A Good Man Is Hard to Find

A Good Man Is Hard to Find Summary | Detailed Summary

"A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor opens with the grandmother trying to convince her son and his family that they should not use their vacation time to go to Florida. The grandmother's name is never revealed. She lives with her son, Bailey and his wife and three children. She tells Bailey that a criminal called The Misfit has escaped from prison and his headed toward Florida. She advises him not to take his children in any direction where they could run into The Misfit. Bailey, who is reading the newspaper, does not pay attention to her. She turns her attention to the children's mother, who also remains unnamed throughout the story. She tells the mother that the children have already been to Florida, and they should see more of the country. The children's mother ignores her, but the couple's older boy, John Wesley, says that the grandmother should stay home if she does not want to go. June Star, the family's female child, says that grandmother would never stay home. The grandmother tries to scare the children by asking what they would do if the ran into The Misfit, but John Wesley just says he would smack the murderer in his face. June Star says the grandmother will go on the trip because she is afraid to miss anything and always goes wherever the family goes.

The next morning, the grandmother is the first one in the car. She has smuggled her cat, Pitty Sing, into the car by hiding him in a basket. She knows Bailey does not like to take the cat on trips. John Wesley and June Star sit on either side of her. As the family begins their journey, the grandmother writes down the mileage on the odometer because she thinks it will be interesting to know how far they have traveled. The children's mother has dressed casually for the trip and is wearing her hair tied in a green kerchief. The grandmother has dressed in a navy blue dress, white cotton gloves, and a straw hat. She is wearing fancy collars and cuffs and has pinned a spray of cloth violets to her neckline. She thinks that if they are in an accident, anyone who sees her dead body will know she was a lady.

The grandmother reminds Bailey of the speed limit and cautions him about patrolmen who hide behind signs and trees. She then turns her attention to the scenery, pointing out mountains and crops that she finds interesting. The children pass the time reading comic books while their mother sleeps. John Wesley comments that he is anxious to get through Georgia because there is nothing to look at. The grandmother is bothered by his statement and reminds him that he should not talk about his native state that way. Bailey says Georgia is a lousy state. June Star agrees. The grandmother lectures them, saying that when she was younger, children had respect for their elders and their native states. She then notices a young black child on a front porch as they pass by and says she would paint him if she were a painter.

The grandmother offers to take the baby. She makes faces at him and tries to play with him. After the children finish reading their comic books, they eat their packed lunches. The grandmother stops them from throwing their garbage out of the widows. John Wesley and June Star play a game guessing what the clouds they see look like, but they quickly begin fighting and slapping each other.

The grandmother offers to tell them a story if they will keep quiet. She tells them about a man who once courted her. She said his name was Edgar Atkins Teagarden, and every Saturday he would bring her a watermelon with his initials carved into it. One Saturday a black boy ate the watermelon when he saw the initials: E.A.T. John Wesley laughs at the story, but June Star says she would never marry a man who only brought her a watermelon on Saturdays. The grandmother says she would have done well to marry Mr. Teagarden because he bought stock in Coca-Cola and eventually became a rich man.

The family stops at a restaurant called The Tower for barbecued sandwiches. Inside, the children's mother puts a dime in the nickelodeon and June Star begins to tap dance. The owner's wife says she is very cute and asks if June Star would like to be her little girl. June Star says she would never live in such a broken-down place. The grandmother is embarrassed. The owner of The Tower, Red Sammy, comes over to the family and talks to the grandmother. They agree that you cannot trust anyone anymore. They then talk about The Misfit. Red Sammy says that a good man is hard to find. The grandmother blames the state of the country on Europe, and Red Sammy agrees.

The family leaves. Once they are back on the road, the grandmother doses in the car, but is repeatedly woken up by the sound of her own snoring. She tells the family about a plantation that she had visited in the area when she was young. She remembers the road that led to the house. As she described the old plantation, she decides that she wants to see it again. She knows Bailey would never agree to such a detour, so she lies and says there was a secret panel in the house that held silver. John Wesley and June Star take the bait and immediately begin hounding their father to take them to the house. At first, he refuses, but they persist. Bailey finally agrees and says this will be the only time they are going to stop. The grandmother tells him that they have to turn around and drive down a dirt road they passed about a mile ago.

