“A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor
Reprinted in 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology
by permission of Harcourt, Inc.

Read for:
C.B.’s Short Story Sunday
John’s Short Story Monday

Advisory: This story contains language of a nature that might offend some readers. However, taken in context, the terms and names used are not done in a gratuitous manner. Bigotry did exist at the time, and this is the setting in which this story is set. In addition, the ending is extremely disturbing.

After reading the above, it will be interesting to see how many will read this story or not. I can tell you that it began well, however the ending was so upsetting, I doubt I will ever recommend it without a warning. Even as I write this, I remain strongly affected.

When I first heard the title, I immediately imagined a story about a relationship, or perhaps someone in search of one. It actually means just what it says: as one character notes, “A good man is hard to find…Everything is getting terrible. I remember the day you could go off and leave your screen door unlatched. Not no more.”

This reminded me of how I grew up, in a neighborhood where everyone knew each other well enough that strangers would stick out like a sore thumb. There was no need to lock our doors and windows.

Then came the end of the decade; Martin Luther King assassinated, the Zodiac Killer, Charles Manson and his followers. Things changed then. Fear crept into our lives and our neighborhoods. We started using locks on our doors and windows – and trust.

In a “Good Man Is Hard to Find”, I was left with a number of questions regarding the perception of good and evil.  How protected are we against those who are not afraid of the consequences? A good man has a conscience, and this it what helps him to abide by societies norms and laws.

But if these men (and women) are becoming harder and harder to find, who do you trust, who do you fear? What kind of evil is let loose when the goodness in us has died away?

There is also the concept of redemption. What if you were faced with someone who felt they were beyond redemption and that there is no such thing as salvation? No matter what you say or do, you are powerless to convince them that there is any good left in them, and thus have to face whatever evil they wish to inflict upon you.

This is how the story ends. It is not a happy ending – and that is the only spoiler I’ll offer.

I am giving this story 4 Stars. It is a good story yet it disturbed me. Still does every time I think about it. But, as you can see, it raises a lot of questions. It will be interesting to see who has read this, and what you thought about it.

Flannery O’Connor succumbed to complications from Lupus at the age of thirty-nine.