A Good Man Is Hard To Find Summary

Words: 467
Pages: 2

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a fictional short story that was written by Flannery O’Connor. It corresponds to multiple peculiar events that present themselves during the course of the story along with its strange characters. This existing oddness draws the reader further into the story with curiosity and interest, desperate to see what will happen next. Although it has a slow beginning, it ends quite harshly. The family in the story are trying to make a decision on where they should go for their trip. There is some disagreement on the destination; Bailey, the Husband, wants to take the family to Florida, while his mother, referred to as “the grandmother,” is hesitant to the idea. She states that there is a loose and dangerous criminal …show more content…
She becomes startled by the fact which in turn, she accidentally lets her cat whom she was trying to hide, out of the it’s basket. This causes a car accident, resulting in the car flipping over the side of the road. Luckily, no one is killed. While the family waits for help to arrive, the Misfit and two of his partners present themselves. The Grandmother believes she knows the Misfit, yet she cannot identify where exactly she has seen him in the past. Shortly later, she realizes who the man is and is sure to tell him. She tries to convince him to spare her life by asking him, “You wouldn’t shoot a lady, would you?” (O’Connor, 192) Later, she continues to try and convince him by telling him that he is a “good man.” (O’Connor, 192) The Misfit later orders for Bailey and John Wesley, Baileys son, to be killed. Following this, the Mother, baby, and June Star are then shot. During these events, the Grandmother continues to convince the Misfit and tells him he should “pray to Jesus,” (O’Connor, 193) which gives him the opportunity to share some of his personal story along with his views on Jesus. The grandmother sees this as a point of weakness and begins to reach out for him, which startles the Misfit. He reacts to this by shooting her in