A Good Man Is Hard to Find

In the literary piece “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the author, Flannery O’Connor communicates literary symbols, foreshadowing, denouement and prominence of Southern culture. Within the story, there are subtle yet important details that make the entirety of the piece as iconic as it is. The reoccurring theme of being a lady and moral codes both are important to the overall concept of the story.

In the piece, literary symbols are used to convey the overall theme of being a lady in the story. Specifically, the grandmother’s hat is a symbol. In the beginning of the story, she says that she wears the navy blue straw sailor hat with cloth violets on it only so people could identify that she is a lady in case she is lying dead in a ditch on the side of the road as a result of an automobile accident. The hat represents her selfishness and self-entitlement in regard to being a lady.

When she describes the scene that perhaps she is in an automobile accident, she disregards the fact that her grandchildren, daughter in law and son would all also be in the automobile accident with her as well. When she does end up being in the accident when the car flips over, with herself at fault, she does not even admit it. The Misfit encounters the family, and instead of keeping quiet and having a chance at survival, the grandmother identifies him and asks, “You wouldn’t shoot a lady, would you?

Without any thought to her grandchildren or rest of the family, she pulls out her handkerchief and dabs her eyes. As she is pleading for her own life and touches the edge of her hat, it comes off in her hand and she drops it on the ground, forgetting that there are 5 others around her being taken into the woods with dangerous men and no explanation she takes a moment to be sad about the hat falling apart. Any conviction she possibly had before encountering the killers has been broken, like the brim of her hat. Foreshadowing plays a large role in this story.

One of the first things mentioned in the story, is the newspaper article that tells the story of The Misfit and describes all the circumstances surrounding him. The grandmother says she would have no conscience if she were to lead her family in the general direction of a man such as the killer, and John Wesley says he would hit him in the face if he came across him. This is foreshadowing the future encounter with The Misfit, and is also a coincidence because it was the grandmother’s directions that led the family into the car accident and incidentally, the path of the group of serial killers.

Before encountering The Misfit, the family stops off at a dive called “RED SAMMY’S” where once again the troupe of criminals is mentioned in detail. The owner of the restaurant expresses that he would not be surprised if the group would stop and tells the grandmother, “A good man is hard to find. ” Once the accident occurs and the family is scattered about the scene, The Misfit approaches and John Wesley doesn’t slap the men, he goes with them willingly. The grandmother has led her family directly into the arms of the criminals and has no guilty feelings whatsoever, only concern for her own well-being.

Although not conventional foreshadowing, the concept of a “Good Man” is brought up multiple times. When at the end of her rope, the grandmother tells The Misfit he is a good man and not of common blood. This concept is revived in an unexpected way, but foreshadowing does take place and is prominent. In every completed story there is a denouement, or unraveling. The unraveling of this story consists of a few main parts associated with the themes of being a lady and the morality of different people.

After the accident is when the story really begins unfolding, and the reality of the grandmothers moral code is shown. She states earlier in the story that she would never put her family in harm’s way, and even cautioning her son not to go above the speed limit to avoid getting a ticket. This ends up being turned around. The grandmother is solely at fault for the murder of her family and herself. When faced with the end of her life, she chooses to advocate for herself only and not her family. She pleads with The Misfit, that she is a lady and that she knows he is a good man.

Not once does she mention any of her family members except for her son. This is the epitome of selfishness, a claim she would adamantly deny if faced with it. Inside the entirety of her moral code, she values being “lady like. ” The prominence of Southern culture is conveyed through every statement of the short story, from the setting to the dialog and beyond. The setting describes Georgia as having dirt roads and hills, while Tennessee has the mountains. The crops are also described in a manner always consistent with the South.

The dialog is simple, yet defining of Southern culture. The mention of respecting elders and being proud of their homeland is something very often valued in the South. Also, the blatant disregard for those of a different skin color is mentioned more than once. Specifically, the grandmother speaks of the African American child as if he were an item and not a person. She mentions that when a suitor brought her a gift once, an African American child ate it. In addition, she says in regards to the little boy without britches, “If I could paint, I’d paint that picture.

This gives the strong impression that there is no depth into the boy’s situation except for the observation that he would make an interesting painting for someone to put up on their wall. Literary symbols, foreshadowing, denouement and prominence of Southern culture all play a role in the overall theme, and Flannery O’Connor communicates it well through these devices. Being a lady and moral code are focal points of this short story, and are the center of the story underneath the superficial events.