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Irony and Characterization in O'Connor's Good Country People
thematic essay on good country people
thematic essay on good country people
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Things are Not Always as They Seem with Good Country People
"Why that looks like the nice dull young man that tried to sell me a Bible
yesterday," Mrs. Hopewell said, squinting. "He must of been trying to sell them to the
Negros back in there. He was so simple," she said, "but I guess the world would be better
off if we were all that simple" (145). At the end of the story, Mrs. Hopewell considers
Manley Pointer "simple." Little did she know that this "simple" man had just caused Hulga
severe mental and physical anguish. Her ignorance towards the underlying evil in the
world turns out to be her greatest fault. Situations are not always as they seem, and unless
one first looks within, his or her weaknesses may be exploited through evil doings. In
Flannery O'Connor's short story, "Good Country People," irony is seen throughout the
story relating as the contradiction between what is thought to be a good country person
and what really turns out to be evil.
There are several examples of irony in O'Connor's short story. Several people, as
well as objects, in this story...
... the world even though they are in this situation. She believes the world is in a phase. She is pure of heart.
“…we are uncharitable to ourselves; every man is his (own) greatest enemy, and as it were, his own executioner.” Sir Thomas Brown in Religion Medici. To me this analogue reminds me of how teenage girls and boys act. Hormonal, confused adolescents are mean to each other to gain popularity, however they are being mean to themselves by acting as someone they are not and losing their true friends. In other words, people’s inner enemy and hatred is hurting the people around them, which is losing the innocence and good inside someone. One’s inner enemy is caused by their sins and jealousy for another’s possessions and personality. Having jealousy for another person destroys the true love and friendship for the so-called enemy. The inner enemy
could never do anything on her own and that she was stupid, but as the story
When looking into works of literature, some stories seem to be similar to others. They can have a similar setting, point of view, theme, or sense of language and style. However, all of these points could be very different as well and could cover different theme or style. Flannery O’Conner’s “Good Country People” and Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” have some contrasting elements, such as their points of view and use of symbolism, but their similarities in the underlying theme, language, and the setting of these stories reveal how these two stories are impacted by education on both the individual and their family.
---. "Good Country People." The Story and Its Writer. 5th ed. Ed. Ann Charters. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999. 1091-1105.
Ambrose Bierce’s short story, "Chickamauga," scrutinizes American values, specifically, America’s identifying with the natural world. Bierce is critical of the American association with divine destiny, which has manifested itself throughout history in the form of John Winthrop’s “City upon a hill” speech, the notion of the “white man’s burden,” and Manifest Destiny. American history, in the scope of the short story, is one of perceived “rightly” subjugation of others. Bierce satirizes this philosophy by use of the child as a manifestation of American values that are eventually shown to be feeble and weak.
In Good Country People, Flannery O’Connor explores the complexities of human behavior and how common stereotypes shape the response that these behaviors receive. The title, Good Country People, suggests this work of fiction will tell a tale of modest people living in the countryside as they display neighborly etiquette by performing a series of good deeds for one another. The expectation is that the characters will set an admirable example of how one should conduct his or her life, and thus challenge the reader to embark on a journey of personal improvement. However, this is not a tale of such inspiration, instead it presents characters whose lives (and actions) are quite complicated. None of the characters can be classified exclusively
Claudia Card begins by questioning the difference between wrong and evil. How do we know when something crosses the line between being just wrong, to being an evil act? How does hatred and motive play a part in this? How can people psychologically maintain a sense of who they are when they have been the victims of evil? Card attempts to explain these fundamental questions using her theory of evil; the Atrocity Paradigm (Card, pg.3).
However, she doesn’t know that because of how her life experiences have negatively shaped her values, this experience will completely backfire.
Mrs. Hopewell, in the former of the two stories, called anyone she considered simple or moral ‘good country people’ or salt of the earth, meaning basic, fundamental goodness. She considered anyone under these definitions, which was anyone who grew up in the country like herself, to be hard to find and “that if, in this day and age, you get good country people, you had better hang onto them” (O’Connor, 11). Anyone who did not fit into these definitions, however, Mrs. Hopewell called trash and considered them below her. Young Goodman Brown in the latter of the two works of literary merit, was a lot like Mrs. Hopewell in the sense that he considered the ‘outsiders’, or Indians in his case, to be devilish and below his Puritan lifestyle. Living in the small community they lived in, as well, established a system of faith in Mrs. Hopewell and Young Goodman Brown. Mrs. Hopewell, living where she did, inherently adopted a Christian faith, and Young Goodman Brown established a Puritan faith from his Puritan settlement. Not only were Mrs. Hopewell and Young Goodman Brown in their respective stories alike, Mrs. Freeman, from “Good Country People”, and Young Goodman Brown knew at the end of their stories something wasn’t as it appeared. Mrs. Freeman knew “some can’t be that simple”
fate and might not ever get a chance to apologize. All the Years of Her Life,
...her to feel despair. Her misery resulted in her doing unthinkable things such us the unexplainable bond with the woman in the wallpaper.
Dorothy Johnson in “A Man Called Horse” writes about a young man who was born and raised in Boston. He lives in a gracious home under his grandmothers and grandfather’s loving care. For some reason, he is discontent. He leaves home to try to find out the reason for his discontent. Upon leaving he undergoes a change in status and opinion of himself and others. He begins a wealthy young man arrogant and spoiled, becomes a captive of Crow Indians- docile and humble, and emerges a man equal to all.
Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People" is a story told through the examination of the relationships between the four main characters. All of the characters have distinct feelings about the others, from misunderstanding to contempt. Both Joy-Hulga, the protagonist, and Manley Pointer, the antagonist, are multi-faceted characters. While all of the characters have different levels of complexity, Joy-Hulga and Manley Pointer are the deepest and the ones with the most obvious facades.
Mr. Pointer interacts with Mrs. Hopewell and is ultimately invited inside of her house “to speak of serious things.” She brings him into the parlor and they discuss the lack of a bible. Well into their discussion Mrs. Hopewell excuses herself. “I have to check on my dinner. She went out to the kitchen and found Joy near the door where she had been listening. Get rid of the salt of the earth, she said, and let’s eat.” Immediately Joys prideful feelings are brought to light by her egotistical mindset. Mrs. Hopewell reenters the parlor and begins to speak to Manley Pointer about honesty and “real genuine folks”. “Through the crack in the door” Mrs. Hopewell hears Joy groan, Joy does