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A Good Man Is Hard To Find Rhetorical Analysis

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Manipulation seems to be a popular way for many people to get their way. Despite the idea that it is not a very moral way for someone to achieve what they want, the grandmother in “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” does not seem mind. The story is based upon a family of six people on a journey to Florida where they plan to vacation that become very unlucky when crossing paths with The Misfit, a well-known killer, and his two henchmen. The grandmother of the family wishes to travel to see the state of Tennessee where she has family connections, but the others insist on visiting Florida. The author of “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” Flannery O’Connor, has written many pieces based largely on religion and morals, as seen in this narrative. She uses the …show more content…
She first says, “You wouldn’t shoot a lady would you?” The author uses the literary element of tone to imply that it is absolutely unthinkable to kill a woman, especially since The Misfit is such a good man. She also proclaims that he comes from good people, finally saying, “Why, you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children!” She uses such a metaphor to convince The Misfit to see her as a mother figure. What kind of son would kill his own mother? However, The Misfit does not succumb to her manipulation and shoots the grandmother three times in the chest, killing her and uniting her with her family that was also slaughtered by the murderers. Her selfishness and manipulation in no way benefit her as she hopes for, finally proving that the use of such a tactic can lead to a very unhappy ending.
In conclusion, the grandmother in the short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” is very selfish and manipulative. Despite her exhaustive efforts to satisfy her personal agenda, she does not get the results that she hopes for. One might say that the author uses her as a lesson on morality to let the effects of manipulation be seen and show that using people for a selfish outcome does not always end positively and can lead the demise of an entire

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