A Good Man Is Hard To Find By Flannery O Connor

Grace and Martyrdom
Flannery O’Connor, the author “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” presents a dark humorous short story that illustrates the struggles with living true to one person's morals. The Misfit and the grandmother, O’Connors main characters, experiences the struggles of differing personalities. Superficially the grandmother considers her moral superiority to others and The Misfit experiences the desolation of nonrelgion; nevertheless, staying pure to his values. The role of foreshadowing, irony and character development in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” as a form of gothic literature set the tone for the suspense in this short story.

The use of foreshadowing is used throughout the short story more often than other devices, thus to tease the

Some quotes foreshadow the end of the story along with being rather ironic as “...a big black battered hearse like automobile.” (1009) is ironic as well, because the car that The Misfit was in was in fact a hearse, almost as if he had it planned. Perceived as just a coincidence the hearse is ironic to the story. The irony is exhilarating when the grandmother says to The Misfit “Listen, you shouldn't call yourself The Misfit because I know you're a good man at heart. I can just look at you and tell.” (1016). Although The Misfit comes across as genuine, the story later illustrates The Misfit as a sociopath. The grandmother throughout the story lies, is superficial and rather manipulative; changing this personality toward the end of the story, display what arguably could be the greatest ironic moment. The grandmother, at gunpoint is terrified for her life says “Why, you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children!” (1019). The grandmother at this point shows the true compassion along with a moment, in which she thought was they were at a moment of grace. The Misfits did not comply and understand the pain of the grandmother, and results in her