The Symbolism and Irony that Livens the Danger and Death in "A Good Man is Hard to Find"
             In "A Good Man is Hard to Find," by Flannery O'Connor, a southern family, consisting of a grandmother, two parents, and three children, embark on a vacation to Florida. Bailey and his family are ready for the nice vacation that the grandmother disapproves of by shoots down from the start. She tries to convince them that they might run into "The Misfit," a serial killer that has just escaped from the Federal Pen, and urges them to go to Tennessee instead of Florida. They still decide to venture on to Florida, but due to the grandmothers lack of memory they still encounter a fatal visit with "The Misfit." Their odyssey is marked alternately by annoyances, endearments, deceptions and ultimately, a fatal confrontation with evil in the form of "The Misfit." From what the reader knows the family members did not deserve what was handed to their fate. O'Connor uses rich symbolism and sarcastic irony to develop the themes of death and danger in her story.
             Flannery O'Connor uses symbolism to portray another dimension of the phrases she uses instead of stating things blandly. "John Wesley, a stocky child with glasses," the little boy, John Wesley, is symbolic of "The Misfit." They were both stocky in some way and wore glasses. "The Misfit" "wore silver-rimmed spectacles...he had on blue jeans that were too tight for him and was holding a black hat and a gun." John Wesley's name also represents the notorious John Wesley Hardin ,a gun fighter who was finally caught and taken to jail where he tried to escape several times(1). "The Misfit" was a serial killer who had escaped from the Federal Pen and was on the run from the Federal officials. This mischievous conduct symbolizes danger and possibly death. Outside of Toombsboro she woke up
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