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Traveling

Traveling
In literature, one may be surprised at the amount of literary foreshadowing found in the text. Many of which must be read and reread to grasp what the author is actually telling the reader. Most of which pertains to the value of life instilled in the characters by the author. In Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, and Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path”, life is very important to the main characters. Numerous times in both stories, the main character warns others of harm and protects them from impairment. Old Phoenix from “A Worn Path” was even making a trip to prevent possible death in her grandson. Both authors use sensory details that give the reader a look into the future and what may come as the story continues. As we progress, or travel through our live span it is like that of a path; whether road or dirt trail, we encounter things that give us incite on what is ahead of us and is affected by the choices we make. As we pursue a chosen path, just as the characters in these two short stories, it becomes our story. We live and learn while on this trail and possibly arrive upon events that could foreshadow future success or possible turmoil.
In Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, the title alone displays the choice of mischief over that of good. We find early on in the short story that a criminal has escaped from a federal penitentiary. The “Misfit” is headed toward Florida where grandmother and the family are heading on vacation. Although the chances are slim that they would encounter the villain, grandmother is not quite convinced that the family would be safe traveling to Florida. However, the choice was made to face the danger with the odds in their favor. Sometimes in life we make choices/decisions that we are aware may potentially be dangerous. Instead of turning away and taking the safe and easy road in life, we may choose the dangerous path with our goal...

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