What are some similarities between the misfit and the grandmother in "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"?

One of the most striking similarities between the Misfit and the grandmother is their hypocrisy. The Misfit is clearly a criminal, yet declares that he calls himself “The Misfit” because he “can’t make what all I done wrong fit what all I gone through in punishment” (21). The Misfit deflects blame from himself and refuses to bear the consequences of his actions.

On the other hand, the grandmother continuously claims to be a “lady” though she is evidently racist, and essentially entirely to blame for the murder of her family. The grandmother manipulated her son into driving by a house the she wanted to see before realizing that it was in another state. Furthermore, she begs for her life, but never asks The Misfit to spare her family. In fact, the grandmother doesn’t even recognize that The Misfit has taken her son’s shirt after he kills him.

Finally, on the issue of faith as is pertinent to Flanner O’Connor’s works, The Misfit outright rejects religion, but also admits to the grandmother that “Nome, I ain’t a good man” (17).  Conversely, the grandmother pleads to him that “You’ve got good blood! I know you wouldn’t shoot a lady” (17). Returning to the theme of hypocrisy, this is another great example that follows the grandmother’s previous agreement with Red Sammy that “A good man is hard to find” (8). According to Revelations 3:16, the Bible says, “So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” That verse, in a religious context, means that God prefers that you either accept or reject him fully. While The Misfit directly rejects religion and faith, the grandmother claims to be a lady and have morals because of her religion, yet she only relies on religion when her life is on the line. The Misfit says, after killing her, “She would of been a good woman if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life” (23). Ultimately, The Misfit’s statement helps to summarize the grandmother’s hypocrisy, but also exposes her lukewarm religion used only in an attempt to save her life rather than live by it throughout her life.

Works Cited

O'Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." A Good Man Is Hard to Find, and Other Stories. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1955. 1-23. Print.