The purpose of most fiction is to convey a moral lesson or message to the reader. In " A Good Man Is Hard To Find", Flannery O'Conner uses characterization, setting and plot to reveal the negative aspects of human behavior and how these personal traits effect the lives of others. These three elements intertwine to form a general conclusion that ignorance, misunderstanding and hatred towards another can lead to an interesting end to your life. Rather …showed first 75 words of 728 total…

…showed last 75 words of 728 total…every minute of her life"(278), can make a person realize how much of an impression you make on another in just one interaction. Slaughtering the family must have seemed okay to the Misfit after his encounter with the grandmother. This is how negativity of one person can effect the lives of others. How could the Misfit let this woman, the grandmother, the domestic equivalent to royalty, spread her ignorance to her own flesh and blood.