Essay on A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor

The lead characters are selfish, self-centered and like to get their way even if it hurts other people. Although Mrs. Mallard is supposed to be mourning the death of her husband, she is relishing being independent and free. She states that although she had loved her husband, it did not matter then because he was dead. In addition to that; she prays for a long life to enjoy her independent life, free from the difficult and unfulfilling marriage that she had with Mr. Mallard. The grandmother is the story A good man is hard to find likes to have things go in her favor. She does not want to go to Florida; instead, she wants to go to Tennessee where she has relatives. She wants the retreat to favor her instead of her sons family. This leads her to try to manipulate her son by talking of the misfit, even though it does not work. Throughout the story, the author shows the reader different scenarios and events where the grandmother tries to get her way. She pleads for the Misfit to spare her life, and she does not beg for the lives of his sons family members including her grandchildren.

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In the story, A Good Man is Hard to Find the use of foreshadowing is used to hint to the reader about the tragic ending of the story. The first example is demonstrated when the grandmother is reading the story about Misfit in the newspaper. She warns her son not to take his family in the direction where the Misfit is suspected to be traveling as they will most likely experience a tragic ending. True to her words, they encounter the Misfit who kills Baileys family. Another example of the use of foreshadowing is the grandmothers mode of dressing. She stated that she dressed in that manner so as; "anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady." It was as if she was predicting her death. Also, as they are stranded on the road, and Misfits car is approaching them, it was described by the author as a hearse, a vehicle that is used to transport the dead to their place of burial. It signified that this was the end of the grandmother and her family. The irony of the story is that; although the grandmother had notified the family of the Misfit, she had done it as a tactic measure to convince her son to change his holiday destination because he was afraid of confronting or encountering the serial killer. In the end, a little detour caused by the grandmother leads them to the hands of the Misfit who eventually kills them.

In The Story of an Hour there is also the use of foreshadowing in various scenes of the story. The first indication that the author uses to hint to the reader of a tragic ending is revealing the heart condition of Mrs. Mallard and the way her sister breaks the news of her husband death. It seemed that something sudden or shocking could lead to her death, and it is confirmed when she sees her husband is not dead, having believed that he had died. Another instance when foreshadowing is used is when she is by herself in her room supposedly mourning. Instead of feeling despair, her heart beat strongly, and her body was filled with warmth. She felt alive and free from the oppression of marriage. She was also filled with joy. The irony of the story is that she dies from a heart attack after learning that her husband is alive instead of being dead.

Symbolism is also widely used in the two stories. In the story A Good Man is Hard to Find, the sky is used symbolically. The cloudless and sunless sky represents the emptiness of the grandmothers family as they are killed in the middle of nowhere where there is anyone to help them, or witness their death and report to the authorities. It will be as if they never existed. It also represents the emptiness of the Misfit. He has lost all sense of being good or evil and finds no pleasure in being alive. On the other hand, in The Story of an Hour Mrs. Mallard while in her room mourning the death of her husband sees that there are fluffy white clouds, and patches of blue sky. She felt that her freedom was creeping out of the sky in a similar manner as the way she saw patches of the blue sky. It signified her new thrilling life that was free from the bounds of marriage, or so she thought. The different interpretations of the sky show the different meaning similar symbols can have in different contexts.

Repetition is also used in the two stories. The grandmother keeps repeating to the Misfit that he is a good man, despite his obvious flaws and evil intent, even when he begins to kill her family. She feels that if she reminds him that he is a good man from a good family that it will help him change his intentions. However, he still kills the entire family. On the other hand, Mrs. Mallard repeats the word free to indicate her status after the death of her husband. She uses the word as an emphasis of how she felt presently given the circumstances or the situation at that moment of her life.

The two stories have a tragic ending- death. The family of the grandmother had set out for a trip or vacation that was meant to bring fun and happiness to the family. However, misfortune leads them to the path of the Misfit who eventually kills them. On the other hand, the death of Mrs. Mallards husband signified a new chapter of her life; she was free from the bounds of marriage. However, the newspaper had been misinformed, and Mr. Mallard is alive. The revelation of this misinformation leads to the death of Mrs. Mallard through a heart attack.