Manley Pointer also hides his identity from the people because he does not consider others trustworthy. (including. Her disdain for the others sickly-sweet demeanor is reflected in her choice of nicknames for Mrs. Freemans daughters. 2023 Course Hero, Inc. All rights reserved. anywhere or introduce . She wrote two novels in her lifetime and thirty-two short stories. Her name determines her character as the one who hopes that life will be spent easily if she lives by her principles. He then produces a hollowed-out Bible containing a bottle of whiskey, sex cards, and some condoms. Removing #book# The title of the story, Good Country People, is meant to be read ironically. She never complains about her daughters behavior but always accepts it quite thankfully. In this moment he overturns Hulgas whole sense of superiority. She sends Joy to school and makes her a knowledgeable person. Hulga is an atheist who refuses to allow her mother to keep a Bible in the family parlor. However, Joy does not pay attention to him after greeting him. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. answer choices Savannah, Georgia Boston, Mass. and let's eat.". Instant PDF downloads. As he creates similarities between his and Joys illness and makes her feel that he is indeed a simple man, she believes in everything he says. He then demands her to profess her love to him. At that point he disappears with her leg after telling her that he collects prostheses from disabled people and is a nihilistic atheist. What characteristics of grotesque are used in "Good Country People"? What does Mrs. Hopewell mean by the phrase "good country people"? By dividing the story into four loosely distinct sections, O'Connor is able to establish subtle parallels between the characters of Mrs. Freeman and Manley Pointer (a traveling Bible salesman) and between Mrs. Hopewell and her daughter, Hulga, while at the same time providing details which appear to emphasize the different facets of the four individual characters. At the bottom is a group of people she calls "trash," whom she describes as poor, uncultured, and essentially criminal. She completely blinds herself to the approval of the reality of things and sways in his love. In the opening of the story, Mrs. Freemans face is compared to a truck, specifically with regard to the action of her eyes: Her eyes never swerved to left or right but turned as the story turned as if they followed a yellow line down the center of it. This aggressive gaze is referenced again at the end of the story as she and Mrs. Hopewell watch Manley walk away after abandoning Hulga in the loft: her gaze drove forward. Manley, also believe by Mrs. Hopewell to come from good country people, has eyes that are described violently as he is distracted by Hulgas disconnected wooden leg: Every now and then the boy, his eyes like two steel spikes, would glance behind him where the leg stood.. LitPriest is a free resource of high-quality study guides and notes for students of English literature. In her mind she is morally superior to others, but if she is willing to lie about the Bible without a second thought, then she has no real claim to any moral high ground. Similarly, the writer begins the story with a descriptive note on Mrs. Freemans truck-like facial structure. "The Enduring Chill" Summary and Analysis, "The Artificial Nigger" Summary and Analysis. He also carries his briefcase along with him. She is married to Lyman and is pregnant. Also, his motivation to get others essentials that have no use for him reveals his superficial useless nature. There was nothing about her face or her round freezing-blue eyes to indicate that this had moved her; but she felt as if her heart had stopped and left her mind to pump her blood. In "Good Country People," identify the point of view and explain how knowing the point of view influences how we understand a major theme of the story. They work on her farms and at her home. In both cases, Mrs. Hopewell creates her reality and lives in her standards ignoring the reality of life. 4. It is notable that Mrs. Hopewell values the normal above all else, and sees her own daughter as somehow abnormal because of her leg. When he finally left, Hulga was standing in the road and he stopped near her to talk. In "Good Country People," why does Joy change her name to Hulga? Hulga stomps off to her bedroom. According to Mrs. Hopewell, she is one of good country people. It is a small, remote, and rural place. . Joy nicknames her Glycerin that predicts the lightness of her and her sisters character. She considers her old tenants as trash while the new ones are good. She has heard that Mrs. Freeman always wants to "be into everything"; that being the case, Mrs. Hopewell believes that she can counter this character defect by putting Mrs. Freeman "in charge." The people judge a person to be good or bad only because of ones external factors. Summary and Analysis "Good Country People" Hulga Hopewell of "Good Country People" is a unique character in O'Connor's fictional world. Its suggested that Hulga disability feeds her introversion and alienation, and has given her a cynical view of the worldone manifested by changing her name from Joy to Hulga.. Where was Flannery O'Connor born? PDF Good Country People - Weber State University Therefore, she wears a wooden leg. Ironically, she detests the company of both of them because they are not well educated like her. She agrees, but