A Good Man Is Hard To Find
In Flannery O¡¯Connor¡¯s short story ¡°A Good
Man is Hard to Find,¡± the gruesome ending
comes as quite a shock. But, upon a second
read, signs of an ominous end permeate the
work. Hints of the family¡¯s tragic finale exist
throughout the plot until the time of the first
murder. The story contains pervasive images
of death and to foreshadow the ultimate
demise of the nameless family at the hands of
the malicious Misfit and his henchmen.
Before the story begins, O¡¯Connor provides
the reader with an epigraph. It quotes, ¡°The
Dragon is by the side of the road, watching
those who pass. Beware lest he devour you.
We go to the father of souls, but it is
necessary to pass by the dragon.¡± (St. Cyril of
Jerusalem). These few sentences provide the
reader with an overview of the story¡¯s events.
This quote about the ¡°dragon¡± relates to the
story in that the anonymous ordinary family
sets out on a road trip to Florida, and the
passengers are consequently ¡°devoured¡± by
the Misfit and his accomplices. (Orvell 130).
The Misfit exemplifies the dragon with his
redneck appearance and scholarly
spectacles. He finds the family on the side of
the road, just as the quote states, ¡°The dragon
is by the side of the road...¡± He then almost
literally ¡°devours¡± them, and eventually
delivers the grandmother to ¡°the father of
souls.¡±
The grandmother embodies in her character
many foreshadowing elements in ¡°A Good
Man is Hard to Find.¡± The story begins with
the typical nuclear family setting out on a
journey. Immediately the grandmother, who
does not wish to travel to Florida, issues her
first challenge to their plans. The entire family
...
View Full Essay