Flannery O'Connor was a southern writer whose short stories have gained widespread recognition for their harsh humor and criticism of the old south. "A. L. Rowse called Flannery O'Connor "probably the greatest short-story writer of our time," and this opinion is not unique among critics" (Contemporary n.pag.). "O'Connor had a vision that clearly sees the tragedy of a world in which people are hopelessly alienated from each other, but a vision which stresses the comedy of such a world" (Contemporary n.pag.). The comedy in her stories attracts the audience and keeps them interested in the story. One can see that O'Connor's use of humor is an important part of her short stories.
             The story "A Good Man is Hard to Find" is one of the stories that began O'Connor's fame in short stories. It could be viewed as a comedy about torture and massacre. O'Connor blends humor and terror in the story with the grandmother and the Misfit. "The proximity of humor and seriousness in her stories is nowhere more apparent than at the ending of "A Good Man is Hard to Find"" (Gossett 175). When the grandmother recognizes the Misfit she begins to cry and asks him "you wouldn't shoot a lady would you" (Meyer 391)? Then she goes on to say "I know you're a good man, and you must come from nice people" (Meyer 391). The reader can see the humor, but the grandmother is really worried and does not realize she is meant to be a humorous character. Also, when the children shriek "we've had an accident" (Meyer 390), the reader can imagine a comic bubble over their heads with the words in it. The comic view of the family in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" clearly shows the importance of the use of humor in O'Connor's stories.
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