Character Design Lessons from Flannery O'Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find

How to Design Characters that Leave an Impact: Lessons from Flannery O'Connor

A question that comes up often among writers is: "How do you design characters that leave a lasting impact?" Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find answers this question by showcasing how to create compelling, multidimensional characters who drive conflict and carry deeper philosophical weight. If you’re trying to build a character that feels alive on the page, look no further than O'Connor's portrayal of the grandmother and the Misfit.

Characters Aren't Real People (And That's a Good Thing)

Let’s break it down: if you're thinking about characters as real people, you're already off track. People are complicated, messy, and—let’s face it—a lot of what we do in real life is boring. Fictional characters, though, are built for a purpose. They are designed to serve the story, and their narrative destiny is tied to the choices they make. O'Connor's characters don’t drift. They are laser-focused reflections of the story's larger themes—grace, morality, and redemption. Best of all, they achieve this without feeling like puppets.

1. Exaggeration: A Key to Memorable Characters

Want to make a character stand out? Exaggeration is your secret weapon. The grandmother in A Good Man is Hard to Find isn’t just your typical nagging elder—she is a hyperbolic symbol of self-righteousness and manipulation. Every trait she has is dialed up. Her obsession with being a "lady," her racist attitudes, and her relentless nostalgia for the "good old days" are exaggerated just enough to make her real and unforgettable.

Then, there's the Misfit. His exaggerated philosophy—his obsession with whether Jesus really raised the dead—elevates him beyond a typical villain. He's not just a criminal; he's a man grappling with the meaning of existence. That takes him to a whole different level. His depth makes him far more than a run-of-the-mill antagonist.

2. Exotic Positions Reveal True Character

Putting characters in extraordinary situations forces them to reveal who they really are. The grandmother finds herself in one of the most exotic positions imaginable—facing a cold-blooded killer in the middle of nowhere. O’Connor uses this setup to strip her down to her core. All her pretensions and self-importance crumble when real danger is on the line.

The Misfit, too, is in an exotic position, but his is more philosophical than physical. As an escaped convict, he’s beyond society’s reach, both literally and morally. His isolation gives him the freedom to voice his twisted yet coherent worldview. O'Connor gives us a character whose warped moral code is terrifyingly logical to him.

3. Strong Introductions Make Lasting Impressions

O'Connor doesn’t waste time introducing her characters. The grandmother is introduced as someone who complains, manipulates, and hides her selfishness behind a veneer of moral superiority. Right from the beginning, we know who she is: selfish, delusional, and clinging to an idealized past.

The Misfit is introduced through reputation, which builds tension before we even meet him. When he finally shows up, he’s calm, composed, and disturbingly philosophical. This introduction sets him apart as not just a violent criminal but a thinker. That’s what makes him truly dangerous.

4. Verisimilitude: Exaggeration with a Touch of Reality

Even with all this exaggeration, these characters feel real. Why? Because their actions are consistent with their personalities. The grandmother’s plea for her life in the final moments—calling the Misfit her “child”—feels both absurd and fitting. She's spent the whole story trying to manipulate people, so why would she stop now, even when she's facing death?

The Misfit, for all his philosophizing, is still a man of action. His worldview leads him to believe that life is meaningless, so when the grandmother tries to appeal to him, it’s pointless. His decision to kill her isn’t just violence—it’s the logical outcome of the belief system he’s been laying out during their conversation. Consistency in even the most extreme characters is what makes them believable.

5. Creating Empathy for Complex Characters

The tricky part is making readers feel for these characters. O’Connor manages to pull this off by giving them vulnerability. The grandmother, despite her flaws, is ultimately just an old woman terrified of death. In her final moments, we feel sympathy as she reaches out, desperate for a connection. We may not like her, but we understand her fear.

The Misfit garners a more complicated kind of empathy. He’s clearly a product of his experiences, and his struggle with questions of faith makes him more than just a villain. He’s searching for meaning in a world that, to him, offers none. There’s something tragic about that. We don't condone his actions, but we understand where he's coming from.

Conclusion: O'Connor's Masterclass in Character Design

Flannery O'Connor doesn't write characters just to fill space. She designs them with purpose. By exaggerating their traits, placing them in extraordinary situations, introducing them with clarity, maintaining their consistency, and giving them relatable vulnerabilities, she creates characters that stick with you long after the story ends.

The takeaway? Characters aren’t real people, but if you design them right, they’ll feel more real than most. That’s the magic of character design, and A Good Man is Hard to Find is a masterclass in how it’s done.