The use of irony in “A Good Man is Hard to Find”
Flannery O’Connor makes liberal use of irony, an important literary tool, in her story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. The author juxtaposes a seemingly sterling protagonist, the Grandmother, with an abominable antagonist, the Misfit. The meeting of these two main characters culminates in the unexpected murder of a family of five who had set off, innocently enough, on a vacation. Through irony, the author elicits doubt as to which of the two main characters may be the more steadfast and congruent person. O’Connor employs verbal, dramatic, and situational irony to emphasize the theme of what constitutes true goodness. Verbal irony is peppered throughout the dialogue, which is mainly carried by the protagonist. Afraid to die, the nameless Grandmother implores the antagonist to save her life by declaring the opposite of what she believes, namely …show more content…
The Misfit knows who he is and does not pretend to be otherwise, unlike the old lady. With a show of unpretentiousness, he clearly states, “Nome, I ain’t a good man” (O’Connor 427). In the end, the antagonist enlightens the Grandmother with his brutal honesty, and her “head cleared for an instance” (O’Connor 430). In the final moments of her life, she is able to drop all pretenses and view evil in the form of the Misfit as something she can accept within herself by exclaiming, “Why you’re one of my babies” (O’Connor 430). Ironically, at the moment she reaches out to him, he kills her. However, she dies with “her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling” as she has redeemed herself of her selfishness and lack of integrity (O’Connor 430). O’Connor’s use of situational irony in the shocking ending shows the Grandmother’s reclaim of childlike innocence and joy through her fatal brush with
Flannery O’Connor makes liberal use of irony, an important literary tool, in her story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. The author juxtaposes a seemingly sterling protagonist, the Grandmother, with an abominable antagonist, the Misfit. The meeting of these two main characters culminates in the unexpected murder of a family of five who had set off, innocently enough, on a vacation. Through irony, the author elicits doubt as to which of the two main characters may be the more steadfast and congruent person. O’Connor employs verbal, dramatic, and situational irony to emphasize the theme of what constitutes true goodness. Verbal irony is peppered throughout the dialogue, which is mainly carried by the protagonist. Afraid to die, the nameless Grandmother implores the antagonist to save her life by declaring the opposite of what she believes, namely …show more content…
The Misfit knows who he is and does not pretend to be otherwise, unlike the old lady. With a show of unpretentiousness, he clearly states, “Nome, I ain’t a good man” (O’Connor 427). In the end, the antagonist enlightens the Grandmother with his brutal honesty, and her “head cleared for an instance” (O’Connor 430). In the final moments of her life, she is able to drop all pretenses and view evil in the form of the Misfit as something she can accept within herself by exclaiming, “Why you’re one of my babies” (O’Connor 430). Ironically, at the moment she reaches out to him, he kills her. However, she dies with “her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling” as she has redeemed herself of her selfishness and lack of integrity (O’Connor 430). O’Connor’s use of situational irony in the shocking ending shows the Grandmother’s reclaim of childlike innocence and joy through her fatal brush with