A Good Man Is Hard to Find

Krystal Smith

Mr. Snell

Comp II TR 9:30

18 November 2014

Critique of: “A Good Man is Hard to find”

According to Chandler Otis, “Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to never was there, and where you are is no good unless you can get away from it” (1). In the short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” a selfish woman uses manipulation in order to get what she wants, but in the end is ultimately unable to save herself by her acts. The Grandmother manipulates her family members and the criminal throughout the story. The Grandmother was willing to manipulate any one in her presence just to make sure she was satisfied. In the story, symbolism, irony, and foreshadowing take place. The story teaches a lesson, in which one must come to the realization of who he/she really is before it is too late. Life is not always a fairytale, but it is what one makes it.

Symbolism is a use of symbols to represent ideas. Symbols generally do not stand for any one meaning, nor for anything absolutely definite. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” analysis, Krista states an example of symbolism:

In the scene with the Misfit, the family members (except for the Grandmother) are taken to the woods and shot one-by-one. The woods, symbolizing death, reek of fear and the unknown. It is behind the Grandmother the entire time, just as death is always behind us. It can either consume us, as it did the rest of the family, or we can die in the light of God, as did the Grandmother (2). The smallest possessions in life can be so simple, yet have a complex meaning. The best way to have a great life is to learn to enjoy and appreciate the little things.

The Grandmother judges people as good or bad based on her very quick assessment of how they look and behave, at several points in the story. There were many ironic situations through this story. After talking to the Misfit about salvation and ultimately understanding how troubled and disoriented he is, the grandmother, then...