substantially confined by the expectations of the Church when addressing religious subjects within their works. However, American writer and essayist Flannery O’Connor expressed that she writes the way she does “because (not though)” she is Catholic (Fitzgerald). She believed it was essential to display the importance of faith and grace in relation to the struggles of the real world. She understood that all aspects of modern society were tarnished in some way, and wanted to communicate this fact to her readers, despite their many differing religious and cultural backgrounds. The imperfect presentation of society and emphasis on God’s presence in daily life greatly impact O’Connor’s short story, “A

She claimed that “the world in general would not notice God’s presence unless something monumental occurred” (Wilson). This idea is echoed within “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, as it is the grotesque event of her family being murdered that ultimately shocks the grandmother into ending her selfish habits and recognizing God’s grace. Additionally, shocking events such as the car crash may result in the reader recognizing God’s grace in their own life, as they are either lucky enough to have never been in a car accident, or lucky enough to have survived one. Similar to her method of teaching by “negative example”, O’Connor uses traumatic events to emphasize the positive aspects of life. O’Connor wrote in 1955, “if you believe in the divinity of Christ, you have to cherish the world at the same time you struggle to endure it” (Fitzgerald), which is the exact message that she is trying to convey within her short stories. She does not create shocking, grotesque plots in hopes of disgusting or scaring the reader. Rather, she hopes that these plots will help the reader to understand the goodness that God has granted them within their everyday

During the conversation between the Misfit and the grandmother, the reader learns that the Misfit, despite his many wrongdoings, does understand what it means to be a true Christian. When questioning whether Jesus can raise the dead, the Misfit states, “If He did what He said then it’s nothing for you to do but throw away everything and follow Him…” (O’Connor 134). By saying this, the Misfit is expressing that true Christianity cannot be half-hearted like that of the grandmother, whose faith is rather lacking until she is met with sudden death. The grandmother “is not consumed by Christ in the way that the Misfit knows a true follower would be.” (Omnus). The Misfit once again recognizes the grandmother’s fruitless faith when he states, “She would have been a good woman…if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.” (O’Connor 140), which reinforces the fact that the grandmother only acknowledges her faith when faced with a monumental or traumatic event. In this way, the grandmother is representing all people, as O’Connor believes that everyone is guilty of disregarding God when they are not in a time of fear or despondency. Without the Misfit’s dialogue, the reader may not recognize their lack of appreciation for God and their need for