In Flannery O"Connor's short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find," the gruesome ending .
But, upon a second read, signs of an ominous end permeate the .
work. Hints of the family's tragic finale exist hroughout the plot until the time of the first .
murder. The story contains pervasive images of death and to foreshadow the ultimate .
demise of the nameless family at the hands of the malicious Misfit and his henchmen. .
Before the story begins, O"Connor provides the reader with an epigraph. It quotes, "The .
Dragon is by the side of the road, watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you. .
We go to the father of souls, but it is necessary to pass by the dragon." (St. Cyril of .
Jerusalem). These few sentences prpvide the reader with an overview of the story's events. .
This quote about the "dragon" relates to the story in that the anonymous ordinary family .
sets out on a road trip to Florida, and the passengers are consequently "devoured" by .
the Misfit and his accomplices. (Orvell 130). The Misfit exemplifies the dragon with his .
redneck appearance and scholarly spectacles. He finds the family on the side of .
the road, just as the quote states, "The dragon is by the side of the road." He then almost .
literally "devours" them, and eventually delivers the grandmother to "the father of .
souls." The grandmother embodies in her character many foreshadowing elements in "A Good .
Man is Hard to Find." The story begins with the typical nuclear family setting out on a .
journey. Immediately the grandmother, who does not wish to travel to Florida, issues her .
first challenge to their plans. The entire family ignores her except for the little girl, June Star, .
who easily reads the grandmother like an open book. She notifies Bailey, her son, about .
the Misfit and his crimes and in so doing , she foreshadows coming events. From the .
beginning of the story, the grandmother makes many attempts to change the family's .
plans. Suggesting the family go to Tennessee to visit relatives instead of Florida .
