A Good Man Is Hard to Find

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Defining Morality: Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” Morality is based off of behaviors and beliefs that people reside by to live how they believe to be a long and fulfilling life. Some of the moral codes brought up in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” deal greatly with Christianity. Christianity has always been a part of Flannery O’Connor’s life, seeing how she lived and grew up in the south. O’Connor was influenced in the way she wrote “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by taking her Christianity background and tying it into the story. Morality and Christianity are important in the way Flannery O’Connor writes, because she ties them in with the main characters. O’Connor wants us to understand that morals are not always meant to be good. She shows the morality of the grandmother as being a woman to take people regardless of their situation. Her morality is shown in the beginning whenever one of the kids talk about how she will go on the vacation regardless of where they go. This is implying that she likes to have a good time and does not like to be left alone. "Listen," the grandmother almost screamed, "I know you're a good man. You don't look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people!"(376) The grandmother is talking about how the misfit is a good person, yet she knows nothing about the man except the fact he is a criminal and a murderer. The Misfit’s morals are completely different from the grandmothers. The Misfit will always stand by what he believes regardless of the situation. The Misfit believes that the outcome of anything is what he creates. When the Misfit says "Yes'm," smiling slightly as if he were pleased in spite of himself to be known, "but it would have been better for all of you, lady, if you hadn't of reckernized me." (375) to the grandmother recognizing him, he already has made up his mind that he will kill
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