A Good Man Is Hard To Find

2 Pages 499 Words

In the short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the author, Flannery O’Connor, uses excessive amounts of foreshadowing to clue in the reader of what is to come. Some of the foreshadowing she uses helps predict the family is going to run into the Misfit and also that death is clearly evident.
Throughout the story the O’ Connor uses strong amount of foreshadowing to clue the reader that they are going to meet up with the Misfit. One example is when the Grandmother reads in the paper that the Misfit has escaped and he is on his way down to Florida. The author wouldn’t have to mention this part if it didn’t have some significance to the story. Another example is the fact that the father is very nervous about the trip and has a bad feeling about the whole thing. What also make this a major clue is the fact that this is stated after the Grandmother mentions the Misfit and his escape. Later on in the story the family makes a pit stop at Red Sammy’s diner. While at the diner Red Sammy talks about how a good man is hard to find. He then brings up the fact that a man in a run down van with two other people in it stopped for gas and he didn’t think that he could trust them. Then Grandmother then once again mentions the Misfit to Red Sammy and Red Sammy says that he wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he did rob the diner.
Also in the story, O’Connor uses foreshadowing to help the reader sense that death is clearly evident. The first clue is the fact that the author mentions that the grandmother dressed to nicely, that in case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady. Another example is when they are driving along the road they pass the family’s old burial ground from the plantation. As they pass it they see six tombstones. This hints the reader that the family may die because there are six tombstones and there are six members of the family in the car. Another exampl...