Pejorative Style In Good Country People

798 Words2 Pages

Style is a literary technique that authors use to reveal information about various aspects of the narrative. Style can be utilized as a way for the audience to read between the lines and unveil key information. Pejorative language expresses criticism and bad opinions. Flannery O'Connor's pejorative style is exhibited in many of her short stories. From the dialogue of a convict in “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” to the thoughts of not so wise Hulga in “Good Country People” her pejorative style unveils the perceptions of characters. O’Conner’s pejorative style shines in her short story, “ A Good Man Is Hard To Find”. O'Connor expresses her disapproval of the main character through the antagonist Misfit. After killing the grandma, Misfit shows …show more content…

Her style and disapproval is expressed through the words of Hulga. After Manley Pointer steals her wooden leg she finally sees his true intentions. She realizes he has a twisted mind, and that he is “a fine Christian [... who] says] one thing and do[es] another”(12). Hulga no longer sees that Manley Pointer is the innocent Bible selling boy he presented himself as, rather, she sees him as a manipulative man who steals her wooden leg. Hulga’s pejorative language expresses her disapproval of ungracious people. Additionally, the pejorative language gives insight on how truly rare it is to find a good person. Moreover, O'Connor's style is also expressed through the thoughts of Hulga. After Manley Pointer kisses her she realizes “it was an unexceptional experience and all a matter of the mind's control [and that] some people might enjoy drain water if they were told it was Vodka”(10). Hulga’s pejorative thoughts display her disapproval of others. O'Connor's style also reveals that Hulga feels superior to others. All things considered, O'Connor's pejorative style in “Good Country People” unveils the character of both Manley Pointer and …show more content…

While the main character Mrs.Turpin is sitting in the waiting room she begins to judge the all the strangers on how “they sat kind of vacant and white trashy”(4). Even though Mrs. Turpin does not know the people in the waiting it does not stop her from making assumptions about their class. O’Connor’s pejorative styles reveals Mrs. Turpin's judgmental character . Another display of O'Connor's style is through the dialogue of another girl in the waiting room. After listening to Mrs. Turpin speak in the waiting room the girl sees Mrs.Turpin's true identity and tells her to “Go back to hell where [she] came from”(21). Her pejorative language reveals the way others see Mrs. Turpin and presents her judgemental character once again. As expressed, Flannery O'Connor's pejorative style reveals the way Mrs. Turpin views others and how others view

Show More
Related

  • Hypocrisy In Flannery O Connor's Good Country People

    757 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Irony and Characterization in O’Connor’s Good Country People

    927 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.”

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Good Country People And Everyday Use

    1390 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Irony In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    To conclude, Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” is filled with irony and it is what makes the story so interesting. Without the use of these ironies the story would have been very different for the readers. Flannery O’Connor uses irony to enhance her writing and to push the readers to want to read further. She also uses this irony to explain some of her own concerns about the human condition. Verbal, dramatic, and cosmic ironies are all present in Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” and are used skillfully by the author to enhance the reader’s experience.

    Read More

  • Good Country People Analysis Essay

    1146 Words  | 3 Pages

    The short story, “Good Country People”, by Flannery O’Connor, was built on the elements of both irony and foreshadowing. Throughout the story, the most ironic aspect was the phrase: “good country people” because after analyzing each individual character, all of them were uniquely flawed in their own way. In addition every character’s name was uniquely crafted to either foreshadow future behavior or ironically give the character a deeper meaning as a whole. The main characters, Hulga and Manley were both ironically portrayed as someone they are not until their true characteristics were revealed at the very end when they were alone together.

    Read More

  • The Darkness of Irony in Flannery O'Connor's Short Stories

    1328 Words  | 3 Pages

    The central theme of Flannery O’Connor’s three short stories is irony. Her stories are parables, that is, short stories with a lesson to be learned.

    Read More

  • Religion and Racism in A Good Man is Hard to Find and Everything that Rises Must Converge

    3390 Words  | 7 Pages

    Bandy, Stephen C. "One of my babies": The Misfit and the Grandmother in Flannery O'Connor's short story 'A Good Man Is Hard to Find'. Studies in Short Fiction; Winter 1996, v33, n1, p107(11)

    Read More

  • Examining Daughter-Mother Dynamics in Literature

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    The reflection of Libido and the reflection of defense mechanism. In the reflection of Hulgas sex drive; libido, Hulga is completely turned on and her emotion thoroughly defeats her reasoning, leading to Hulga’s salvation. In the reflection of defense mechanism, Hulga never does accept the unfair reality. Hulga gets rid of her depression by projecting her hatred of physical disability onto her surroundings. Hulga believes that the physical disability makes her inferior to others. A belief that makes Hulga insinuate that everyone mocks her behind her back. This leads Hulga to have oversensitivity and distrust in others. The source brings me to an understanding the possibilities that lead Hulga to destine Manley. My perspective projected from thinking Hulga was someone who belittled everyone around her because of her PHD degree. Understanding Zhongming Bao and Juan Zhao point of view helps me clarify that Hulga’s action come from trying to protect herself from others around her, such as

