Flannery O'Connor's use of literary devices in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" brings to life the story of a family from Georgia traveling on vacation to Florida. Through the author's use of irony, foreshadowing and symbolism, the story is not only an intriguing piece of work, but a creative writing style to be admired. .
O'Connor sets the tone of irony from the very beginning of the story, with the grandmother having no desire to go to Florida. Trying to persuade her son to take the family to Tennessee instead, the grandmother tries to manipulate her son by telling him an escaped murderer, "The Misfit" is headed to Florida, and thus Tennessee is a far better choice. While on the drive, the grandmother remembers an old plantation she frequented in the past. Knowing her son will not stop on her account, she lies stating that it had a secret panel in the house to entice the kid's curiosity into such a mystery. Thus, she is successful in her manipulation, and as a result causes the family to drive down a dirt road she believes is the way to the plantation. The irony is that the grandmother is responsible for leading them down a road that consequently ends in a car crash, which causes an encounter with The Misfit, who they were ultimately trying to avoid. .
While the grandmother is talking to The Misfit, after he has killed all of her loved ones, ironically it is him that causes her to see herself for what she is, a sinner flawed like everyone else. This revelation causes the grandmother to reach out to the deranged killer, stating, "Why, you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children!" When she tells the Misfit this, she is showing that she has found the ability to see others with compassion and understanding; she sees him as a child of Christ. It is then that The Misfit shoots her, but surprisingly she dies with a smile. The smile on her face was not because she wanted to die, but because she finally realized the real pleasures in life are only found in Christ.