Explication of Theme in Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find

647 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The character of the grandmother in "A Good Man Is Hard To Find

In Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” a family of six set out on a vacation to Florida while an extremely dangerous criminal is on the loose. The family takes the grandmother, who is outraged that the family is traveling while The Misfit is scanning the countryside. Throughout the short story, O’Connor drops many hints to the reader, ultimately leading to the terrifying climax. Foreshadowing is more commonly noticed the second time a story is read as opposed to the first. Readers will pick up on the hints that foreshadow the events to come. Foreshadowing is used when grandmother mentions The Misfit in the opening paragraph, when grandmother dresses formally in case of an accident, and when the graves are noticed in the cottonfield. Foreshadowing is first used when grandmother tells the family about The Misfit when discussing the vacation destination. “‘Here this fellow that calls himself The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida and you read here what it says he did to these people. Just you read it. I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose.’” (393). O’Connor throws the idea of The Misfit up in the air for the reader to grasp. “aloose from the Federal Pen and headed towards Florida,” suggests that the family may in fact have a run-in with The Misfit while in Florida. O’Connor leaves the audience with the feeling that the criminal is dangerous and commits unspeakable c...

Show More
Related

  • E. Shelley Reid's Ten Ways To Think About Writing

    1198 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this day and age, writing is being portrayed through various mediums, such as film and television. Some of those portrayals depict writing as both good and bad depending on the situation that is present. Authors such as, by E. Shelley Reid, Kevin Roozen, and Anne Lamott all write about important writing concepts that are being depicted in films, like Freedom Writers. The film Freedom Writers shows a positive and accurate portrayal of writing in the sense that the writers should have a connection to what they are writing about, writing is a form of communication, and that writing does not have to be perfect the first time.

    Read More

  • Free Essays on Homer's Odyssey: Scylla and Charybdis

    1263 Words  | 3 Pages

    What the author is doing is letting the reader foreshadow. A technique which creates suspense, a vital element in any action story. The author then explained what was being hinted at;

    Read More

  • The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson and A Good Man Is Hard To Find, by Flannery O'Connors

    1064 Words  | 3 Pages

    Flannery O’Conner’s “A Good Man is Hard To Find” portrays a very random type of foreshadowing. The radom foreshadowing in this short story is implied with little elements that may seem irrelevant to the reader, but really is a sequence of variables that makeup the fabric of story. Just like the ring, in the movie Lord of The Rings, which may have came across as insignificant but then turns out to be a very ascential object in the movie. O’Conner uses this type of random foreshadowing to convey the plot of the story to the reader. For example, O’Conner’s gives us tidbits of information like the time the family left from Atlanta (8:45) and the mileage of the car at 55890“The grandmother wrote down this down because she thought it would be interesting to say how many miles they had been when they got back”.( O’Conner 448) Or, “ She knew that bailey would not be willing to loose anytime looking at an old house” (O’Conner 451-452). Conversely, these random events are use to hint to the reader the events that ill later unfold. We read where the grandmother and her family stop for lunch at Red Sammy’s and conversed with...

    Read More

  • Symbolism in A Good Man is Hard to Find

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    The short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’Connor, is bombarded with symbolism. In short stories symbolism is the literary element that helps the reader depict the picture and actions in their own minds. Whether it be from characters’ names or the designs on the characters’ shirts, every detail in this story has a purpose.

    Read More

  • A Good Man Is Hard To Find Essay: Good Actions Speak Louder Than Bad Words

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    In A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Flannery O’Connor utilizes foreshadowing, characters and symbolism to impart her lesson of mortality and salvation. We observe minor details within the story making the reader continue on to see how the story will end. The knowledge that evil exists in the world, and that stories like this is not unheard of, brings to mind thoughts of my own mortality and salvation. Does this accidental meeting with the grandmother and her family lead to personal and spiritual growth of The Misfit? The ability to recognizing and applying literary tools when reading stories can greatly enhance a reader’s

    Read More

  • Irony and Foreshadowing in Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find

    1618 Words  | 4 Pages

    With these two divergent personas that define the grandmother, I believe the ultimate success of this story relies greatly upon specific devices that O’Connor incorporates throughout the story; both irony and foreshadowing ultimately lead to a tale that results in an ironic twist of fate and also play heavily on the character development of the grandmother. The first sense of foreshadowing occurs when the grandmother states “[y]es and what would you do if this fellow, The Misfit, Caught you” (1042). A sense of gloom and an unavoidable meeting with the miscreant The Misfit seem all but inevitable. I am certain that O’Connor had true intent behind th...

