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. Each person, however, has the freedom of choice; there are times when this choice leads them to an unpleasant reality. Clair Katz explains that O'Connor uses violence in a way that "brings her character back to what she calls 'reality'" (411). This is 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. Concretely, the grandmother is “afraid” (367) of leaving her “cat, Pitty Sing,... alone in the house for three days” (367). She fears that the cat will "miss her too much... [or] suffocate... [if it] brushes against one of the gas burners" (367). Of course, these were valid concerns for the grandmother; however, she knows her son Bailey would not be happy. She does not 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 reason for the tragic car "accident" (370) that puts the family's lives in the path of The Misfit. Pitty Sing is freed when the grandmother realizes that she was mistaken about the location of an “old plantation” (370). She also thinks that the establishment is on a “dirt road” (371) in “Georgia” (372), but that it is actually in “Tennessee” (372). This memory lapse “embarrasses” her (370) and makes her “startle” (370) and this upsets the cat’s “basket” (367). Unfortunately, the cat jumps on 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, while having the freedom to choose otherwise, makes him the worst he can be and will ultimately put him back in the prison he believes he can escape from. . Freedom of choice seems like a great gift, however, no matter how hard people try, they always come to a point where they realize that there is something greater that outweighs that choice and they end up where they were supposed to be all along. , Josephine. "On O'Connor's refusal to 'look 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 ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. print.