In Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” the main character goes through an ironic journey about what it means to be good. In the beginning of the short story, the grandmother is very interested in herself. When her family decides to go on vacation to Florida, she alerts them that a criminal named the Misfit is on the loose. By doing this, she is not actually worried about being caught by the Misfit, she is simply trying to convince her family to go on vacation where she would like to go, Tennessee. This plan doesn’t work, so she ends up going with her family to Florida. She brings her cat, even though her son did not want to bring the cat. This is another instance of the grandmother putting her wants first.

When the grandmother remembers a plantation that she once visited, she lies to her grandchildren about a secret trap so that they will bug their father to see this plantation. This is yet another example of the grandmother’s interest in herself. After getting in an accident and coming across the Misfit and his gang, the grandmother is obsessed with the idea that the Misfit will not harm her because she is a “lady.” Even after it is obvious that the Misfit has killed her family, she is preoccupied with her safety.

After awhile, the grandmother finally becomes “good,” and is immediately killed. This is evident when the Misfit says, “she would of been a good woman if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.” This quote refers to the moment of revelation the grandmother has right before she was shot.