Flannery O'Connor's short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find" tells the story of a grandmother who, without knowing this, leads his family to a fatal encounter with a fugitive. The chance encounter with the murderous fugitive ultimately costs the lives of the grandmother and her family. True to the Southern Gothic genre, O'Connor takes strange characters and mixes dark encounters to produce a story full of hidden meanings and foreshadowing (Language and Literature, 2). At first glance, it seems easy to identify the character who represents evil in the story, the murderous outlaw. However, things are not always what they seem; a closer look will reveal that Murder may not be the most evil character in the story. The story opens with a portrait of a family in their home discussing a planned road trip to Florida. The family consists of a married couple, their three children and the husband's mother, the children's maternal grandmother. The grandmother, who is never named in the story, begins the story by trying to convince her son, Bailey, that they should change the destination of their road trip to avoid encountering a convict who has escaped. While this may seem reasonable, the grandmother's intentions are selfish and foreshadow future events in the story. She makes a few remarks, including: "Here this man who calls himself The Misfit is released from federal prison and is heading to Florida and here you read what he says he did to these people. Read- "I simply wouldn't take my children in any direction with a criminal like that on the loose. I couldn't answer my conscience if I did" (O'Connor, 1). destination is met with resistance from the rest of the family members; Bailey and ...... middle of paper ...... recognize sometimes what is truly evil is hidden under the auspices of righteousness. cited "Flannery O'Connor". ." Explainer 64.4 (2006): 246-249. Academic research completed. Internet. April 12, 2014. Desmond, John. "Flannery O'Connor's Marginal and the Mystery of Evil." Renaissance 56.2 (2004): 129-137 . Academic research completed. Internet. April 12, 2014. Hendricks, T.W. “Flannery O'Connor's “Spoiled Prophet.” Modern Age 51.3/4 (2009): 202-210. Academic research completed. Web. April 12, 2014. Nester, Nancy L. “O” Connor's A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND. " Explanator 64.2 (2006): 125-127. Academic research completed. Web. April 12, 2014. O'Connor, Flannery. A good man is hard to find and other stories. New York: Harcourt, 1955..