Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer examines the concepts of irony and characterization in Flannery O'Connor's work "A Good Man is Hard to Find." The writer notes that through the characters of The Misfit and the grandmother, O'Connor demonstrates how different personalities can be delicate in their own way. Tee writer relates that, through a comical and upsetting setting, one sees the importance of characterization in a story; one also sees how irony can be a used a comic relief in telling a horrifying story. The writer concludes that by allowing the two difficult characters to interact with each other in this story, we see a little bit of ourselves and we realize the fragile state of our existence.

From the Paper:

"Characterization is another literary technique O'Connor employs in "A Good Man is Hard to Find." The primary characters in this story are the grandmother and The Misfit and the fact that they encounter one another is another blend of the comical and the ironic. However, the dramatic contrast between the two characters is the center of attention. Both characters are grotesque. The grandmother is grotesque because she is a good person only on the surface. We know that she is annoying and overbearing. Because she had to have her way, bring the cat, and show the children the house with the secret panel, the family pays the ultimate price. We can see the grotesque nature of The Misfit because he is a cold-blooded criminal, but it is important to recognize how his character acts as a foil to the grandmother. It is interesting that these two seemingly different individuals almost make a connection by the end of the story. However, it is because of their personalities that they do not connect - she being the domineering type that only wants to talk and he being the psychotic refusing to listen."

Sample of Sources Used:

• O'Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man is Hard to Find." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetr, and Drama, X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia, eds. New York: Longman. 1999. pp. 352-363.

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