In "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor the reader is introduced to a character that first appears to be confused about life and religion but later comes across as more knowledgeable about religion and his own existentialist philosophies than the other characters portrayed in the story. This character, named The Misfit, represents the world and its nihilistic tendencies. He is the true reflection of what our world has really turned into and the thoughts and problems that our society faces. In "A Good Man is Hard to Find" the author, Flannery O'Connor uses the antagonist, the Misfit, in order to reveal his views of society through the Misfit's interaction with the protagonist, the grandmother, as well as the questions and problems that all people contemplate but are afraid to actually discuss.

Flannery O'Connor's short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find" begins with a family preparing to take a trip to Florida. The family is described as a typical modern family, which has all the problems that many such modern families face. They have trouble agreeing with each other and with every generation present within the family, a different view on life is expressed

After the family had an accident, having run off the road, they wait in the woods for another car to poass. Shortly thereafter a car stops, a car that belongs to the Misfit. When The Misfit sees that the family is helpless he immediately has his two cronies eliminate all the members of the family excluding the grandmother. While this is happening The Misfit stays behind to talk to the grandmother. It is in this conversation that we realize the significance of The Misfit and how he not only relates to the story, but how he relates to the world as Flannery O'Connor sees it.

In his conversation with the grandmother we see how even though he seems to be just a cold-blooded killer he really is a man who exemplifies the world in which O'Connor sees it. The Misfit is not a cold-blooded killer but actually a man who just lives for the moment. The Misfit says, "Nome, I aint a good man, but I aint the worst in the world neither" (pg. 336). Even though he kills he does it because he feels that personal freedom is the only true morality.

which causes the family to develop more problems. The grandmother wants the family to go to Tennessee, despite her family's ignorance of the issues, as the family has already been to Florida and there is also an escaped killer who is running rampant in that same area. The family ignores the grandmother's request and travels to Florida despite her protests. On the way the grandmother tells stories of the past and the way things used to be while the children continue to ignore her. While reminiscing about the abandoned plantation that the family passes on the way to their final destination, she comments on the temporal nature of material objects, stating that they are always, "Gone with the wind" (pg. 330). This statement later turns out to be like foreshadowing of the future of this family. The ignorance of the family and the historical obsession of the grandmother all combine to lead into the arrival of The Misfit.

The Misfit also seems to have a much better understanding of religion than even the grandmother

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Approximate Word count = 1394
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)