A Good Man Is Hard to Find Analysis

In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, the author, Flannery O’Connor, uses The Misfit as a symbol of times changing.

When they stopped at The Tower while on their trip, grandmother conversed with Red Sammy. While talking, they discussed how times have changed. Red Sammy and grandmother both agreed that before in time, there wasn’t as much to fear about in the world. Red Sam believed that these days, you don’t even know who you can trust. Also, they stated that those were the better times. Red Sammy even reminisced on the days that people could go off with their screen door unlocked and not have anything to worry about.

Due to the fact that Red Sam and grandmother both agreed that times have changed, they both had fear of people such as The Misfit. They both wouldn’t be surprised if The Misfit attacked The Tower. Unlike the days that people could go out without worrying about being robbed or in danger, people now feared that even if there was two cents in the register, something may happen.

Flannery O’Connor uses The Misfit to symbolize that the times have changed and people now had to fear. The Misfit was out on the loose and even from the beginning of the story, grandmother had a fear of him. In fact, she didn’t even want to go to Florida because she feared crossing his path.

O’Connor effectively used The Misfit to symbolize the change of times. People could no longer leave the house care free like in the olden days but instead, had to fear and almost expect the worst to come their way.