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Grandmother's Selfishness

            
             The grandmother in "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O"Connor is the cause for the death of her and her entire family. By her not wanting to go to Florida and leading her family down the death path, shows how truly selfish she is and how evil selfishness can be.
             "The grandmother didn't want to go to Florida" (320). Instead of going to Florida the grandmother wants to go to Tennessee. She suggests this to Bailey and he ignores her. She then tries to convince the mother and the children. Instead of just staying home she decides to go on the trip. This was very selfish because she was miserable and wanted to make everyone else around her the same way.
             Upon leaving the house the grandmother sneaks the cat in her valise, contrary to Bailey telling her he didn't want the cat at the hotel. They then pass a roadway to an old house that she wants to see. Since Bailey wont go to it on her notion she gets the kids riled up by lying about a "secret panel" (324), in the house. As the kids were screaming she instigated knowing that the outcome would be of one that pleased her. When she realizes that this wasn't even the correct state of the house she keeps quiet, not even telling Bailey about her mistake. Her pride further proves her selfishness. Her cat jumps out of her valise and causes the family to wreck. This gets them stranded on the death path with no way of escape. If she hadn't brought the cat the family wouldn't have wrecked and they would still be alive. Though she thought herself a lady, "In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once she was a lady" (321); her selfishness proves otherwise.
             As The Misfit intends to help with the car by telling Hiram to see if it could start, the grandmother recognizes him. Bailey then realized what his mother has done. He realizes by her recognizing The Misfit she has sentenced them all to death. He then finally tells his mother how he feels: "Bailey turned his head sharply and said something to his mother that even shocked the children" (326).


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