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Good Country People Irony

Decent Essays

Irony in O’Conner’s Stories

St. Johns River State College

Irony in O’Conner’s Stories:
Irony is a figure of speech in which the intended meaning is the opposite than the literate meaning. Flanner O’Conner’s stories: “Good Country People,” “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” and “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” uses irony to make connections with the characters and literal meanings. In all three stories, O’Conner uses earlier evidence to demonstrate the opposite of their literal truth.
To begin with, O’Conner’s story “Good Country People” uses situational irony. For example, the title of the story is “Good Country People;” Mrs. Freeman’s character does not follow by these guidelines. Mrs. Freeman is quoted to be,” …show more content…

The grandmother, who has been scared during the entire story, feels sympathy towards the Misfit. This is supported by the quote,” She saw the man's face twisted close to her own as if he were going to cry and she murmured, "Why you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children!" She reached out and touched him on the shoulder.” Another example of irony is when the grandmother interprets the Misfit’s personality wrong. An example of situational irony is when the grandmother gets shot by three bullets after she becomes truly compassionate and not selfish. This is supported by the quote,” The Misfit sprang back as if a snake had bitten him and shot her three times through the chest.” The title “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” has an ironic twist that is vital towards O’Conner’s moral outlook. The grandmother has two definitions of good when she encounters Sam and Misfit. The grandmother calls Red Sammy a good man because he cheats out of gasoline from two men. This definition of good is related to gullible which the grandmother’s past choices are like. The grandmother calls Misfit a good man because she thinks he will not shoot her since he doesn’t have bad blood in him. This is supported by the quote,” "I just know you're a good man," she said desperately. "You're not a bit common!” The title “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” is an example of dramatic irony …show more content…

An example of dramatic irony is when Julian attempts to talk to African Americans on this bus and both attempts turn out to be awkward conversations. Julian uses the quote,” first-rate education in spite of going to only a third-rate college,” to show that he is superior above everyone because he has a college education. This has dramatic irony because he has no job and financial future since his dependent on his mother but he still thinks his superior above everyone. There is an example of situational irony when his wish of his mother to be punished comes true by her dying and he is one that ends up learning a lesson. This is supported by the quote,” The lights drifted farther away the faster he ran and his feet moved numbly as if they carried him nowhere. The tide of darkness seemed to sweep him back to her, postponing from moment to moment his entry into the world of guilt and sorrow.” Also, O’Conner uses situational irony when Julian imagines himself with a huge mansion and lots of money. This is irony because Julian lives with his mother and doesn’t have a job to make money. Another example of situational irony is when Julian’s mother is wearing the same hat as an African American mother on this bus. Julian thinks that his mother will be mad at the African American woman, but she is actually amused. The examples of irony with Julian supports that he deludes himself

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