Compare And Contrast The Open Boat And A Good Man Is Hard To Find

“The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane and “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Flannery O'Connor both embody situational irony through plot twists drawing large amounts of attention to a reader's unwarranted biases. Both Crane and O'Connor, in their stories “The Open Boat” and “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, uses situational irony to enhance the intensity of emotion experienced by the reader. When reading The Open Boat and A Good Man Is Hard to Find, the excitement level is enhanced through the author’s use of situational irony. The situational irony in both short stories occurs due to the difference between what the reader expects and what the author actually reveals in the final scene or moment.
The irony in Crane’s story “The Open Boat” is that, in describing the situation of the correspondent, who has come to understand his small role or position in relation to nature through manmade objects like the life-boat, Crane continues to give human qualities to inhuman things. For example, the narrator calls nature a “she”. For both Crane and correspondent, nature is an old, unstoppable force whose workings are always beyond their grasp. Crane bases his beliefs of nature off of his own prior

experience being shipwrecked in 1897 due to a tropical storm. At the end of the story, the captain, cook, and correspondent are no more able to relate with nature than they were at the beginning of their journey. Though, they finally realize that there is no such thing as to converse with nature seeing its true might and power. This awareness further demonstrates the irony of the final phrase in the story, in which the Crane states the three surviving men feel that they can be interpreters of the ocean’s voice. The men’s capacity to interpret nature for other people refers simply to their understanding that the sea’s voice is unclear and the universe simply represents nothing more than itself having nothing to interpret.
While all the other characters, including our narrator, remain anonymous, Crane has the oiler called by name. The oiler is the only character in "The Open Boat" whose name is mentioned in the story—being Billie. The reader then becomes informed of Billie’s impeccable physical status from working on a ship for most his life allowing the reader to become attached. Billie keeps to himself, and works at rowing the boat, keeping the men safe from the waves. Ironically the waves Billie worked tirelessly against would take his own life. Crane describes the ocean as an endless body always in motion ending on an ironic note, “This oiler, by a series of quick miracles, and fast and steady oarsmanship, turned the boat in the middle of the surf and took her safely to sea again” (Crane 1.10). Though Billie embodied a strong sailor ironically the ocean would take his life in his last attempt for land. Crane continually built upon Billie’s image to allow the reader to form a connection with the character until his death.
Flannery O'Connor’s story: “A Good Man is Hard to Find” A good man is not shown good by physical attributes, linguistic skills, and intellectual ability, but by living a life filled with good will.

Before reaching Red Sammy’s restaurant the grandmother points out six gravestones in a field. Three adults, two kids, and one baby accounting for six family members. This demonstrates how O'Connor eventually paints the family’s demise much prior to meeting their final resting place. O'Connor states, “The Tower is shaped like a huge tombstone or a church” (O'Connor 209). Having depicted specific events and places prior to the family’s demise allows the reader to interpret the inevitable. Irony is established from the moment the reader moves beyond the title in “A Good Man is Hard to

Find”.
O'Connor shows how egotistical the Grandmother really is, after she realizes that it is her fault they began driving down the old dirt road, but fearing for her own emotions she decides not to tell the rest of the family. The grandmother’s negative thoughts and decisions made until the climax turn into disaster. Remembering an old plantation, she visited as a young girl she craftily says, “There was a secret panel in this house” (211) drawing the attention of her grandchildren which in turn persuades their father to take the turn on account of the children’s determination. It’s ironic that every time the Grandmother begins to talk she says something negative and for every negative thing she states the story turns negative. As the family drives down the dirt road O'Connor adds another clue to symbolize the family’s death in an ironic representation. O'Connor explains, “The road looked as if no one had traveled on it in months” (O'Connor 212). By describing the old dirt road as something drivers have not traveled on in months the reader can assume if the family is harmed or killed there will be no outside assistance.
There are several literary works that epitomize the proper use of situational irony. If we consider excitement part of situational irony, the most appropriate example to attest to such literary style, is Flannery O'Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane. Situational irony adds shock value and makes sure that through each literary work made, the evolution of literature ceases to follow a strict set of patterns. In both A Good Man Is Hard to Find and The Open Boat, excitement is enhanced through the author’s use of situational irony. When used properly, situational irony not only arouses the interest of the readers but also supplements the message that the author intends to incorporate.