In A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery O'Connor describes the tragic death of a family who had planned to take a vacation. There are numerous characters in the story, with the grandma and the Misfit serving as the protagonists. The grandma is a rounded character because her behavior alters at the end of the story. At first, she convinces her family and readers that she is morally superior to the other characters, saying that her conscience drives her decisions in life. To show her caring nature, she criticizes the children’s mother for not taking them to places that would influence their imagination. However, this character changes when the grandmother fails to notify the family that she had made a mistake about the secret panel which is ought to be in Georgia. When the family has an encounter with the Misfit, grandmother’s selfishness becomes evident when she begs for her own life. She says, “I know you wouldn’t shoot a lady ! I know you come from nice people! Pray! Jesus, you ought not to shoot a lady” (O'Connor 348). Instead of fighting for the whole family, the character only care about herself.
The Misfit is also a protagonist in the story. He is an escaped convict known by the town people for committing crimes including murder. He can be described as an antihero due to his character. Throughout the story, he is depicted as a bad person who is feared by the other members of the society. When he meets the family, he decides to kill all of them with the help of Hiram and Bobby Lee. Even after the grandmother pleads for her lifer, he still ends up killing her. The author states, “The Misfit sprang back as if a snake had bitten him and shot her three times through the chest” (O'Connor 349). This rigidness and thirst for murder depicts the Misfit as an antihero in the story.
Work Cited
O'Connor, Flannery. A good man is hard to find. New Canadian Library, 2015.
