A Good Man is Hard to Find
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Themes
All Themes Violence and Grace Goodness Punishment and Forgiveness Familial Conflict and Familial Love Moral Decay
Quotes
Characters
All Characters The Grandmother The Misfit Bailey Bailey’s Wife (the Mother) John Wesley June Star Red Sam Butts Red Sam’s Wife Bobby Lee
Symbols
All Symbols The Grandmother’s Hat The Misfit’s Car
Literary Devices
All Literary Devices Dialect Foreshadowing Genre Hyperbole Irony Mood Setting Similes Situational Irony Style Tone
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A Good Man is Hard to Find

by Flannery O’Connor
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Introduction Intro
Plot Summary Plot
Summary & Analysis
Themes
  • All Themes
  • Violence and Grace Theme Icon
    Violence and Grace
  • Goodness Theme Icon
    Goodness
  • Punishment and Forgiveness Theme Icon
    Punishment and Forgiveness
  • Familial Conflict and Familial Love Theme Icon
    Familial Conflict and Familial Love
  • Moral Decay Theme Icon
    Moral Decay
Quotes
Characters
  • All Characters
  • The Grandmother
  • The Misfit
  • Bailey
  • Bailey’s Wife (the Mother)
  • John Wesley
  • June Star
  • Red Sam Butts
  • Red Sam’s Wife
  • Bobby Lee
Symbols
  • All Symbols
  • The Grandmother’s Hat Symbol Icon
    The Grandmother’s Hat
  • The Misfit’s Car Symbol Icon
    The Misfit’s Car
Lit Devices
  • All Literary Devices
  • Dialect
  • Foreshadowing
  • Genre
  • Hyperbole
  • Irony
  • Mood
  • Setting
  • Similes
  • Situational Irony
  • Style
  • Tone
Theme Wheel Theme Viz
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Bobby Lee

A Good Man is Hard to Find Symbols

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The Grandmother’s Hat

The Grandmother’s Hat

The Grandmother, in stark contrast to her family’s more casual dress, wears a fancy hat on their trip, confident that, if she ends up killed in a car accident, she will be found looking…

read analysis of The Grandmother’s Hat

The Grandmother’s Hat Symbol Icon

The Misfit’s Car

Described as a “big black battered hearse-like automobile,” the Misfit’s car is a clear symbol for death when it enters the family’s story of petty conflicts. A hearse, a type of car that is…

read analysis of The Misfit’s Car

The Misfit’s Car Symbol Icon
Previous
Bobby Lee
Previous
Bobby Lee
Next
The Grandmother’s Hat
Next
The Grandmother’s Hat

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