f growing up dominated by a small mind, he had ended up with a large one; in spite of her foolish views, he was free of prejudice and unafraid to face factsö (OÆConnor 1971, 409).
Being educated and philosophical makes Joy, who calls herself ôHulgaö, believe she sees through the fatade of things to the ônothingö underneath. She believes herself to be better than those around her who are uneducated or who rely on faith and Christianity as their source of knowledge. Paige (1997) maintains that in OÆConnerÆs stories ôlife without Christianity and the presence of God becomes a life without meaning and directionö (327). Despite JoyÆs views of religion and Mrs. HopewellÆs dislike of her atheism, Mrs. Hopewell keeps her Bible locked in the attic. When Manley Pointer comes to sell her a Bible, he tells her, upon noticing she has no Bible in the parlor, ôLady, the word of God ought to be in the parlorö (OÆConnor 1976, 178).
Mrs. Hopewell takes a liking to Manley Pointer, believing he is a good country person. When he discloses that he has a weak heart, like Joy, Mrs. Hopewell is
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