The Bible gives a profound warning about self-righteousness. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (I John 1:8). Flannery O'Connor's short story, A Good Man Is Hard to Find (1953), provokes the reader to consider the issue of grace and righteousness. The main character in the story, the grandmother, believes that in her day "people did right" (386) and certainly in her mind, she was foremost the righteous of all. In analyzing the actions of the grandmother, insight is gained about her attitudes and values. It becomes evident by the end of the story that her deliberate choices of dress, her subtle remarks of social prejudices, and her clever methods of manipulation lead her to an awareness of her feigned righteousness and ushers her into a true state of grace.

First of all, appearance in some instances is used as...