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“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation (“Judge Quotes” 1).” In the book, Good Country People, the author, Flannery O'Connor, uses the text to relay the message that people should never judge a book by its’ cover. This is evident through Mrs. Freeman, Hulga, and Manley Pointer. Mrs. Freeman misjudged Manley as a good country person based on that he sold bibles for a living. Hulga has a reputation of a well educated women. This is proved wrong once she meets Manley Pointer. Manley seems like a good, young man selling bibles for a living, but after Hulga’s date with him, everyone is proven wrong. The Good Country People is taken place in the 1950’s at a farm in Georgia. In the …show more content…
Most of the time when someone meets another person who they are attracted to, they only see the good them. That is what Hulga did to Manley. She envisioned him as an uneducated man who she was smarter than. Hulga thought since he was an attractive man that he must be a good man. Hulga let her mind judge him for an attractive, uneducated man. A relationship that actually means something should not be based on looks. If it is, then the chances of the relationship lasting are very small. Hulga should have been the well-educated women she is and saw past his attractive charm. Hugla judged him as a the stereotypical bible seller. But in reality, Manley was far from the stereotypical bible …show more content…
Most people try to see the good in someone when they meet them for the first time. Criminals, like Manley, use good stereotypes to their advantage. They get people to believe that they are good people, but in reality they are bad people. They take something good and use it for a bad thing. This is why everyone needs to take precaution when they first meet someone. Trusting a new person can be very risky. Manley proves that in this story. Most of the time when a person meets another person for the first time, they do not find out everything about that new person. So, why would they trust them? Exactly, they should not trust someone they just met. The Good Country People made it evident that a book should not be judged by its’ cover. Mrs. Freeman, Hulga, and Manley Pointer's characters proved that. Mrs.Freeman judged Manley Pointer as a good country person based on his bible selling reputation. Hugla was not as smart as the townspeople had her out to be. She was not smart enough to see past Manley Pointer’s scam. Manley was not the good, stereotypical bible seller that he made everyone believe. He convinced Hulga to go on a date where he took her fake leg. Each person has their own pain that causes them to do their actions that we do not know
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.
“Good Country People” is a story about Joy Hopewell, a very well educated young woman living in the rural south. Joy lost a leg in a hunting accident when she was ten and since then had been forced to wear a wooden replacement. She also had a weak heart and it was this affliction that forced her to remain amongst these “good country people” whom she considered to be intellectual inferiors. Though she had great confidence in her intelligence she had very little self-esteem. Joys’ handicap made her feel ugly, so ugly that much to her mothers’ dismay, she had her name legally changed to the ugliest one she could think of, Hulga. One day a traveling bible salesman named Manley Pointer made a sales call and ended up having dinner with the family.
Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People" In "Good Country People" by Flannery O'Connor, uses symbolism in the choice of names, almost to the point of being ironic and humorous. These names center around the personality and demeanor of the characters. Hulga, once known as Joy, simply changed her name because it was the ugliest she could think of.
O’Connor, Flannery. “Essays and Letters On ‘Good Country People’” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. 6th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2007. 233-234.
He has qualities of “good country people” by selling bibles and “not attending college but devotes his life to Christian service” (178). His appearance and name is a great symbol that signifies of something that is not real which connects to Hulga’s name. Manley’s name has an impact towards Hulga because his name signifies a manly figure which is a missing part in Hulga’s life. On the other hand his last name Pointer symbolizes great divulge of something amazing that will stand out in Hulga’s way. However his name is seen as a false and in reality symbolizes the emptiness of a male presence and the revelation that her life consists of only falsities. O’Conner also used a great mirror description between a bible and his name. Manly pulled out two bibles though one “was hollow and contained a pocket flask of whisky, a pack of cards and a small blue box with printing on it” (192). O’Conner used this hallow bible filled with several profane and contrary items as a symbolism to expose the meaning of Manley’s true self character. Manley is seen as a true nihilist, and through his name, hollow bible and false Christian morals he has revealed himself towards Hulga, as a true meaning of simply believing in nihilistic
Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People” explores the consequences of hypocrisy and gullibility. O’Connor shows how this terrible combination of hypocrisy and gullibility can affect average families. She intergrades strict Roman Catholic upbringing into all of her character flaws. Every character in the story believes that they are on a higher moral ground, but none of them leads an ethical life. When in actuality, they are all hypocrites that claim they have the honor and higher moral values than they actually do. Throughout the story, the men illustrate the only receptive hypocrisy that is displayed, and the gullibility that is illustrated is by the women.
