In Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” dramatic irony is used to create suspense and make the story more interesting.
Dramatic irony is an important tool used in literature to create suspense, make a story more interesting, or even humorous. The most common use of dramatic irony is when the reader knows something that the character does not know. In this story, there are several examples of this type of dramatic irony. For example, when the grandmother says “the family was complete” (O’Connor 24), she does not know that their demise is imminent. She also does not know that her family will be killed by The Misfit because he has no idea who they are or why they are traveling together.
Dramatic irony can also be used as a way to make a story funnier by showing how unaware characters are of their own situations. In this story, The Misfit’s ignorance about his own actions makes him seem absurdly unaware of what he is doing; however, these actions are very deliberate and calculated. This makes him seem even more frightening than if he were simply an uncaring psychopathic killer out for blood.