reservedly, having pity on him because she thinks of him as a poor baby.. Hulga's mother naively believes in the absolute goodness of "good country people"; she believes that if a person can hire good country people, "you had better hang onto them." ). These crucial discussions include the weather and Mrs. Freemans daughters. Moreover, through the use of third-person omniscient narrative, the author judges the standard for good qualities and good people, therefore, elevating the importance of the title Good Country People. Throughout the story, many identities are shown but by the end of the story the real identities of the characters are revealed. In this case, they are used to reveal that the people whom Mrs. Hopewell believes to be good country people are in fact nothing of the sort. In fact, Mrs. Hopewell would probably sum up her inability to understand her daughter-with-a-Ph.D. by saying, "She's brilliant, but she doesn't have a grain of sense." What could be a thesis statement for the short story "Good Country People" by Flannery O'Connor? For example, Mrs. Hopewell considers Mrs. Freeman good but she always tries to undue Hopewell in her conversations and aims at irritating her at the meals. 3. Mrs. Freeman, another main character, never admits herself to be wrong. Hulga, then, by O'Connor's admission is "blind," and ironically, it is during one of Hulga's exchanges with her mother, while Hulga is attempting to reveal her mother's blindness to her (her lack of awareness), that Hulga fails; instead, she reveals a vast weakness in her own professedly atheistic views, laying her open later to Manley Pointer's attack. Hulga and Manley in "Good Country People" by Flannery O'Connor are never honest with each other. As she attempts to get away from him, he mentions that he is just a poor country boy with a heart condition. In Hulga's case, despite her advanced academic degrees, she is unable to see what is bad, and her mother's stereotyping perspective proves to be equally misleading and false. . His personality resembles that of the hollow Bible because his exterior is so simple and pure but there is nothing inside. Although Mrs. Freeman has her own family, however, she makes sure to be at Hopewells place in mealtimes and observe them having their meals. She also calls Hulga by her proper name when her mother is out of sight. . Education However. Incomplete Families: "The Drover's Wife," "The Chosen Vessel," and "Good Country People" eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. She has been working for Mrs. Hopewell for four years, and the two women often converse over breakfast in the Hopewells kitchen. Accompanied by male porters, Peck attempted to climb the mountain, but howling winds and treacherous conditions thwarted the men and (she, her). Hulga is punished for her act of faith, unfortunately as the Bible Salesman is not as innocent as Hulga believes. The night before, Hulga had lain in bed, imagining intense conversations between herself and the. He takes obscene playing cards, alcohol, and prophylactics out of the book. The hollow Bible presents the hollow and deceptive nature of Manley Pointer. Why does Mrs. Freeman get the last word, and what does it mean? . However, she does not intend to lose these good people, so she keeps calm. Now he has been working for Mrs. Hopewell for the last four years. However, her mother calls her senseless and impractical. . This supernatural power metaphorically functioned as the strings between the puppet master (the mind) and the puppet (the body). For instance, Hulga is irritant and moody due to the lack of care and love of a man. Their unexceptional kiss reinforces her belief that she is more sophisticated than ordinary people, and sees through everyday illusions like romance. This story is divided into four rather distinct sections which help emphasize the relationships between the four central characters. Teachers and parents! She relied upon the wisdom of this world to guide her, contrary to the biblical warning to "See to it that no one deceives you by philosophy and vain deceit, according to human traditions, according to the elements of the world and not according to Christ" (Colossians 2:8). From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Good Country People Literary Analysis Flannery O'Connor's dismissal of the outside world allows you to understand more of the symbolic quality of all of the active characters. You might also wish to note that O'Connor's selection of names for her characters helps to establish their significance in the story. He does not care about anyone else. He is familiar with all the slick tricks used by the typical door-to-door salesman, and he also has a second sense which enables him to take advantage of Mrs. Hopewell even though she is not interested in entertaining a salesman of any description. But despite her class, she works hard like Mrs. Freeman. