O'Connor uses hints of foreshadowing throughout the story to let the reader know that the Misfit would have some part in the story. O'Connor uses the grandmother to foreshadow by having her fear the Misfit and mention him a few times before her fateful meeting with him. Her first mention of the Misfit was in the beginning when she was trying to convince her son not to move to Florida, "Here this fellow that calls himself the Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida...I wouldn't take my children in any direction with a criminal like that on the loose in it."(Bedford, 558) This statement provided a warning about the Misfit, but not enough foreshadowing to know that the Misfit would harm them in the end. The grandmother's second mention of the Misfit com

On the trip a road stop seems very suggestive of a hellish place: barbecue fires, Red Sammy, etc (O'Connor, pg. 6). The grandmother's lack of character judging is pointed out in this scene. She believes that Red Sammy is a good man because he relates to her old fashioned values (she thinks). Sammy is surprised at this and exclaims, "Yes'm, I suppose so," his unsureness makes the reader question Sammy's character. What is more telling is what the waitress says while bringing the food: "It isn't a soul in this green world of God's that you can trust¡­ I don't count nobody out on that, not nobody (O'Connor, pg. 8)." While speaking this last line the waitress looks directly at Sammy, making him angry/uncomfortable. If Sammy is not a good man is he evil? Could he represent Satan, Red Sammy is a fitting parallel name. Sammy then states that "a good man is hard to find." Could this be forewarning to the grandmother's confused values of what is right or wrong (good or bad)?

This transformation into an innocent childlike state illustrates how the Misfit has given her a fresh start or a rebirth, as Jesus did. Is the misfit representative of Jesus? The grandmother seems to think so. If we look at the dialogue more closely we can see that the grandmother refers to the Misfit as Jesus many times unintentionally (O'Connor, 20 21). "Jesus¡­you've got good blood, Jesus, you ought not to shoot a lady". Other examples of the Misfit as a god are in his power to dictate whom lives or dies. He is the leader of the gang and what he says goes (in control verses grandmother, who has lost what little control she had). Taking no pleasure in killing is yet another godly trait. We can see in this quotation that the Misfit takes no pleasure in his "duties." "It's no real pleasure in life (O'Connor, pg. 22)." If the Misfit really is indeed a representation of Christ than we can see that he has made the grandmother realize her perceptions of goodness and her s!

Soon the family is on their way again but the grandmother forces her way by using the children. Getting the kids exited enough to annoy their father so much that he breaks down and changes the route and seeks out the old gothic house. We soon learn that the grandmother has made a geographical mistake thinking Georgia for Tennessee. Her ignorance starts a chain of events which will result in all their deaths: Brining the cat along even though she knew it wold not be allowed, forcing her will even when unsure if it was right (O'Connor, 2, 11). The grandmother's uncertainty of geography could be read as mirroring her spiritual uncertainty.

In the first story, A Good Man is Hard to Find, O'Connor's moral message is clearly presented. The grandmother protagonist in the story is very self-serving. She demands constant attention (although rarely getting it) and stubborn in the fact that her wishes must be carried out. She only wants to go to Tennessee to see old connections (O'Connor, pg. 1). The grandmoth

Some topics in this essay:
Red Sammy, Misfit O'Connor, Flannery O'Connor, Flannery O'Connor's, Misfit Jesus, Nelson Head, Artificial Nigger, Red Sam, Georgia Tennessee, Hard O'Connor's, red sammy, o'connor pg, red sam, mention misfit, misfit o'connor, moral message, notes november, notes november 8, throughout story, nelson doesn't, head nelson, near bad guy,