“ `A good man is hard to find.’ Red Sammy said. `Everything is getting terrible. I remember the day you could go off and leave your screen door unlatched. Not no more.’ He and grandmother discussed better times.” Many things were changing in America during the 1940’s. We were in the middle of World War II, women were starting to work outside the home, and segregation of blacks and whites continued. People were forced to change the way they lived due to the war. The baby boom was soon to be under way and the birth of rock and roll was around the corner. Children no longer respected their parents, and elders were no longer valued in the household. There was once a time in America when families could feel safe in their homes and communities. This time was soon to be “gone with the wind.” Flannery O’Connor tells a tale of a family experiencing the changes in American culture during this time period. Her story, A Good Man Is Hard To Find illustrates how society was begi
Grandmother and the family find themselves in a serious predicament when they encounter “The Misfit,” a murderer on the loose. The Misfit represents evil in the story. He is the reason that families can no longer feel safe in their homes. Grandmother talks to the Misfit and encourages him to pray and become a good man. While she is conversing with him, the Misfit’s partners take the family members into the woods and kill them. Throughout the ordeal, Grandmother shows a surprising amount of concern for the Misfit. It seems as though she is forgiving for his actions. He gets increasingly frustrated with her when she calls him a child of God and reaches out to him. He springs back and relentlessly shoots her three times in the chest. Grandmother was a good person, but she was not able to overcome the evil that possessed the Misfit.
June Star and John Wesley are examples of the breakdown of discipline and respect in future generations. They are very disrespectful to the adul
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