Good Country People Essay Example

“I always said so myself” (186). Their names are significant because Mrs. Hopewell likes to hope for new things in her life. “Nothing is perfect! ” is one of her favorite sayings that she says constantly (185). Mrs.

Hopewell doesn’t like to think that her daughter will ever grow up, she has thought this way since her daughter had a bad accident; “she thought of her still as a child because it tore her heart to think instead of the poor stout girl in her thirties who had never danced a step or had any normal good times” (186). Mrs. Freeman is "free” from any type of error because she can "never be brought to admit herself wrong on any point” (187). Mrs. Freeman is known to be the nosiest and the biggest gossiper around. “She’s got to be into everything, if she doesn’t get there before the dust settles, you can bet he’s dead, that’s all” (185). Joy decides to change her name from Joy to Hulga. Mrs. Hopewell hates that name, and feels that it is absolutely ugly. It proves that Joy/Hulga can control her own life, and that she is not a baby, and that also her ugly name is the point of view that all she sees around her is ugly as well.

Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Hopewell’s observations about life is how even the simplest people can be corrupted. Their personalities are completely different as well. Mrs. Freeman loves to talk about her children, and could listen about the story about how Hulga lost her leg forever.

While, Mrs. Hopewell is always staying positive with her positive

sayings like, “nothing is perfect. ” She always is looking on the bright side of every negative thing. “Mrs. Hopewell said that people who looked on the bright side of things would be beautiful even if they were not” (187). Mrs. Freeman is not always negative, but Mrs. Hopewell is just more positive.

Hulga learns about herself and about other people when she encounters the Bible salesman, Manly Pointer. After she meets him she goes on a walk with Manley, to a barn. Manly seems to like Hulga, but also asks for her leg, which astonishes her.

He tries to get Hulga to realize, that her leg is something very important quality on her, and he wants her to “trust him”. She is floored, and agrees that he can take off her leg. Hulga’s attitude, which was that her life had no meaning, was suddenly forgotten, and at that point it had a meaning. He takes it off and then she gently asks for her leg back. Manley has shown what her beliefs will do to a person. He refuses, and they fight and as Manley disappears below a hill, an "evil-smelling onion" is pulled up by Mrs. Freeman (194). This evil smell symbolizes the reek that Manley is leaving behind in the form of Hulga's ruined life. She has finally met her beliefs, and they have destroyed her.

O’Connor seems to admire Mrs. Hopewell the most. That is because it seemed like O’ Connor made the reader really focus on how Mrs. Hopewell was always caring, and interested in how Hulga was doing. Whether it was still treating her like a child,

it also was due to the fact that she cared about everyone, and always tried to see the bright side and good in everyone. Hulga had a sassy attitude, and always had something smart to say back to her mom like, “If you want me, here I am—like I AM” (186).

Ironically, when the bible salesmen was with them, Hulga referred to him as, “get rid of the salt of the earth, and let’s eat” (189). Hulga’s mom constantly said how “good country people” were the salt of the Earth, so Hulga decided to use mockery in order to explain herself.

In Flannery O’ Connor’s, “Good Country People” there are a couple different religious values that each characters have. Hulga is an atheist, while the bible salesman claims he is a Christian. Mrs. Hopewell makes it seem like to Manly that she is religious by saying she “keeps her Bible by my beside” (189).

The only character in "Good Country People" with a relationship with God is the Bible salesman, but his fable of faith is unexpectedly crushed near the end of the story. This occurs when he states, "I hope you don't think I believe that crap! " (290). This shows that known of the characters really have a good relationship with God.

O’ Connor use’s humor in this story is by having sarcastic remarks and jokes thrown in by each of the characters. All of them are at the perfect timing to either cheer up the mood in a serious conversation or just to be thrown in.

Hulga is a perfect example of sarcasm; since that’s all of

her remarks are when she is talking to her mother, Mrs. Hopewell. The conversations between Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman also have humor within them, since Mrs. Freeman never disagrees with Mrs. Hopewell. The first time the Bible Salesman meets Hulga, there is humor involved. The humor was kind of an awkward joke, “You ever ate a chicken that was two days old? ” Hulga responded with a “Yes” and therefore he finished with “It must have been mighty small! ” (192). Hulga blushed and giggled softly. Humor was a big part of the story to keep it going and not dull.

The central irony of the story is that Hulga claims to be a nihilist, but is not. She begins to hold Manley, "kissing him again and again as if she were trying to draw all the breath out of him" (191). She has "never been kissed," meaning that she has never really had a relationship with a male, which involved intimacy and or trust (190). Hulga almost even trust his Christian views, when she believed in completely different before she even met him. The central irony is about the vulnerability and power that is involved within the entire story.

The quote, “plain human beings in whose fractured lives the writer has discovered an uncouth relationship with last myths and the violent passions of human life” applies to “Good Country People” because the characters are not practical at all. That is because the characters in the story really don’t know anybody else besides the people from the country that they have known all of their lives. They don’t know that people can be

evil, and if somebody is evil towards them they still somehow find the good within them because they don’t know anything else. When Manley sarcastically says to Mrs.

Hopewell, “You don’t see anymore real honest people unless you go out in the country! ” and she replies with, “I know, real genuine folks! ” (190). Mrs. Hopewell says that with all seriousness, when somebody is completely being a jerk to her, and she can’t tell at all. Realistically, people pick up on those kind of remarks.

The truth that is exposed to the reader is that everything doesn’t always end up being what it seems like. Mrs. Freeman and Hopewell always said that good country people were all together good people that could do no wrong, when in the end, the truth was revealed and that was not the case.

The scene in the barn when Hulga is about to be taken advantage of by Manly, who she had already fallen in love with, she even asks him “aren’t you…aren’t you just good country people? ” (196). This made her realize that he wasn’t the perfect man that she had thought he was before. He was actually just a thief, and nothing she wanted to be a part of. He wouldn’t even give her, her fake leg back after he had taken it from her. O’Connor made the reader realize that you have to make your own judgments, and that nobody is actually what they seem to be. .