Calvinism in flannery O'conner's a good man is hard to find

Abstract EN

Calvinism is a denomination of Protestantism that follows the teachings and beliefs of the sixteenth-century French reformer John Calvin (1509-1564).

This paper elucidates the five doctrines that the Calvinists believe in and how a Catholic writer like Flannery O'Conner (1925-1964) uses these dogmas, especially the doctrines of “God's Unconditional Grace” and the “Irresistible Grace”, in her well-known short story A Good Man is Hard to Find (1953).

The story presents many characters; two of the principal characters, The Grandmother and The Misfit, commit a series of mistakes or crimes which make them passive and heinous.

The paper sheds light on the Calvinist principles of God's grace and the irresistible grace; and discusses to what extent it is possible that these two main characters, The Grandmother and The Misfit, could achieve them.