Good Country People
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Flannery OÆConnorÆs (1976) Good Country People provides the reader with a story wherein the characters turn out differently than they appear. This is particularly true with the characters of Joy (ôHulgaö) Hopewell and a Bible salesman who goes by the name Manley Pointer. These are good, country people, a reference that is made numerous times throughout the story. Mrs. Hopewell has three daughters and has taken on a tenant couple, Mr. and Mrs. Freeman. Mrs. HopewellÆs eldest daughter, Joy, has a Ph.D. in philosophy but her wooden leg and weak heart prevent her from putting it to use through teaching. Joy is also an avowed atheist. One day a Bible salesman enters the Hopewell household, a man who is viewed as ôinnocentö by Mrs. Hopewell and even the cynical Joy. He is also good country people, who Mrs. Hopewell labels ôthe salt of the earthö (OÆConnor 179). Despite JoyÆs seemingly cynical and atheistic worldview and despite Manley PointerÆs presumed innocence and religiosity, the ending shows that people, even good country people, are not what they seem. In the short stories of Flannery OÆConnor, certain themes reappear. Christian symbolism is often a part of her stories as is the concept that all human beings are flawed. One of Mrs. HopewellÆs favorite sayings is that ôNothing is perfectö (OÆConnor 1976, 171). The relationship between Mrs. Hopewell and her daughter demonstrates another common aspect of OÆConnerÆs works, that
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in Good Country People, human vulnerability teaches Hulga the true meaning of goodness. She and Manley go off on an alleged picnic, one that Hulga imagined the day prior would lead to her seduction of him. They travel to the barn and begin to make out, but Manley insists Hulga tells him he loves her. He will not accept no for an answer and further insists she show him her wooden leg and how to put it on and off. Manley tells Hulga she is making a ôsuckerö out of him when she wonÆt show her leg, but she succumbs to his pleas and finally does. He tells Hulga he wants to see it because ôitÆs what makes [her] differentö (OÆConnor 1976, 192). It is at this point, with her vulnerability on display, that Hulga becomes vulnerable to Manley. As she thinks, ôShe decided that for the first time in her life she was face to face with real innocence. This boy, with an instinct that came from beyond wisdom, had touched the truth about herö (OÆConnor 1976, 192).
Susan Edmunds (1996) maintains that Christian principles and beliefs inform all of OÆConnorÆs writing and acts as an ôevaluation of modern societyö (559). Ironically, the most morally depraved character in the story, Manley Pointer, has the greatest spiritual vision on the surf
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1703
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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