Abstract
This study aims to examine how moral conflict is constructed through lexical choices in Flannery O'Connor's short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find." The study employs an analytical mixed-methods approach. Both qualitative analysis through close reading of the text and quantitative analysis through collecting and visualizing lexical data using Voyant Tools are utilized. The short story has been extensively examined from theological, ethical and stylistic perspectives, mainly for its themes of grace, violence and spiritual conflict. However, it remains one of O'Connor's most notable works in which the moral conflict between the grandmother and the Misfit reveals opposing stances toward collective societal codes and values. Grounded in Leech and Short's (2007) stylistic framework, specifically the lexical category checklist, the study examines the short story's general vocabulary, nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs. The study concludes that the moral conflict is embedded in the ordinary and colloquial vocabulary rather than philosophical or specialized language. Through their frequency, distribution and contextual function, nouns, adjectives and verbs collectively contribute to exposing the grandmother's performative morality and the Misfit's unresolved moral questioning and skepticism. Adverbs, however, do not play a significant role in revealing the moral conflict.