When reading and analyzing fiction, it is often noted that the characters play active roles in the development of the plot and the overall mood of the story. Author Flannery O'Connor stated, "if you start with a real personality, a real character, then something is bound to happen."(O'Connor 471). This point of view is evident in her story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find." One can speculate that O'Connor holds a deeper meaning behind the characters and their personalities than what is actually conveyed in the story. O'Connor creates character qualities that are ".totally unexpected, yet totally believable." (O'Connor 118).
The unnamed grandmother in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" considers herself to be a "lady" and easily passes judgment on others but never on herself." She makes rude comments about her daughter-in-law regarding the way she's raising her. The grandmother states that the daughter-in-law has a face "as broad and innocent as a cabbage," "and forcefully tells her to take the children to "see different parts of the world and be broad." (O'Connor 420) The personalities of the grandmother and her daughter-in-law are stereotypical of real-life and somewhat common, family dynamics. This makes the characters seem real and even relatible. .
The personalities given to the family members in this story can be related to people in real life. .
A grandmother would want to protect her children and grandchildren and have the desire for them to explore the world. At the same time, she shows concern and does not want the family to take the road trip to Florida. She makes her son and daughter in law aware of the fact that "the children have been to Florida and warns them of the Misfit, a serial killer, who is also heading to Florida. In reality it is the grandmother who leads the family to their death. She reminisces about a visit to a plantation that was actually in another state and brings death to the family.
