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Foreshadowing And Irony

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In the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, a family takes a road trip down to Florida that ends in the characters inevitable demise. A question that seems to constantly arise in the story is what the definition of good is. The Grandma’s superficial and shallow meaning for good results in the family’s misfortune. In this story, Flannery O’Connor uses the third person point of view to tell the family’s journey from beginning to end. This omniscient voice is mainly surrounded around the grandma and gives a suspenseful tone to the story. How the grandma is portrayed at the beginning of the story makes the reader take some pity on her character. On the first page it states, “She wouldn’t stay home for a million bucks. …show more content…

Two essential literary devices that contribute to the story are foreshadowing and Irony. The major and most used device is foreshadowing because from the very beginning the grandma is worried that the family would cross paths with ‘The Misfit’ giving the reader a hint into what is expected for the family. “The grandmother had on a navy blue straw sailor hat…in case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.” This is an example of foreshadowing because at the end, that is exactly what ended up happening and coincidently she was dressed in the same way one would be presented before a burial. “…I wouldn't take my children in any …show more content…

It begins in the southern United States, more specifically, an unknown town in Atlanta, Georgia. As they drive south to Florida, there are some foreshadowing techniques the reader is given to hint the family’s demise. “They passed a large cotton field with five or six graves.” What makes this quote so important is that there are also six family members in the car, thus hinting the family will also end up in graves. The graves also contribute to the mood of the setting by giving it an ominous feeling especially when the accident and the encounter with ‘The Misfit’ occur. The overall theme of this short story is there is more to each other than seen on the surface level. The author created two distinct characters that are seen at the beginning as good and evil. “Come back this instant…Bailey Boy!” when the grandmother says this, it shows the grandmas true evil side because of instead of begging The Misfit to spare the family’s life, she keeps calling out for Bailey to save her. “Some fun… Shut up, Bobby Lee. There’s no real pleasure in life.” This passage shows ‘The Misfits’ true good side because of the feelings of remorse and sympathy for the

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When we look at the grandmother in the story, we see many traits of which cause problems and precarious situations. The grandmother when looked at closely is the main reason that all the problems in the story happened. In the beginning of the story she displays a stubborn attitude and shows a spirit of independency; maybe too much. She carefully sneaks her cat into the car, and later down the road the cat sneaks out, jumps on the drivers face, and causes them to have a wreck. As seen in the article “A Good Man is Hard To Find” it states “The grandmother never turns her critical eye on herself to inspect her own hypocrisy, dishonesty, and selfishness.

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In the short story A Good Man Is Hard to Find by F.C she illuminates on the point of Faith vs. Dought. When Grandmother was talking to the Misfit by convincing him not to kill her,but the Misfit was Grandmother 's obstacle to upholding Grandmothers strong belief,so the grandmother doubted her faith by not believing. In the illuminating moment when the grandmother fell into the ditch, it was revealed that her faith became a questionable option. The grandmother began to recognize that maybe Jesus didn’t rise from the dead like she believed.

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When in all reality, her son didn’t act like he cared about his mother, he didn’t even pay attention to her even when she talked. The son was focusing on getting the grandmother to Florida an abundance more, than hesitating to stop or get distracted. When the family gets involved with The Misfit, the grandmother isn’t concerned for her daughter in-law or her grandkids lives. The grandmother was concerning for only her son’s life and her own. Once her own life was in danger, she then went on to try to persuade The Misfit to spare her life.

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Despite the grandmother’s attempts, the vacation remains set for Florida. Staying true to her Southern belle roots, the grandmother piles into the car wearing a navy blue dress with lace, a pinned sachet of violets, along with white gloves. It is stated that,“In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would at once know that she was a lady.” O’Connor once again employs irony to foreshadow the family’s death, while amplifying her macabre humor. In a twist of fate the grandmother led herself and her family to The Misfit,

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