The Grandmother’s Misguided Moral Codes In Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," the unnamed grandmother, her family, and the Misfit live by specific moral codes that determine decisions, actions, and perceptions (Citation). The grandmother, however, is extremely set in her ways and views herself morally superior to others, therefore, she tends to be highly manipulative and demanding. In addition, she also constantly refers to her basic ideas and traditions most likely in an attempt for them to be relevant again. For instance, she finds pride in her sense of goodness, womanhood, and tradition and also refuses to depart from them when they’re blatantly being proven otherwise. Furthermore, the grandmother’s lifestyle is entirely …show more content…
The car ran off the road and the family was thrown around and disoriented as a result of the accident. Here is where the grandmother’s true colors begin to show. By manipulating her family, valuing her misguided pride, and disregarded the comments of her family, they sit stranded on the side of the road. To make matters worse, a car began approaching from the distance. Upon arrival, the grandmother immediately recognized one of the men as The Misfit. As a result, the grandmother attempts to console herself by reassuring The Misfit that he is a good man and would never hurt a lady. The Misfit, however, is left unphased by her remarks and orders his men to take the family off into the woods to be killed, leaving the grandmother on the side of the road to take in what is happening. Instead of addressing the situation, the grandmother only continues to preach and lecture The Misfit with her ideas of morality and goodness. This is extremely significant because we can infer that even in a life or death situation, instead of retaliating, the grandmother clings to her traditions and continues to lecture and preach at The Misfit. As a result, she is murdered on the side of the road. To conclude, the grandmother in Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” portrays a large spectrum of misguided self-righteousness. She is extremely stubborn, demanding, and lives entirely by past traditions and moral codes. As a result, her family tends to disregard her comments until she has manipulated them into listening. Her manipulation, however, results in the death of not only her, but also her