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Connor sets up a conflicting argument between the staunch believers and disbelievers of Christianity. By contrast, she judges dishonest or lazy poor people as trash. With these phrases, Mrs. Hopewell presents a clear hierarchy in how she views societyshe professes an admiration for good country people, but that admiration is essentially condescension, and part of why she praises them is because it reinforces her own sense of superiority. Though not the storys protagonist, Mrs. Freeman is the first character we are introduced to, as OConnor moves among the different points of view of her characters. Every character in Good Country People believes he or she has the moral high ground, but none of them leads the ethical life they claim to. She expresses the deep ways of human existence in a simple short work of art. Mrs. Hopewell was moved to invite him to stay for dinner, during which Hulga completely ignored him. Good Country People - eNotes The title Good Country People is an irony for the contrasting natures of the characters in the story. She is a grumpy person who does not care for what others say or they are. Explain. For her, her own identity remains fixed i.e. This lie, more explicitly than anything else, shows Mrs. Hopewells hypocrisy for what it is. Good Country People by Flannery O'Connor Start Free Trial Questions & Answers Characters Analysis Critical Essays Multiple-Choice Quizzes PDF Downloads Lesson Plans Good Country People. (including. As Pointer is leaving the barn loft with Hulga's wooden leg, he further disillusions Hulga by telling her that he has obtained a number of interesting things from other people, including a glass eye, in the same way that he took Hulga's leg. Its clear that Hulga feels stifled and alone in her mothers house, and so she cant help idealizing the Bible Salesman as soon as he seems like he might be a deep person who could share her interests. Good country people are the salt of the earth!" This elevation of what Mrs. Hopewell considers "good country people" is linked to the theme of disgust with the world in general, which is prevalent in many of O'Connor's stories. Test . To make things worse, he kisses Joy, opens up his Bible which is hollow inside. He takes their most dear things and runs away. There they discuss important matters of their lives i.e. To explain, the sincere and fair main characters of the story, Mrs. Hopewell and Hulga fall in the trap of the people who mask themselves as good people. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. As the story is structured in the Southern part of the state, some factors depict the south gothic nature of the short story. For example, Manley Pointer is manly as he is a sinful human being who is selfish for his means. I know I never could." In "Good Country People," O'Connor uses irony and a finely controlled comic sense to reveal the modern world as it iswithout vision or knowledge. All characters of the story are in the illusion of fake identities. Even the names she chooses for each character help her to establish their significance in the story. The valise, which seemed to contain Bibles, in fact contains traditional sinful objectsalcohol, pornography, and condoms. She is a loving mother and tolerates her daughters disdain and irritation in every possible way. What hints are there to suggest that she's really just hiding the facade of her education and intelligence? The chasm between the two women is even further deepened by Mrs. Hopewell's attitude toward the Freeman girls as opposed to her attitude toward Hulga. Flannery O'Connor - Good Country People | Genius She is not even able to support her with it. Hulga is completely unprepared for any kind of romantic date, and immediately assumes the worstthat the Bible Salesman wont show up. Hulga, on the other hand, is outraged by this endless self-justification and agreement. Identity When he kisses her, she is pleased to discover that it is just a matter of the minds control. Before he tells her he loves her, her mind never stopped or lost itself for a second to her feelings. But operating in this way leaves her handicapped when she becomes vulnerable. The final irony in the story involves Mrs. Freeman's response: "Some can't be that simple. For all their self-righteousness and sense of superiority, Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Hopewell reveal themselves to be totally ignorant of the truth of the world around them. For instance, he develops empathy with Hulga and traps her the way she is willing to get stuck. Good Country People Themes | LitCharts . Choose the correct pronoun from those shown in parentheses. What is the significance of the title "Good Country People"? It also means that she seems more sensible and near to reality than the other ladies in the story. Now, Mrs. Hopewell wonders what was said between her daughter and Manley as Mrs. Freeman prattles on about her daughters. His comment, "People don't like to fool with country people like me," touches a hidden switch in Mrs. Hopewell, and she responds with a barrage of platitudes concerning good country people and the world's lack of sufficient numbers of that breed. Free, fun, and packed with easy-to-understand explanations! At ten oclock in the morning, Joy moves out on a date with Mr. Pointer. On Saturday morning, Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman inquire Hulga about her conversation with Manley the day before. Mrs. Hopewell is convinced that Joy pondered until she "hit upon the ugliest name in any language" and then legally changed her name. This is because she is looked down upon by Mrs. Hopewell. In this short story, Connor ironically depicts the contradictory natures of the characters of the discussed Southern society. Similarly, her ideas and intelligence does not help her when she needs them the most. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. "Everything That Rises Must Converge".