    Read More

  • The Misfit and the Grandmother in Flannery O’ Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

    941 Words  | 2 Pages

    “A Good Man is hard to find,” a short story written by Flannery O’ Connor, is one of the most interesting stories I’ve ever come across to in my life. Born as an only child into a Catholic family, O’ Conner is one of the most “greatest fiction writers and one of the strongest apologists for Roman Catholicism in the twentieth century (New Georgia Encyclopedia).” She was a very strong believer in her faith and she used her stories as a tool to send the reader a message that were most likely ignored and almost never uttered out loud. The story revolves around a grandmother who believes to be high and mighty around others. This results in her downfall later on.

    Read More

  • Foreshadowing In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    830 Words  | 2 Pages

    Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man is hard to Find” is about a family on vacation which tragically ends as a result of a murderer and his gang intrusion. Grandmother’s insistence for the family to go to Tennessee rather than Florida prompts the family to divert from the main path as they embark on search for some lost treasure that is false. This risky decision makes the family to be befallen by the Misfit. At the beginning of the story there is a foreshadowing hinting the reader that the family is destined to encounter a Misfit on their trip to Florida (Desmond 130). For instance, “Here this fellow that calls himself The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida and you read here what it says he did to these people. Just you read it” (O’Connor 45). This a clear forecast of what was envisaged to befall the family towards the end.

    Read More

  • O'Connor's Use Of Setting To Predict The Outcome In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find", setting is used as a way to predict the tragic outcome of the story. The story's end is unexpected when first read, but upon closer inspection one can see several clues and foreshadowing techniques O'Connor used to hint at what would eventually happen, specifically in her use of setting. The outcome of the story is hinted at through the description of the family's scenic drive through Georgia, Red Sammy's, and the deserted road they travel on.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Foreshadowing In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    770 Words  | 2 Pages

    In "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor, the author successfully uses the literary technique of "foreshadowing" to enhance and to support her story. The story is presented mostly from the point of view of the grandmother. Near the end, the grandmother is killed following the death of her entire family. In the course of this story, she made good use of imagery to foreshadow the people and the events. These are times when describing how the grandmother dressed, the family’s death, and the conversation between the misfit and the grandmother.

    Read More

  • A Good Man Is Hard To Find Theme Analysis

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    When you are put in a life or death situation you will do anything to survive. In some cases you end up doing all the wrong things and sealing the fate of your family. The short story “A Good Man is hard to Find”, by Flannery O’Conner is a great example of this. The grandmother sealed the fate of herself and her family. I believe there are many themes demonstrated throughout the story like manipulation when the grandmother tells lies to get what she wants, selfishness because she does not care who she hurts, and religion because she tells the man to pray and look to Jesus.

    Read More

  • The Brain: The Structure Of The Brain

    1495 Words  | 3 Pages

    The brain is an amazing thing, but it’s also such a weird thing. We just have this 3 pound ball of nervous tissue inside of our skull that helps us walk, talk, move, solve problems, write, read, imagine impossible situations that will stress you out at 4 AM , feel emotions, stores memories, and so many other incredible things.

    Read More

  • Themes Of A Good Man Is Hard To Find And Good Country People

    1402 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many have written entire novels on the topic of good versus evil. Philosophers have spent their entire lives researching and debating and providing theories to somehow find an answer that will never be clear. What makes a person evil or good? In her short stories, “A Good Man is hard to find” and “Good Country People,” Flannery O’Connor explores the theme of good versus evil and differentiating between them and what that conveys about the complexity of human nature.

    Read More

  • Prepubescent Strength Training

    3056 Words  | 7 Pages

    Metcalf, James A. and Scott O. Roberts. Strength Training and the Immature Athlete:      An Overview. Pediatric Nursing. Vol. 19. 325-332. August, 1993.

    Read More

  • Confidentiality In Ethical Psychological Practice

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    The case scenario demonstrates different areas of confidentiality that should be identified in regards of the case of Zora. The counselor felt conflicted about her own beliefs and wanted to gain some advice from her supervisor which conflicted about providing some confidential information to Zora’s parents who are close friends. There are a couple of issues in the scenario, the multiple roles of the supervisor, protecting the confidential rights of Zora and ethical practices. When cases are communicated in group are individual supervision where identifiable information should be adequately disguised so information is unlikely

    Read More

More about Explication of Theme in Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find

Open Document