The Mysterious Misfit The story "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," by Flannery O'Connor, focuses on the interaction between a Georgia grandmother and the Misfit, a self-defense inmate who has recently escaped from prison. The Misfit is first introduced in a newspaper article read by Grandma: "This guy who calls himself The Misfit is free from the Federal Pen and is headed for Florida and read here what it says he did to these people" ( 257). It seems clear that the Misfit must be a cold-hearted killer who is dangerous to get close to. When an unfortunate series of events finds the grandmother and her family trapped by the Misfit and his two accomplices, the reader begins to learn more about this complicated character. As Grandma finds herself at the Misfit's mercy, she attempts to befriend him. insisting that he is a good man and must come from good people. The Misfit agrees that he comes from the "nicest people in the world" (263), but that he is not a good man. “My father said I was a different breed of dog than my brothers and sisters. “You know,” Dad said, “there are some who can live their whole lives without asking for explanations and others need to know why, and this Clark 2 boy is one of the latter.” He will be involved in everything!” (264). Here we can get an idea of ​​his personality. He may not just be a reckless killer. He may actually be behaving that way because he has been thinking about things quite seriously, challenging religious beliefs and wondering whether or not he should follow them. Many times in the story the Misfit tries to victimize himself. He says he "doesn't remember to this day" (265) why he was sent to the penitentiary, even though there appears to be evidence that he killed his...... middle of paper ...... anger that The Misfit reveals himself over the course of the story and attracts the sympathy of the grandmother and even the reader. He believes that if he had actually witnessed Jesus' resurrection from the dead first hand he would be a total believer and a better person: “I wish I had been there. It's not fair that I wasn't there because if I had been there I would have known and I wouldn't be like I am now” (267). The Misfit's strong and consistent beliefs are what seem to guide his actions and when the grandmother recognizes his strength he finally recognizes his weaknesses and undergoes a sudden change of heart, reaching out to the man who killed those he loved and who is about to kill her. That last act of kindness from the grandmother may have hit home for the Misfit who, after declaring that there is no such thing as pleasure but meanness, decides "There is no real pleasure in life" (267). (862 words)