"All my stories are about the action of grace on a character who is not very willing to support it." Flannery O"Connor illustrates the theology of grace in her story A Good Man is Hard to Find. The incidents and characters throughout the story are aspects of a plot intended to depict grace as it is offered to certain characters. This paper will discuss Flannery O"Connor's view of grace by exploring the undeserving qualities of the grandmother, showing how tragedy was brought about by her own selfish actions, and then describe the changes that took place allowing the grandmother to obtain grace. .
The grandmother is the most developed character in the story. Her character traits are less than ideal. She is not only random and frivolous, but quite obviously demonstrates hypocrisy and manipulation. "Aren't you ashamed?" she asks when June Star insults the owner of Red Sammy's Barbeque, then experiences no personal dishonor at all in stating that "Little niggers in the country don't have things like we do." Everything she does and says has an ulterior motive aimed at getting her own way, no matter who she has to deceive or manipulate. For example, although she knows that there is no treasure hidden in a secret panel at a house she wishes to visit, she lies to the children in order to convince her son to take her there. Just like us, she is completely overtaken by sin, so unworthy of the grace that she receives at the end of the story that it is difficult for the reader to sympathize with her. Though her actions, thoughts, and attitudes are in no way honorable, the same gift of grace is offered her as it is each one of us. This gift of grace is meant to humble us and cause us to discontinue our consuming cycle of sin.
Every disaster that the family encounters is in some way caused by the grandmother's selfish desires. The family's inevitable demise begins when the grandmother tricks Bailey into traveling down a road to a mysterious house.