The story is center around a small cast. In it Mrs. Hopewell and her daughter Joy, who had her name changed to Hulga, live on a farm with their tenants Mrs. Freeman’s and her two daughters- Glynese and Carramae. Interestingly, Mrs. Hopewell calls the Freeman Girls, Glycerin and Caramel while refusing to call her own daughter anything but Joy. “Good County People”, is told through the interactions of this dysfunctional gaggle of ladies, and their chance encounter with the Bible selling con-artist Manley Pointer. It is a story of a few not so, “Good Country People.”
"Good Country People", by Flannery O’Connor, presents us with a look into the monotonous lives of three women living together on a rural farm. All three women are set in their old-fashioned ways, having experienced very little of life, out on the farm. A bible salesman named Manley Pointer, appearing like nothing more than simple, "good country people"(1), pays them a visit one day. It turns out that this simple countryboy is actually a brilliant con artist who scams the pretentious daughter, Hulga (also known as Joy) into removing her wooden leg, which he proceeds to steal. A great change in Hulga is triggered by her experience with Manley Pointer. Although it was a cruel scam, the bible salesman helps her to see the truth about her education and human nature. Hulga realizes that in addition to book smarts, people skills are also crucial in navigating the real world.
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
In A Good Man Is Hard to Find, O’Connor gives brilliant support to the theme, even going so far as stating it in the title itself. Through her creative details and intentional use of rhetoric, O’Connor strengthens the idea that the true definition of a ‘good man’ is skewed and difficult to pinpoint. Defining a ‘good man’ varies because it is individualized from reader to reader and a generic definition cannot be composed. This gothic piece of literature is realistic, and through its theme, the reader is exposed to the flaws of society as a whole.
...cares for her and thus encourages her into letting down her guard and trusting him. This becomes Hulga?s downfall and the most important theme of O?Connor?s story: people aren?t always what they appear or ?you can?t judge a book by its cover.? Her narcissism allows Manley to talk her into removing her leg. He grabs it and runs off with it, but not before letting her know that he has played her for the fool. O?Connor?s comprehensive character development leads her readers into complacently judging Hulga as superior to the other characters in her story. She takes this a step further in her development of Manley Pointer as an innocent. Through this development, O?Connor lulls her readers into stereotyping the characters into the personas she wants them to see. Hulga?s epiphany is thematic. The ultimate irony is that not only is Hulga duped by Manley, her readers are too.
In “Good Country People,” O’Connor effectively symbolizes Christian hypocrisy in her narrative. The same man who is selling bibles is the one who carries “a pocket flask of whisky and a pack of cards” (“Good Country People,” 289), in his hollowed-out bible. A bible salesman using a hollowed-out bible as storage for whisky represents those who use religion to cover up for their sins and achieve society’s approval. Additionally, in Revelation, a person’s name symbolizes the sole theme of the narrative. While Mrs. Turnip is busy denouncing other people’s appearances in the waiting room, a girl named Mary Grace exposes Mrs. Turnip for who she really is, and tells her to “go back to hell, where [she comes] from, [and calls Mrs. Turnip an] old wart hog” (“Revelation”, 21). Although Mrs. Turnip believes she is a noble person, Mary Grace symbolizes the need for grace in Mrs. Turnip’s life for her to become aware of the ugliness that lies beneath her beautiful face, and clean skin. Furthermore, symbolism is a significant element in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.” The Misfit arrives in “a big black bettered hearse-like automobile” (“AMIHTF,” 6). The car designed to carry coffins, indicates and symbolizes the family’s death, and all the others that the Misfit
In the story “Good Country People”, by Flannery O’ Connor Joy/Hulga wants to seduce bible salesman Manley Pointer. When Manly pointer comes onto the scene he seems like a holy rolling, bible thumping, good ol’ country boy. He comes into the home that Mrs. Hopewell and Joy/Hulga resides into and attempts to sell Mrs. Hopewell a bible. Mrs. Hopewell doesn’t necessarily want to buy a bible but does recognize Manly Pointer as “just the salt of the earth” (pg. 2531). Manley pointer states in the story that he decided to devote his “…life to Chrustian service” (pg. 2529). Joy/Hulga just isn’t having this. She is a self-proclaimed atheist and has her PhD in philosophy. She believes that she has caught the eye of Manly Pointer because she noted how he
...dly evil character, The Misfit, is able to help the grandmother to find grace makes him redeemable as well. Whatever the reason was for Flannery O’Connor to write A Good Man Is Hard To Find, it will forever be one of her best works as well as one of the best and most unusual short stories of all time.
The story “Good Country People”, by Flannery O’Conner is a work that uses characterization in a new and interesting way to help shape and present the characters of this story. One of the main characters is Hulga Hopewell, also known as Joy Hopewell. This characters name plays a very ironic role in the story. Through the use of such a peculiar name O’Conner helps to develop and build the characteristics of Hulga. In the story “Good Country People” the use of the name Hulga (Joy) Hopewell helps to further build upon the characterization of Hulga and give the reader a deeper understanding of the character.