O'Connor's writing style is generally plain on its surface, yet possesses an underlying irony, subtle foreshadowing, and surprise.

First and most obvious is the irony between the grandmother and the Misfit. On its face, the grandmother appears to be a "normal" Southern lady who upholds traditional Christianity. Yet, it quickly becomes clear that the grandmother is not necessarily honest or respectful, while the Misfit embodies all of these traits. There is also a certain amount of irony in the very title of the story. When Red Sammy speaks of a good man being hard to find, he implies that one can determine how good a man is by the type of car he drives, rather than looking at the quality of his soul. When discussing two men who cheated him out of some money, he states that "it was a beat-up car but it was a good one...