Themes Revealed Through Characterization in “A Good Man is Hard to Find”

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor is a dark short story that involves the themes of nostalgic pasts, moral values and religion. These themes are revealed through the characterization of the grandmother, Red Sam, and the Misfit. Specifically, the characters all have their own ideas of what is “good” in the world, no matter how twisted their individual thoughts and opinions may be.

The theme of nostalgic pasts is a theme in the story, and it refers to when times were good, according to certain characters. The grandmother talks about the rich man she should have married years ago. The grandmother and Red Sam discuss the Misfit’s escape and how dangerous things are nowadays. The grandmother insists that no one can be trusted:

“It isn't a soul in this green world of God's that you can trust,” she said. “And I don't count nobody out of that, not nobody” (O’Connor). Red Sam continues the pessimistic conversation by commenting that everything is getting bad. He talks about days when doors could be unlocked and people can be trusted. He tells the grandmother that a good man is hard to find, and they discuss “better times.” She merely blames everything on Europe.

The reader can see that the nostalgia of the past is clearly something that the characters enjoy reveling in. Their dismal view of the current world allows them to stew in nostalgia instead of valuing the goodness of things in the present. Their denial of good in the world allows them to see the world with anything but rose-colored glasses. According to the grandmother, Red Sam, and Red Sam’s wife, no one and nothing can be trusted. They live in the past instead of trying to discover goodness in the present.

The theme of moral values is present in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and it is revealed through the characterization of the grandmother and the Misfit. The grandmother’s moral values involve what is good and what is not good, and they are very twisted. She labels many people and things as “good” and she does it without discriminating. What is morally good to the grandmother seems to involve using poor judgment and making mistakes. She also believes that she is morally superior since she is female. She expects the Misfit to avoid shooting her simply because she is a woman. Obviously, the Misfit does not share this moral value. He sees the grandmother’s attempt to be morally correct in order to save her own life as a sham: “She would of been a good woman,” The Misfit said, “if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life” (O’Connor). The Misfit knows that the grandmother was a fake with her gesture of kindness right before he shoots her. The Misfit does not trust anyone just as his victims do not.

The theme of religion in modern society is prominent in “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” Specifically, religion and hypocrisy are intertwined. The grandmother believes herself to be Christian and someone who will be saved. However, when the grandmother has a conversation with the Misfit about praying, she is quick to advise him to pray, but she cannot even form a prayer herself.

She even contradicts her own beliefs when she questions the Misfit’s statement about Jesus rising from the dead: “Maybe He didn't raise the dead,” she mumbles (O’Connor). She is willing to abandon her own religious beliefs and agree with the Misfit in order to save her own life, even as her own family is being murdered right by her. This selfishness on the grandmother’s part is a prime example of religion, hypocrisy, and an abandonment of religious beliefs.

Work Cited

O'Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man is Hard to Find." A Good Man is Hard to Find. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2014. <https://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~surette/goodman.html>.