The symbolism in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” truly represents Flanner O'Connor's writing style and underlying theme. O'Connor exhibits the theme of religion in many of her works as she wrote the majority of her stories "from the depths of her Christian faith" (419). Having a strong Catholic background, O'Connor displays aspects of religious symbolism combined with his fascination with "grotesque incidents and characters" (420). In "A Good Man is Hard to Find", Flannery O'Connor embodies the theme of religious symbolism through the setting as well as the main characters of his work, the Grandma and The Misfit, as a glimpse of hope in a horrible and sinister world. history. The audience first encounters religious symbolism through the setting of the story. A family decides to vacation in Florida and comes across several interesting places along the way. While driving, the family passes “a large cotton field with five or six fenced-in graves in the middle” (422). The family consists of six members: Bailey, his wife, grandmother and three children. With six members traveling in the car, the six graves symbolize the unfortunate death of the family that occurs at the end of the story. The cotton field surrounding the graves could be a symbol encompassing two major elements linked to the disappearance of the family. The color of cotton is white and the white cotton field could represent death. The color white, in Catholicism, symbolizes death because it constitutes one more step towards eternal life in Heaven. White can also symbolize purity in Catholicism since O'Connor believed that "human beings are created by God with innate goodness and freedom, not natural depravity" (Leigh 365). Once humans have achieved eternal life in Heaven, middle of paper ...matter can be a means of grace” (Hendricks 9). Through his use of religious symbolism, O'Connor's character in The Misfit gives his audience hope that a horrible character might find grace, but as a result, he fails to recognize grace when it appears in front of him. the audience must carefully analyze the true message of its story through its symbolism. The shocking and grotesque ending of the story challenges individuals to question what is right and what is wrong. O'Connor's symbolism found in his setting and main characters truly embodies his vision of modern society. She uses these elements as a representation of the realistic paths between which individuals struggle to choose: the path involved in sin regarding money, beauty and pride or the path to God regarding morals, values ​​and respect for humanity..