In the story, “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Conner we notice that the title seems to portray almost an opposite sense to how the characters really are in the story. All the characters in the story seem to not fit in with the title, especially the main character Hulga. Hulga is a person that is very unique in many ways. By the end of the story we analyze Hulga’s actions and began to understand that indeed she is not as smart as she thinks. Throughout the story many of Hulga’s actions make us wonder as to why a person with a degree or simply an education does such things that are not acceptable. Her degree in philosophy makes Hulga seem to be a very smart individual however, her lack of common sense convinces us that she is not mentally …show more content…
The narrator states in the story, “Which had been shot off in a hunting accident when Joy was ten” (353). This is referring to Hulga’s artificial leg she had unfortunately lost in a hunting accident. This leads us to wonder as to why a ten-year-old girl would go hunting and have an accident of such life changing matter. In the story the narrator says, “… the leg had been literally blasted off … she had never lost consciousness” (353). This describes the tragic event of when she lost her leg and she seemed to be fully aware when it happened. This leads us to infer that in fact Hulga’s accident could have been caused by her. Since the beginning of the story the author makes us wonder as to why a ten-year-old would be involved with hunting. This is a way for the author to demonstrate to us that it is possible that Hulga could have been at fault for her artificial leg. This shows us that even at the age of ten Hulga could have not been mentally …show more content…
Manley Pointer who at first appears to be a noble Christian boy who goes around selling bibles somehow convinces Hulga into going on a picnic with him. Even though Hulga has just met this young man she agrees to go with him because of her interest in him. In the article by Kate Oliver he says, “Prior to their picnic, Joy/Hulga daydreams how she will seduce what she believes is an innocent country boy” (235). This shows that indeed Hulga seemed to be interested in seducing Manley Pointer by outsmarting him. Ironically Hulga later suffers the consequences of leaving with him without knowing anything about him. He tricks her into giving him her artificial leg and she obediently does without thinking much into it. In the end he leaves her alone and steals her leg. This shows that indeed Hulga is outsmarted because of her lack of common sense. Hulga did not realize how dangerous a picnic at night with a boy she had barely
Hopewell and Joy-Hulga, but also contains a humorous, yet judgmental tone in the story that defines the characters, mostly in Hulga. Hulga is considered the most ironic character in the story because of the little understanding she has of herself regardless of how well educated she is. She may consider herself the smartest woman in the story and may have pride in herself but what she doesn’t know is that Manley, a man who ironically sells Bibles and yet, is not a Christian, proves Hulga wrong in the end and makes her the one with stupidity. Using third person limited allows the reader to gather a deeper understanding of characters by using other characters that know them better than themselves. Overall, it is highly important to dig deeper into the story regarding narration by asking, who is narrating and why is his/her perception important and how does tone and irony contribute to the characters. In this case, the tone and irony gives the reader a better understanding of each individual character, both antagonist and
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
Joy/Hulga has two items that are used alternately to describe her, the eyeglasses that counter her weak eyes and are a sign of her intellectuality, and the wooden leg that she wields through sound and appearance as a weapon against her mother’s solicitude. When Manley Pointer removes her glasses and steals her wooden leg, she is left totally weak and vulnerable. The Bible salesman himself uses the illusion of Bibles as a symbol. He has claimed to have a suitcase full of Bibles to sell, but his moral laxness is revealed when he opens the case to reveal two Bibles, one of which has a hidden
He takes advantage of others by using religious beliefs to his advantage, exactly the opposite of what Christians do. This allows speculation that his supposed “Bible” that is, in fact, a hollowed out Bible filled with whiskey and condoms. Hulga tells the Bible Salesman: “You’re just like them all — say one thing and do another. You’re a perfect Christian.” (467). The comment made by Hulga suggests that she now sees the hypocrisy that is connected to religion, but throughout the whole story, Hulga’s view of hypocrisy is limited. This is a powerful revelation that for the audience because it suggests that she is a hypocrite too. Hulga believes that she is above conventional morality sheds religion to pursue philosophy, so she can live an ethical life than religious people around her. But with all her knowledge, it only makes her blind to where she cannot see her own
"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.
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.
