A Good Man is Hard to Find is a masterpiece by Flannery O’Connor; this work contains thought-provoking topics for discussion. One of the most concerning issues is the theme of redemption, which is found in the book’s episodes. O’Connor links the characters to Christian belief, goodness, and grace, intentionally creating the image of grandmother as fair and innocent. At the same time, she has to interact with the Misfit, who is an opposite figure – being released from jail, he is a complete antagonist. It is essential to consider redemption in A Good Man is Hard to Find to analyze transgression, grace, and hope.
It is apparent why the Misfit is a sinner: he is a deviant person who commits crimes and feels no guilt about his actions. He has accomplices who strengthen the danger of the Misfit; everyone is scared of this band. The reader acquires that the Misfit was a “gospel singer” in the past; indeed, the man converted into an offender later (O’Connor 27). His complicated background explains the Misfit’s mindset; therefore, he strived to subject people to pain and suffering. However, the grandmother is a sinner to a certain extent as well, although she represents an angelic personality. The reader grasps that the grandmother tends to be a self-centered person who aims to demonstrate her goodness explicitly. She seems to be concerned with her image in society’s eyes rather than becoming a decently good woman. She exclaims to the Misfit, “you’re one of my own children,” equaling herself to the almighty and forgiving mother (O’Connor 32). However, she cannot distinguish good and evil; she needs to have other people’s love and respect, no matter who these people are.
It is vital to understand how the grandmother has achieved grace by the end of the story. Throughout the text, the reader understands that she is blind to circumstances; when the Misfit kills her family, she proceeds to create her innocent and good image. The grandmother cares about the Misfit to a greater extent instead of taking care of her family. She has a good man syndrome, associated with generating a particular image of a decent person, avoiding moral fall, and following society’s expectations (Donna Smith aka Lady D). She finds comfort in believing in everyone’s virtue, creating a perfect world where no evil exists (Powers). The grandmother achieved grace after being sure that she said everything appropriately.
The reader understands that there is hope for Misfit at the end of the story. Misfit always found pleasure in creating chaos and being a deviant person; indeed, the grandmother made a great effort to persuade him of goodness. For instance, there was hope for Misfit to become a decent man as he digressed about his time in jail. He recalled that period with remorse and understood it was possible to avoid it. After the conversation with the grandmother, Misfit blames and judges his partner for committing crimes: “it’s no real pleasure” (O’Connor 32). “She would of been a good woman,” Misfit said after receiving her forgiveness (O’Connor 32). Even in a minor way, Misfit’s consciousness was changed by the redemption of the grandmother, which gave him hope.
Overall, A Good Man is Hard to Find narrates a complex story that explores numerous conflict situations. The grandmother and the Misfit are identical in several contexts; both are self-centered individuals with rigid standpoints on life. Their interaction is not accidental – instead, they reflect the sins of each other. Their personal stories interweaved through the text demonstrate the struggles of moral choice between good and evil, making the reader digress about the fairness of characters’ decisions and punishments.
Works Cited
Donna Smith aka Lady D. “Good Man and Bad Man Syndrome.” YouTube, 2019.
O’Connor, Flannery. A Good Man Is Hard to Find. Rutgers UP, 1993.
Powers, Jacob Stillwell. A Moment of Grace in Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.” 2020.