In her story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” Flannery O'Connor tells the story of a family who takes a trip to Florida. The man known as "the Misfit" has escaped police custody and is said to be at large in the area. The story centers on Bailey, the patriarch of the family, his wife, his children John Wesley and June Star, his infant son, and his mother. The group gets into an accident and comes across the misfit, which ultimately leads to their deaths. The grandmother thinks highly of herself compared to others and feels she is a model of perfection and virtue. She constantly refers to herself as a "lady" to describe her supposedly hypocritical nature. Throughout the story, his personality and selfishness lead the family along the path to their eventual death. He talks down to everyone in an attempt to appear superior; he is unable to admit his mistakes and lies to his grandchildren to get them to convince their parents to take a detour that will lead them to meet the Misfit. When he realizes that he has misidentified the place where he wants to take a detour, he continues, among other things, to say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the end, his final moments truly show his selfishness, as he begs for his life while his family is mercilessly murdered. Throughout the story there are moments of religious references, as well as the grandmother speaking openly about her faith. This is done intentionally as she and the events that happen represent something. The grandmother's hypocritical and selfish behavior is metaphorical for the behavior of the Catholic Church throughout history and its eventual rejection by modern society. Throughout history, it is no secret that the Roman Catholic Church has held unprecedented power in Europe and whatever lands it colonized. Once they held power, their influence spread and they soon became the mainstream religion. The basis of the Catholic faith, like many others, promises how to live virtuously and righteously. The grandmother throughout the story constantly tries to present herself as virtuous. He feels superior to the rest of his family and reflects how those in the past would have felt about non-believers. She is the eldest of the family and therefore represents a kind of authority figure, or at least one who seems to demand respect or recognition. Just as the Catholic Church has attempted to maintain power by making itself appear to be a superior and older institution. When she describes herself as a "lady", she does so as a way to let the reader know that she holds herself to a certain standard and holds strict values. His reference to a "good man" represents the same idea, but in an external sense. Here she is the institution that supports their supposed values ​​and virtues while a good man represents the search for these same ideas in others. Just as in the past the church set strict guidelines to follow, if you did not follow those guidelines, it was seen as blasphemous and non-virtuous. Through the story he can't even see his own flaws. She fails to recognize the danger she put her family in by sneaking in on her cat, she lies when she realized she remembered the wrong house, she lies to her grandchildren to convince their parents to take the detour, she's the right one to say hello the Misfit, and ultimately does little or nothing to help his family survive the ordeal. Just as the church has done in the past, they have caused great atrocities and mayhem with little to no public remorse. Their actions in the past have led to suffering orendangering countless lives. They have overlooked their mistakes in the past and have chosen to ignore their flaws rather than acknowledge them and find solutions. On the way to Florida, their grandmother notices a house that brings back old memories from her past and prompts them to take a detour. He tells the grandchildren that there is a secret panel in the house, and the children get excited and push their parents to stop. This false promise is synonymous with the behavior of the Church in much of medieval Europe. From selling indulgences to fighting in the crusades with the promise of entry into heaven was a common practice. During the Black Death, the church advised against the cleansing practices suggested by some doctors. Their stubbornness and inability to see their mistakes would ultimately lead to the deaths of millions more. Here, although not so extreme, the grandmother's inability to admit that she led the family down the wrong path will lead to their end. In today's world, the Catholic Church still holds much power and influence, but its days of committing mass atrocities on a global scale are over. This is due to the changing social climate: as we modernized, our ideas changed and we began to reject that past as we realized how harmful it was to our future. Here, the other characters all represent the change and modernization of our society. The grandmother must deceive her grandchildren to convince their parents, just as in the church's attempt to maintain power, she had to more easily convince them to convince others to follow her. The grandchildren were young and naive, while the parents represent a population that is beginning to distance itself from the church. When the family stops along the way and she converses with red Sammy about the good old days and the decline of the world in the present day, this is metaphorical for those who wish to keep things the way they were going. The state of the world has changed, and for those who were unprepared, it appears the direction is negative. When Sammy says that "a good man is hard to find," he may be referring to those who no longer share the same worldview as he and his grandmother. Finally, when the grandmother comes face to face with the misfit, they discuss Jesus. She asks him if he prays, to which he no longer responds. He mentions his past experiences in the church, claiming to have been a gospel singer. As she continues to talk to him, he becomes angrier and angrier until finally, once she grabs him by the shirt, he shoots her three times in the chest. The scene here solidifies the idea of ​​the new world casting aside and rejecting the old ways. Grandmother has represented the church throughout the story, preaching virtue and hypocrisy. Ultimately, he tries to appease his captor. She discusses religion with him, hoping to inspire good or mercy. The Misfit represents the modern era. As he talks about his past experiences with religion, it's obvious that he seems to represent someone who has overcome it. He finds it boring and believes that the world should “indulge in meanness,” which is a way of saying that the world should indulge in the things that the church has kept under surveillance. Shooting her three times in the chest could also be representative of the Holy Trinity, a fitting end. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The Roman Catholic Church has had a long history, and while it is not necessarily a force for evil in today's world, it has a troubled past. O'Connor uses the character of Grandma as a sign to represent the Catholic Church and its hypocritical ways. His belief in his own hypocrisy and excessive image.