A Good Man Is Hard To Find By Flannery O Connor

Rooted in the American South, the genre of Southern Gothic emphasizes on grotesque aspects of life. Flannery O’Connor helped define this genre, finding ways to engrave horrors and fears into her readers’ minds. The short stories, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” and “Enoch and the Gorilla,” identify as Southern Gothic because of their symbolism, setting, and character. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” O’Connor utilized symbolism throughout the family’s trip to foreshadow their twisted fate. The Misfit, who murders the family, drove a “big black, battered, hearse-like automobile.” His vehicle represented imminent death, indicating a fatal outcome. In addition, the weather conditions depicted an ominous scene. After the family’s accident occurred, the Misfit stated that there “ain’t a cloud in the sky” and “don’t see no sun, but don’t see no cloud neither.” The lack of both sun and clouds during the day prompted an empty image. This emptiness reflected the family’s situation, dying in the middle of nowhere with no help.
However, the setting focused more on time and region than physical location. O’Connor showed the tension of the post-integration South through a single bus route. Julian’s mother “would not ride the buses by herself at night since they had been integrated.” As a result, Julian confronted her racist views while riding the cramped bus, increasing the tension. Overall, the bus represented both movement and entrapment. The integration laws of the era forced citizens to move ahead with civil rights, even if racists like Julian’s mother refused to accept