    Read More

  • Good Country People Symbolism

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first name Manley, might suggest to the reader that he will fill a male void for Hulga. The reader is told that Mr. and Mrs. Hopewell are devoiced and there is no other mention of her father in the story. Also, the fact that Hugla sees herself as being hideous suggest that she probably doesn’t have many if any male suiters. While the last name Pointer, could suggest that he will most likely reveal, or point out something in Hugla’s life. Manley is a skilled conman and is able to trick both Mrs. Hopewell, who believes that he is good christian and Hulga, who thinks she is to smart to be fooled by anyone. At the end of the story the reader learns that not only is Manley not a bible salesman, but that his name isn’t even Pointer. “You needn’t to think you’ll catch me because Pointer ain’t really my name. I use a different name at every house I call”(O’Connor 1644). He then goes on to say to Hulga “ you ain’t that smart”(O’Connor 1644). Manley had tricked Hulga into thinking that he was a good Christian and that he was interested in her sexually, but really what he wanted was her false leg and some might also suggest to humiliate her.

    Read More

  • Irony and Foreshadowing in Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find

    1618 Words  | 4 Pages

    As I read Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, I find myself being completely consumed by the rich tale that the author weaves; a tragic and ironic tale that concisely and precisely utilizes irony and foreshadowing with expert skill. As the story progresses, it is readily apparent that the story will end in a tragic and predictable state due to the devices which O’Connor expertly employs and thusly, I find that I cannot stop reading it; the plot grows thicker with every sentence and by doing so, the characters within the story are infinitely real in my mind’s eye. As I consider these factors, the story focuses on two main characters; that of the grandmother, who comes across as self-centered and self-serving and The Misfit, a man, who quite ingeniously, also appears to be self-centered and self-serving. It is the story behind the grandmother, however, that evidence appears to demonstrate the extreme differences between her superficial self and the true character of her persona; as the story unfolds, and proof of my thought process becomes apparently clear.

    Read More

  • Good Country People

    1274 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many themes within Flannery O’Connor’s short story “Good Country People”. Religion is definitely one of the more prominent themes that the story holds. Like most of O’Connor’s works, it plays a big part in the actions or characteristics of the main characters. This is all on the surface however. The more important and less accentuated theme is the various facades the characters create for themselves. These facades prevent them from facing their true “grotesque” selves. These facades also hide their weaknesses that they have no wish to face ort just can’t understand. People must be comfortable with every aspect of themselves, because certain people, who in this story are represented by Manley Pointer’s character, can easily exploit their weaknesses. He’s “good country people” and “the salt of the earth” as Mrs. Hopewell refers to Manley Pointer who really is a demon that they must face. A demon to remind them of their weaknesses.

    Read More

  • The Misfit and the Grandmother in Flannery O’ Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

    941 Words  | 2 Pages

    “A Good man is hard to find,” is about a family who decide to go on a trip to Florida. The story revolves around a self absorbed grandmother who loves to talk about how everything used to be back in her day and takes the time to dress herself so that “In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady (358).” She sneaks the family cat with her despite her son’s disapproval of bringing the creature along violating her boundaries to how a lady would act. The family encounters an accident along the way and happens to come across ‘The Misfit,’ a runaway criminal. Using ‘The Misfit’ as a tool, O’ Connor sends a message to her readers of how hypocritical a person can be when it comes to belief.

    Read More

  • Hulga Hopewell Good Country People

    743 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Flanery O’Connor’s Good Country People there are a lot of characters that can be compared and contrasted and that you could have sympathy for. But since the main two people in the story are Hulga Hopewell and Manley Pointer, it seems only fitting to focus on these two characters. While Hulga Hopewell is characterized as a mean and aggressive person, due to her situation, Manley Pointer is characterized as sweet and generous man who loves the lord. Even though these two characters are characterized as opposites, they are fairly similar in how they act, the way both of them have ulterior motives, and in general how they are just weird people that a common person would just not think of. Hulga Hopewell is a very strange and harsh person, in her defense there are some complications that one may be able to understand why she is the way she is.

    Read More

  • Good Country People Literary Analysis

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People” as well as her other stories have very religious themes. For this reason, violence occurres, often punishing the sinners. The violence in the story “Good Country People” mainly focuses around one specific encounter between Manley Pointer and Joy Hulga. After winning the heart of Mrs. Hopewell and a date with Hulga, Manley’s plans are in full motion. He lures hulga into a barn to trick her into giving up her prosthetic leg and her pride. Hulga is mentally bested by Manley Pointer. The story ends with him disappearing

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Good And Evil In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Flannery O 'Connor 's short story, A Good Man is Hard to Find, the theme of good vs. evil unravels throughout the series of tragic events. The Grandmother’s epiphany introduces the idea of morality and the validity is left to the interpretation of the reader. By questioning the characteristics of right and wrong, morality and religion become subjective to personal reality and the idea of what makes individuals character good or bad becomes less defined.

    Read More

More about Pejorative Style In Good Country People

Open Document