Flannery O'Connor is best known for her southern gothic writing style and grotesque characters. Dorothy Tuck McFarland states that "O'Connor created bizarre characters or extreme situations in order to achieve a deeper realism" (1). This style of writing can be seen in Flannery O'Connor's short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find". Flannery O'Connor uses many techniques to grab the reader's attention and keep them captivated. O'Connor achieves this in particular by revolving his stories around symbols and integrating religious elements into his works. O'Connor is widely credited for incorporating her Catholic faith into her stories. “She was a devout Roman Catholic, with a Southern upbringing” (Whitt 1). There are many ways to interpret “A good man is hard to find.” One method is to use formalist criticism. Formalist criticism exists when a reader can approach, analyze, and understand a story using elements such as setting and symbolism. Flannery O'Connor's religious background influenced almost all of her stories. It has been criticized for its harsh portrayal of religion. Richard Giannone describes “A Good Man is Hard to Find” as “God’s transformative love confronting the reader with a condition of true goodness amid the brutal brutality of serial murder” (46). In "A Good Man is Hard to Find", Flannery O'Connor frequently references religious symbols to describe the characters and their actions. Towards the end of the play, the grandmother frantically tries to persuade The Misfit to pray and that Jesus will help him. The Misfit responded by stating, "Jesus was the only one who ever raised the dead, and he shouldn't have done it." He thought everything was out of balance. If He did what He said, then you don't have to do anything... middle of paper... sque, and in Flannery O'Connor's artistic composition, there is no least trace of sentimentality” (qtd. in Bloom 19). Flannery O'Connor's writing style challenges the reader to examine her work and grasp the meaning of her use of symbols and images. Edward Kessler wrote about Flannery O'Connor's writing style stating that "O'Connor's writing does not represent the physical world but serves as a means of apprehending and understanding a power activating that world » (55). In order to fully understand his work, one must research O'Connor and his background to be able to recognize his allegories through his stories. His use of religious symbols can be best studied by examining his Catholic religious upbringing. Formalist critiques exist in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" through Flannery O'Connor's use of plot, characterization, setting, and symbolism..