The setting can play a major role in determining the overall mood of a story. " A Good Man Is Hard to Find", is set in the Southern region of the United States which gives readers a general idea of the type of characters that will be in the story. Descriptions of the surroundings such as the poor condition of the small African American child's home reveal the trying times experienced by African Americans of this era and the negativity and bigotry by people like

the grandmother. The setting creates a picture in the readers head of the dark cloud that hung over the South in the fifties that followed these people everyday. The use of language in the story also adds to the negative element of the story.

Decisions made by the characters throughout the story clearly reflect the events that follow. The plot is organized in a way to reveal the negative aspects of the characters gradually. The rising action is the crash into the ditch that set up the events that follow. It was because of the grandmothers negative judgment that confused her and led the whole family into a ditch that will soon be in close proximity to their final resting place. By the end of the story when the massacre takes place, the reader understands why these people are being killed and the attitude the Misfit has towards the grandmother.

Traveling is a journey in itself especially with a family who's morals seem to be surrounded with devilishly evil remarks and hateful comments . Many things can happen in a story depending on the attitude and decisions made by the characters. In

Some common words found in the essay are:
African Americans, June Star's, Flannery O'Conner, Red Sammy's, African American, , June Star, negative aspects, characters story, events follow, effect lives, reveal negative aspects, reveal negative, decisions characters, human behavior,
Approximate Word count = 742
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)