A Good Man Is Hard To Find By Flannery O Connor

Character Analysis of the Misfit from “A Good Man is Hard to Find”

“A Good Man Is Hard To Find” is the story of a family who takes a trip to Florida, but while traveling there, they are in a car accident in the country. Here is where the family meets The Misfit. The Misfit and his men come upon the wreck and seem helpful. At first, the family did not realize who the men were. Finally, the grandma recognizes him as “The Misfit” she had read about in newspapers. She had been highly concerned about running into him the entire trip. Throughout the story, there is a foreshadowing of their inevitable run-in with the man. He talks with the grandma. The grandma’s and the misfit’s moral compasses are revealed during their conversation. This conversation

The Misfit states, “I never was a bad boy I remember of” and “but somewheres along the line I done something wrong and got sent to the penitentiary. I was buried alive” (O’Connor 407). These statements point to the fact that he believes he has done nothing wrong and is innocent. He also states that he did not commit the crime he went to prison for. He believes his actions are justified, maybe because of something that happened in his past or as revenge. These quotes also tell us that he believes he is the victim. He feels that he has been treated unjustly or failed by the justice system, and this is his way of revenge. He possibly feels no remorse, which is why he believes his actions are justified. Either way, he acts as if he is the victim of the situation he created for himself. The statement, “ I call myself The Misfit because I can’t make what all I done wrong fit what all I got in punishment” (O’Connor 408), further supports the idea that he believes he is a victim of the circumstances he created for himself. The Misfit has a victim mentality that justifies the actions he

Also, he was determined and unwavering, no matter what was said to him or what happened. For a person to live this way, it does take characteristics like these not to fall apart. The point is, with such determination and moral groundedness, The Misfit could have done so much more in his life. He could have used his determination to help people and the world. The Misfit must have had a troubled past. For a person to act this way, they must have been through something traumatic. Part of The Misfit’s reason for this behavior is that he believed he was a victim and that none of his actions were his fault. He felt that the way he acted and his actions resulted from his past and not his bad choices. The Misfit’s problem was his self, not his past, and not what he had experienced. If he had made better choices or chosen to change his ways and not play the victim of his actions, he could have been an upstanding individual. Everyone has potential; whether they choose to put their good characteristics to use or not determines the person they become. The Misfit is a prime example of