A Good Cat is Hard to Find

[While Pitty Sing the cat seems to just be a normal cat in the short story A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor, it is actually a symbol of havoc.] When the reader is first introduced to the cat, the grandmother expresses her fear of leaving the cat alone due to the fact that it might cause a gas leak in the house, “She was afraid he might brush against one of the gas burners and accidentally asphyxiate himself.” This is the first sign the readers are given to indicate that the cat often causes trouble. The next time the cat is mentioned is right before the family gets into a car crash. Pitty Sing was startled by the grandmother and jumped on to the drivers back, “Pitty Sing, the cat, sprang onto Bailey's shoulder.” This caused the family to get into an accident setting into motion the main conflict of the story. The next, and final, time the cat is mentioned is right after the grandmother is shot. The story reveals that the cat had been rubbing itself on The Misfit’s leg during the interactions the family had with The Misfit, “...he said, picking up the cat that was rubbing itself against his leg.” These sections from the story all reference Pitty Sing the cat before, during, or after something bad has happened. Him being the direct cause of disaster in the first two segments and him being present in the latter. It is clear to see from this that O’Connor used Pitty Sing the cat as a symbol of disaster and havoc.