"A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor is a disturbing short story. It begins with what seems to be a simple story about a family taking a road trip. O'Connor foreshadows the tragedy at the beginning of the story when the grandmother talks about The Misfit. The grandmother does not want to go to Florida because she said there is a fugitive on the loose known as The Misfit. She states that she would never be able to live with herself if she took her children, "in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it." As the story unfolds, the family starts on their road trip and stops at a diner called The Tower and meets the owner Red Sam and his wife. The grandmother has a deep discussion with Red Sam about how people are not as sincere as they used to be. This conversation struck me. The story becomes even more scary when the family is in a car accident and three strangers approach the car. To my surprise, one of the stranger is The Misfit. At this point, it becomes clear that all of the grandmother's fears are going to come true. Immediately, the grandmother recognizes The Misfit and that is when all the trouble begins. I started to tremble when I read this and I knew that the family would never survive this encounter. This story left me scared. I couldn't believe that the whole family was murdered. The Misfit was such a horrible character and the ending was just so tragic.
Significance of the Title to the Story: The title, "A Good Man is Hard to Find" seems to refer to the fact that it is hard to find people who have a good heart and are trustworthy. The grandmother told Red Sam at the diner that people aren't the way they used to be. It is obvious because the family had an encounter with very evil people and it ended in a horrible tragedy. The grandmother said people are not as nice as they used to be and therefore, a "good" person is hard to find in this world today. The grandmother tried to find some goodness in The Misfit but he wasn't good at all.
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