As they turn around, the grandmother tells them more about the beautiful house. Bailey reminds them that they do not know who lives there now and they are not allowed to go inside. John Wesley says he plans to sneak in a widow, but his mother tells them they will all stay in the car. They turn down the dirt road and it becomes a rough drive. The road has many sharp curves, hills, and dangerous embankments. Bailey is getting impatient. Suddenly the grandmother has a terrible realization. In horror and embarrassment, she kicks her feet into her valise. The valise moves, releasing Pitty Sing. The cat jumps onto Bailey's shoulder. The car turns over. The children fall to the floor and their mother and the baby are thrown out the door. The grandmother lands in the front seat next to Bailey.

The children scream in excitement about the accident. The grandmother hopes she is hurt so Bailey will not be too angry at her. The horrible thought that caused her to jump was the realization that the plantation was in Tennessee, not in Georgia.

Bailey throws the cat out of the window. No one is seriously hurt, but the mother has a broken shoulder. The children seem disappointed that no one has died. A car approaches carrying three men. A fat boy and another man get out, followed by the driver. The driver is an older man, wearing no shirt and jeans that are too tight. All three of them are carrying guns. The grandmother thinks that the driver looks familiar. The grandmother tells them that their car turned over twice, but the driver corrects her, saying they saw the accident and the car only turned over one time. John Wesley asks about the guns and the driver tells the children to stay with their mother. He says children make him nervous.

Bailey begins to ask for help, when suddenly the grandmother screams that she recognizes the man. He is The Misfit. The Misfit admits it is true and tells them the grandmother that she would have been better off if she had not recognized him. Bailey says something to his mother that shocks the family. She begins to cry. The Misfit tries to comfort her. The grandmother asks if he would shoot an old lady. He says he would not like to have to shoot one. She then tries to reason with The Misfit, telling him that he is a good man who comes from nice people. The Misfit agrees that his parents were fine people.

One of the men traveling with The Misfit, Hiram, says it will take a half an hour to fix the car. The Misfit tells him to take Bailey and John Wesley into the woods. John Wesley holds his father's hand and they walk toward the trees. Bailey screams to his mother to wait for him. The grandmother screams Bailey's name but finds herself looking at The Misfit. She pleads with him, telling him again that he is a good man. The Misfit says he is not good. He then apologizes for not wearing a shirt in front of the women. The children's mother screams, asking where they have taken Bailey. The Misfit ignores her and talks about his family. The grandmother tells him that he can be honest and asks if he prays. He says that he does not. They hear two shots and the grandmother screams out for Bailey. The Misfit continues to talk about his past. He says he has forgotten what he did that landed him in prison. A prison psychiatrist told him that he killed his father, but he does not believe it. The grandmother continues to urge him to pray. Hiram and the other man, Bobby Lee, return from the woods, carrying Bailey's shirt. The Misfit puts it on. The Misfit asks if the children's mother would like to join her husband. She agrees to go and thanks him. The mother, the baby, and June Star walk into the woods with Hiram and Bobby Lee. The grandmother is now alone with The Misfit. The Misfit talks about Jesus and the crimes he has committed. A scream is heard, followed by a gun shot. The grandmother starts crying to The Misfit that she knows he has good blood and would not shoot a lady. They hear two more gunshots and the grandmother raises her head and screams for Bailey. The Misfit says that Jesus was the only person that could raise the dead. He says there is no pleasure in anything but meanness. The Misfit says he wishes he could have been there when Jesus rose from the dead so he could know if the story was true. He thinks that if the story of Jesus is true, he wouldn't be the way he is. Then, "His voice seemed about to crack and the grandmother's head cleared for an instant. She saw the man's face twisted close to her own as if he were going to cry and she murmured, 'Why you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children.'"

She reaches up and touches him on the shoulder. He jumps back and shoots her three times in the chest. He then instructs his men to throw her body with the others. He picks up the cat. Bobby Lee remarks that the shooting was fun. The Misfit tells him to shut up and says "It's no real pleasure in life."