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begins to disintegrate, symbolized by the brim of her hat “[coming] off in her hand” (O’Connor,
“Good Man” 257). The hat is a representation of everything she believes about herself. She is
proper; she dresses like a lady. She believes she is a good person. She also believes that she is a
Christian. As the hat falls apart, so too does her internal structure. At one point, the grandmother
loses her voice: “She opened and closed her mouth several times before anything came out”
(O’Connor, “Good Man” 260). Symbolically, this los represents that she is getting closer to a
more authentic self; she is losing the ability to express judgment, including condescension and
racism, for instance.

In the final scene between the grandmother and The Misfit, the grandmother’s character
undergoes a shift before her death. As she looks into the face of The Misfit and sees that he is
about to cry, she experiences a moment of clarity. She becomes aware of his humanity, his
vulnerability. In that moment, she recognizes her own humanity and states, “Why you’re one of
my babies. You’re one of my own children!” (O’Connor, “Good Man” 260). The grandmother
finally merges into a state of awareness that all human life is equal: that she is no better than he,
nor is he better than she. In her moment of awakening, she reaches out to him in an act of
seeking authentic connection, even if just for a moment. This interaction is too intense for The
Misfit and he jerks back defensively, delivering the three shots that end her mortal life and
delivering her into redemption and salvation. Mark Mitchell suggests, when speaking of
O’Connor, that “although her stories are peopled with strange and grotesque characters and
shocking acts of both banality and horror, most if not all of her stories include a moment in
which grace is offered, a moment of profound mystery” (211). The Misfit, in his shocking act,
offers this grace to the grandmother.

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