Southern Grotesque

I think that one of the biggest directions literature can go to be grotesque is to show a hint of hope, whether small or large, and then crush it. "A Good Man is Hard to Find" doesn't start out the way you would expect something labeled grotesque to start. It seems like a semi-happy situation. The family is going on a trip and is having minor quarrels over where to go, as any regular family does. The first time somebody reads the story they are most likely unaware of the amount of foreshadowing going on (e.g. all of the mentions of The Misfit and them ending up dead, etc.). Unlike most short stories, this one fails to make clear what the real conflict is supposed to be, leaving the reader to question what the point is. This creates tension, making the reader edgy and wondering what direction the story is going to go. Are they going to have a good trip? Are they going to find the "Good Man?" Is some sort of disaster going to happen? Most people, I assume, would hope for the first two and subconsciously ignore the possibility of the third question. More tension is created when they run into The Misfit, and more questions arise. Is he the good man? Is he going to help them? Is he completely crazy? Again, I think most people secretly hope for the first couple of options. The grotesqueness, I feel, is brought about when the ever-so-growing hope of the story ending in finding the good man is made evident to be lost when they are all shot to death.