"A Good Man is Hard to Find"

"It was a big black battered hearse-like automobile" (O'Connor 909). This line foreshadowed the ending of the story for me, and I knew there would be some sort of a death towards the end. I was still shocked to see that the Misfit had killed the entire family, but I had a feeling someone was going to die. A hearse is most often used to transport the deceased to their grave site, and the idea of an average person driving it around seems very eerie and ominous to me. O'Connor was able to symbolize death by using the approaching car as a means of hinting what may come for the family. In a way, the grandmother, who did not want to go on the trip, and who was afraid of running into the Misfit in Florida, she played a huge role in the family's death. The grandmother was led the family into the wrong state, waved the misfit towards them as he drove by. "The grandmother stood up and waved both arms dramatically to attract their attention" (O'Connor 909). The grandmother unknowingly waved the hearse-like automobile towards the family, and this simple act played a big role in their death.
The story's irony continued when the grandmother went as far as identifying the Misfit. "You're the Misfit!" (O'Connor 910). The Misfit then replied, "Yes'm, the man said, as if he were pleased in spite of himself to be known, "but it would have been better for all of you Lady, if you hadn't reckernized me" (O'Connor 910). The grandmother realized at this point that she had put the whole family in danger by acknowledging The Misfits identity. The grandmother, who had worried so much about going on the trip, ended up costing the family their life.