One prominent gothic theme of the story is the inevitability of death. The encounter with The Misfit is heavy-handedly foreshadowed throughout the story beginning in the first scene when the grandmother is warning the family of the news of The Misfits and again when the wife of the restaurant wonder says “I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if [The Misfit] didn’t attack this place right here” (O'Connor 5) making the eventual death of the family something they contemplated the possibility of, but decided to ignore multiple times. This continues in O'Connor's writing when the grandmother worries that the cat will die from asphyxiation if left alone, and again when her description of the grandmother’s outfit ends with “In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.” (3) souring the sunny description of the outfit. Finally, when the family is being separated by The Misfit’s men, the forest on the side of the road is described as “gap[ing] like a dark open mouth” (9) personifying the woods as a kind of monster preparing to figuratively and, in a sense, literally eat the family. This personification is doubled down on after the family members are each shot in the line “She could hear the wind move through the treetops like a long satisfied insuck of breath.” (11) with the forest now taking a breath after “swallowing” the family.
Another gothic theme in the story is the flawed nature of humans. Each character has flaws that are pronounced in the story. Immediately after lecturing the children about the moral superiority of her generation, the grandmother uses a slur to point out a Black child on the side of the road. The grandmother’s attempt to enjoy the music playing in the restaurant and dance with her son is met by a glare from him. After cashing on the side of the road, June Star and John Wesley chanted “We’ve had an ACCIDENT! … in a frenzy of delight” (O'Connor 7) at the family’s misfortune, with June Star ending the chant with a remark lamenting the grandmother’s survival. Each of the characters either have pronounced conflicts with each other or only interact briefly.
Another prominent theme of the story is the fragility of moral superiority. The grandmother spends most of the story touting the moral superiority of her choices, her generation, and her beliefs. Other than the occasional comment from June Star, this goes unchallenged until the confrontation with The Misfit. Upon being confronted with The Misfit, the grandmother realizes she must believe in the good nature of The Misfit to have a hope of survival. In their conversation, it is revealed that the misfit has a much more concrete moral system than the grandmother, with him not submitting to the idea of a binary of good and evil, and standing strong on moral maxims like “No pleasure but meanness,” however flawed they may be, as the grandmother begins to doubt everything she believes in her desperation.