A Good Man Is Hard To Find

A Good Man Is Hard To Find

Stephen Shields
John Pekins
ENC1141
10/10/2011
“A Good Man Is Hard to Find”
    Flannery O'Connor presents a lot of evidence to the reader that foreshadows the surprising events that later occur in, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." Much of the evidence is shown through character attitude, opinions, verbal irony, setting, and symbolism. The grandmother is the most influential character in the story. Even though she is never linked to a specific name in the story, I believe this says a lot about how unimportant she is towards her family. Her family does not pay much attention to her, but I can't help but notice that she seems to be calling the shots. She complains non-stop, and although it may seem that the children do not respect their grandmother, they also do not notice that she influences them greatly.   Another example of the grandmother’s lack of morals is her attitude change throughout the story. When the family stops at a restaurant, the grandmother talks to the restaurant owner about how a good man is hard to find. It is the task of the reader to connect all the clues and interpret what may happen in the end. However, with the amount and magnitude of clues in, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," I found that I did not have to struggle to guess the writers conclusion.
    In the opening sentence of the story, the reader gloomily learns that the grandmother does not want to visit Florida. Although we do not know why, the very fact that she does not want to go hints that there may be a very significant reason. We are informed that the grandmother has the intention of visiting her home state of Tennessee. She bickers and complains every opportunity she can, she attempts to persuade the family to visit a state that will more closely represent her true essence, a location that she feels more comfortable in.
          The family is on a road trip to an unknown destination. We know that Florida is the intended vacation spot, but the grandmother tries to use...