Foreshadowing In "a Good Man Is Hard To Find"Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find" emphasizes narrative techniques tobring to life the story of a family from Georgia traveling on vacation to Florida. Her uses ofirony, foreshadowing, and omniscient point of view truly make "A Good Man is Hard to Find"an intriguing story. The part that might Interest one the most, is O'Connor's ability to create aseemingly omnipotent point of view making her a master of foreshadowing.
Flannery O'Connor uses foreshadowing several times throughout the whole story. The foreshadowing in the story is a subliminal guide to what will happen next. "Her son, Bailey, didn't like to arrive at a motel with a cat." States that there is clearly a conflict between Baily and the cat, and something will happen sooner or later. Further along in the story, the morning of the trip, the grandmother is the first one in the car ready to travel as June Star predicted she would be, "She wouldn't stay at home for a million bucks.
English: Robie Macauley with Flannery O'Connor at ...
English: Childhood home of American author Flanner...
English: Childhood home of American author Flanner...She has to go everywhere we go". This can be read as a direct foreshadowing of the grandmother's death.
As one reads the story, one wonders why every time Bobby Lee and Hiram take someone intothe forest, they never come back. Eventually, the whole family is taken to die. June Star's comment thatthe grandmother goes everywhere the family goes can be read as an indication that she will meet thesame end that they did. A strong foreshadowing imagery can be read into these lines. Knowing thedefinite ending of the story, the grandmother's elaborate dress symbolizes a preparation for her coffin.
When a person dies, they usually are dressed in their best outfit, just like the grandmother was dressedin what seemed to...