At the end of the story, when Manley takes Hulga’s artificial leg he mentions that he has also taken a lady’s glass eye; which definitely does not an act done by a manly person. In fact, it hints more at insanity and lunacy. However, Manley’s last name suits him very well, because he pointed out all of Hulga’s insecurities such that, without the comfort of her own house and the support of her artificial leg, she is more or less helpless and extremely vulnerable. Throughout most of the story, Hulga was seen as an independent young woman who is highly educated, but at the end, with the help of Manley, all of Hulga’s dependencies were revealed and exposed. Lastly, Hulga’s name also has a deeper meaning. Although O’Connor gives a brief explanation on why Joy decided to change her name to Hulga, “Mrs. Hopewell was certain that she had thought and thought until she had hit upon the ugliest name in any language” there is actually a more meaningful reason. Ironically, Hulga is not just an ugly name, it also means holy and faithful; even though Hulga explicitly said “‘I don’t even believe in God’”. By changing Joy’s name to Hulga it foreshadows that she is going to be actively searching for religion, and that she wants to know more about faith. Both Hulga and Manley’s name played a crucially ironic role within the
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
...ose words she underlines with a blue pencil: “science wishes to know nothing of nothing.” In denying God and asserting the belief of Nothing, Hulga lacks the ability to recognize Manley for who he is because, to her evil has no more meaning than God has. This “innocent” view allows Manley to spiritually take advantage of her, symbolized by him taking her wooden leg. When she pleads, “Aren’t you just good country people?” he replies, “I hope you don’t think that I believe in that crap! I may sell Bibles but I know which end is up and I wasn’t born yesterday and I know where I’m going!” This last word is very ironic, for without a leg and without a soul and/or belief in God, Hulga can go nowhere. Through him she falls into the world of experience, knowing that evil does infact exist, that there is meaning beyond the nothing she embraced at the beginning of the story.
In “Good Country People” there are two characters who believe that they are superior to others. Mrs. Hopewell describes herself as having “no bad qualities of her own” (DiYanni pg.189). She also takes it upon herself to categorize the people she meets as either, “good country people” or “trash,” (pg.188, 189).There do not seem to be any shades of grey in her thinking. Joy/Hulga Hopewell also sees herself as superior, but her superiority lies in her intellect. She makes it known that were it not for her ill health she would be at a university teaching people who “knew what she was talking about” (pg. 191). Although Joy/Hulga believes herself to be intellectually superior she is fooled by the Bible salesman to such an extent that he is able to steal her wooden leg (pg. 200).
In the case of Hulga, the physical damage was done at the young age of ten, as told in the story. She was, however, able to care for herself and able to walk with the assistance of a false leg made of wood, and she had had over twenty years to learn to accept her disability. Hulga was, however, very sensitive about her false leg, as she explains to the new male interest in her life, “No one ever touched it but her” (O’Connor 456). The male interest she now had, was met as a Bible salesman, and was very curious and insistent about her false leg. As he continued to pry, Hulga explained, “It joins at the knee. Only at the knee” (O’Connor 456). She exclaimed this to her new beau to set his mind at ease and to keep him interested. The physical damage to her leg was a hindrance, but not a total debilitating disability. This being said, she was still not very interested in sharing information about her false
At first, Joy-Hulga wants nothing to do with Manly Pointer because she is an atheist and he is a Christian. They eventually form a connection because they both share the same condition, and Manly Pointer tends to say all the right things to bring her in. Hulga soon realizes that she is not who she thought she was when she is face to face with evil. Manly Pointer is an evil young man and a direct reflection of who Hulga wanted to be. Mrs. Hopewell took pride in her daughter, Joy.
O’Conner believed that one must be shocked into salvation to be saved. Thus, Hulga’s trauma is the start of her journey to redemption. Ironically, Manley Pointer was used as an “agent of God” to change Hulga’s life even though he was lying when he said he has devoted himself to Christian service. The moment of truth for Joy occurs when she realizes she has been swindled and Pointer was only after her prosthetic. However, the fleeting feeling of belonging to someone and being completely surrendered has placed a new yearning in her heart. According to O’Conner’s beliefs, the path to salvation is not easy and it is marked by suffering and disaster, but the joy and hope that results is worth any pain along the way. Whether “redemption” is the right word or not, every person will have a moment in their life when they are stripped of control and must rely entirely on a constituent beyond their
Joy Hopewell is the name given to Hulga by her mother and father when she was a baby. This name brings to mind a person who looks on the brighter side of things and doesn’t let things discourage her. In the readers mind this name may perhaps bring about the image of a teacher or someone who works with children in a well light happy place. It is also a softer more vulnerable name, which may have been O’Conner’s intent in using the name Joy. In the story Joy changes her name to Hulga Hopewell because of the fact that she feels it better suits her personality. During her childhood Hulga had an accident in which her leg was shot off of her body; therefore, she has to wear a wooden leg that is rather bulky so by having the name Hulga it helps her to deter many people from asking questions or trying to get too close to her. Due to this accident Hulga becomes a brooding person, not very fond of company and entertainment. The name Hulga brings to mind a rather large Swedish woman who could probably break a man in half. It is a brooding name and awkward on ...
...ated and had a Ph.D. in Philosophy. She could not call her daughter a schoolteacher, a nurse, or a chemical engineer and that bothered her. These people and episodes in Joy's life made her a very miserable person. They made her hate all that surrounded her, which included flowers, animals, and young men. This is why Joy changes her name to Hulga when she was twenty-one years old. She believed the name represented her as an individual. The name was fierce, strong, and determined just like her. The name reminded her of the broad, blank hull of a battleship. Joy felt the name reflected her inside and out. It separated her from the people who surrounded her that she hated the most.