The Misfit In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

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The relationship between the Grandmother and the Misfit in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is an interesting match. The Grandmother in the story has a dire need to be rescued from herself. She has an indubitably strong and southern personality that often gets in the way of her best interest. The Misfit being an escaped convict makes him an extremely unlikely hero. Flannery O’Connor does an amazing job avoiding fulfilling all stereotypes the reader could possibly have. Suggesting that a murderer could save someone sounds just as ludicrous (if not more) than suggesting an old woman living the way she wants to would need saving. The fact that the Misfit was the hero and the grandmother was the person in need was difficult to determine because the …show more content…
O’Connor uses quite a bit of foreshadowing throughout her short story, most of which is very misleading. The first time O’Connor foreshadows in the story is when the family discusses where they wanted to travel to. The Grandmother says "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 in it. I couldn't answer to my conscience if I did" (1). The early notion of the Misfit being on the loose was a hint that they would meet later on. There is also a very clear hint that the Grandmother would die. When the family finally packed in the car to go on their trip, O’Connor provides a vivid description of the Grandmother’s outfit. She says “In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.” This tells the reader that it is probable that her death is coming soon. None of this foreshadowing could predict that she would be saved or that she needed to be. At this point, the reader could assume that “A Good Man Is to Find” is just a cliché story about murder when it is
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