Still, there is always a sense that they are dealing with mind, body, and spirit in their own way, however bizarre that way may be.
The story begins with Mrs. Freeman, a character who represents the narrow range of emotions in this corner of the world. The long-standing interplay between Mrs. Freeman and Mrs, Hopewell is at a permanent impasse--for Mrs. Freeman, the world never changes and is always arranged precisely as she believes it is. This sense of certainty is presented first, to be followed by the relationship between Hulga and Pointer to show how reality is not what we perceive in the certain way Mrs. Freeman does. As in many of O'Connor's stories, the modern world is embodied in images of the machine. Hulga's leg is a machine, an addendum to the human body that is intended to assist in normal functions. The automobile is often evoked by O'Connor as an icon of the machine age, as in this story when Mrs. Freeman is discussing Glynese and how she got married:
She said he owned a '55 Mercury but that Glynese said she would rather marry a ma
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