Flannery O'Connor's short story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find," (367-377) conveys the idea that, due to circumstances, free will can often lead to an ugly truth. However, each person has the freedom of choice; there are times when that choice leads them to an unpleasant reality. Clair Katz, explains that O'Connor uses violence in a way that "shocks...her character...back to what she calls 'reality'" (411). This can be seen in O'Connor's use of irony to express how simple choices turn into extreme circumstances. In the case of "Grandma, Bailey, and the Misfit" (367), their choices lead to a deadly outcome. The grandmother's selfish decisions play a significant role in the family's demise. Specifically, the grandmother is “afraid” (367) of leaving her “cat, Pitty Sing,…in the house alone for three days” (367). He worries that the cat "misses too much... [or] would asphyxiate... [if] it grazes one of the gas stoves" (367). These, of course, were valid concerns for Grandma; however, he knows his son Bailey wouldn't be happy about it. He doesn't want to leave the cat behind and hides it in the “car” (367). Furthermore, by making this particular choice, the grandmother sets in motion the motif of the tragic “car accident” (370) that puts the family's life in the path of the Misfit. Pitty Sing is released when his grandmother realizes that she has made a mistake regarding the location of an "old plantation" (370). She, incidentally, believes it is along a "dirt road" (371) in "Georgia" (372) but it is actually in "Tennessee" (372). This memory lapse “embarrasses” her (370) and makes her “jump” (370) and this pushes the cat's “basket” (367). Unfortunately, the cat jumps onto Bailey's "shoulder"(371) and he loses control... middle of paper... and the death of their family. The Misfit's choice to become what others say he is, despite having the freedom to choose otherwise, makes him the worst he can be and will ultimately land him back in the prison he believes he can escape from. Freedom of choice seems to be a great gift, however, no matter how hard people try, they always come to a point where they realize that there is something bigger that overrides that choice and they end up where they should have been all along . Works Cited Hendin, Giuseppina. “On O'Connor's Rejection of 'Do Pretty.'” Meyer. 410.Katz, Clair. “The Function of Violence in O'Connor's Fiction.” Meyer. 411.Kessler, Edward. “On O'Connor's Use of History.” Meyer. 412.O'Connor, Flannery. "A good man is hard to find." Meyer. 367-377.Meyer, Michael. Bedford's introduction to literature. 9th edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2012. print.