Reading Response: "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"

I have read some other works by Flannery O'Connor and know that many of her stories revolve around the issues of morality and ethics."A Good Man Is Hard to Find", in particular, deals heavily with morality and social behavior. In the beginning of the story, we are introduced to the grandmother who is absurdly obsessed with femininity, roots, and ethical superiority. She believes that she is morally superior to others, namely Bailey, whom she criticizes for taking the children to Florida despite the Misfit being at large. Throughout out the story, however, her appearance as a moral lady deteriorates as she lies to the children about the house, fails to tell the family that she was mistaken about its location, and ultimately acts selfishly when the Misfit and the other criminals begin killing the family off. She pretends to be pious, when in reality she has doubts about the divinity of Jesus, demonstrating her lack of integrity.

On the other hand, the Misfit has stronger moral convictions. He strongly doubts religion and believes that you should enjoy "the few minutes you got left the best way you can by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him." While his belief-system deviates greatly from what is accepted, he is strong in his views unlike the grandmother. O'Connor seems to be saying that morals are subjective and that good and bad are meaningless terms.

At the end of the story, the grandmother finally comes to the realization that the Misfit is just another human being. "You're one of my children!" she says, right before the Misfit shoots her three times through the chest. The grandmother has acknowledged the fact that she is no more moral than the Misfit, but it is too late.