She used black humor mixed with some of her religious beliefs, lots of irony, and extreme situations. In the story, she is the most authentic source for truth and reality. Mrs. Hopewell wonders about her daughters encounter with Manley Pointer, the Bibles salesman. In different ways, they are all hypocrites, claiming to honor and to have higher moral standards than they actually do. The final irony in the story involves Mrs. Freeman's response: "Some can't be that simple. The story itself narrates life as a mystery that remains a question for everyone whatever they think. When they reach the edge of the woods, he kisses her; she has never been kissed before and is not particularly impressed. For instance, she spends most of her time reading and goes for a walk occasionally. LitPriest is a free resource of high-quality study guides and notes for students of English literature. 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. His former record in farming is good and is approved by his last owner. This unique introduction sets the theme of her machine-like nature that shows Mrs. Freeman never surrenders to anyone and is a character that lives in the reality of the situation. Hulga and Manley in "Good Country People" by Flannery O'Connor are never honest with each other. 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. She is a believer in nothingness. She has named her daughter Joy because she is her only happiness in the world. She shows up at their private times i.e. At the same time, she considers herself above the surrounding people. Their major task is to talk in platitudes but Joy has more abstract and philosophic ideas. In a moment of seemingly immense insight, Hulga lashed out at her mother, yelling, "We are not our own light!" They enter a barn to sit down, and climb up a ladder to the loft. Subconsciously, she deeply desires something to which she might surrender herself, as she later does to Pointer's advances. Good Country People Lyrics Besides the neutral expression that she wore when she was alone, Mrs. Freeman had two others, forward and reverse, that she used for all her human dealings. Her forward. Mrs. Hopewell likes to praise Glynese and Carramae by telling people that they are "two of the finest girls" she knows, and she also praises their mother, Mrs. Freeman, as a lady whom "she was never ashamed to take . : Hulga, Manly Pointer, "Good Country People": Discussion Questions, AP Language Midterm Exam (Literary Terms/Devi, The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses, Literature and Composition: Reading, Writing,Thinking, Carol Jago, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses. As Hulga makes eggs, her mother wonders what she said to the Bible salesman who visited the day before. She comes to Mrs. Hopewells living place every morning to help make breakfast. Malebranche, a seventeenth-century Catholic philosopher, believed that even the simplest of bodily movements was possible only because of the supernatural power that was constantly present. Her first novel was "Wise Blood' in 1952. For example, the name "Hopewell" (hope well) characterizes both the mother and her daughter. Teachers and parents! On the contrary, Manley is apparently a hard believer of Christianity but in reality, he is quite far from being a true Christian. bookmarked pages associated with this title. Good Country People Summary & Analysis | LitCharts Mrs. Hopewell champions these people as the salt, The way characters understand other characters in Good Country People is often the opposite of how these characters truly are. CliffsNotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what you're studying, CliffsNotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. Then he kisses Joy while walking in the woods but she ignores the act. To make things worse, he kisses Joy, opens up his Bible which is hollow inside. What forces are pushing against the grandmother from without or within? Mrs. Hopewell reluctantly invites him for supper as she finds in him a person who resembles Joy due to his heart disease. Throw a missing leg into . Instead of rewarding her trust with kindness, he seizes on her moment of vulnerability to take her leg from her and keep it, committing the ultimate violation of her vulnerability. She had had plenty of experience with trash. Before the Freemans she had averaged one tenant family a year. The wives of these farmers were not For instance, she thinks of her daughter as a child which means that she keeps her under her command and does not let her live freely by herself. For example, Manley Pointer is manly as he is a sinful human being who is selfish for his means. Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# Being in power, Hopewell has the authority to shape a person according to her point of view. 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.. good and trash. He also flatters Hulgas sense of intellectual superiority to gain her interest. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. The story Good Country People is a compact and beautiful piece of work that materializes her statement by making it unique and interesting. We will see that Mrs. Hopewell is indeed infuriating in her sense of self-satisfaction and superiority, but Hulga also still acts like a surly teenager, despite her thirty-two years. Good country people are the salt of the earth!. We know, of course, that Mrs. Freeman is no fool when it comes to manipulating. 2023 Course Hero, Inc. All rights reserved. Manly Pointer She remembers their conversation from the evening before, during which she lied to him and said she was only seventeen years old, and he told her he thought she was real sweet. They connected about the fact that they both might die soon from a heart condition, and he invites her on a picnic for the next day. her wooden leg, to make her helpless and useless. Having reached the barn, the two climb into the loft, where Pointer actively begins to take control. Her vulnerable soul can be determined first from the weakness of her heart, as she is not wise and experienced, and secondly, from her fake leg, as she has no strong standing in the world of reality. Manley Pointer is a Bible salesman who seduces the extremely knowledgeable and unsocial Hulga Hopewell. Likewise, Hulga is named Joy by her mother as she wants her to be happy and fresh. 2. To continue, Manley also asks her to show him the place where her wooden leg is attached to her body. GradeSaver, 12 July 2010 Web. This makes her fall for Manleys good nature and agrees to show him her leg. In Good Country People, Mrs. Hopewell sees the people of her world as falling into a clear hierarchy. As OConnor says, A story is a way to say something that cant be said any other way, and it takes every word in the story to say what the meaning is. The story Good Country People is a compact and beautiful piece of work that materializes her statement by making it unique and interesting. The writing style of Good Country People is both descriptive and conversational. These names depict the meaning of their existence in the story-line. She is popular among boys and is proposed to by a man Harvey Hill but there is no information about her acceptance. 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 OConnors stories. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Literary Analysis of Good Country People by Flannery O' Connor Mr. Freeman is a farmer and tenant of Mrs. Hopewell. Previous Now, she sets off to meet him at the gate. But this characterization is important, since Mrs. Hopewell believes the Freemans to be good country people. Later, she decides that Manley must also come from good country people, which turns out to be a gross misconception. Ex. Likewise, the experienced and independent Mrs. Hopewell is blind to see the antagonism of Mrs. Freeman for herself. Then after supper, Mrs. Hopewell excuses him to make him end the meeting. He does not want a church marriage like Lyman but prefers an ordinary one. As Hulga is a professor in philosophy, she considers herself unique and qualified and others as illiterate fools. Joy looks helplessly at him going away and is quite upset.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'litpriest_com-leader-1','ezslot_5',112,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-litpriest_com-leader-1-0'); Both Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman observe him come out of the woods and lead towards the road. His only religion is his desires. Mrs. Hopewell creates her reality and follows it accordingly. Refine any search. Further, he inquires about her wooden leg where it joins her leg and seems quite interested in it but she does not respond actively. The story is set in the Southern part of the US in 1955. ). This is quite true of the real world also. I know I never could." The title of the story, Good Country People, is meant to be read ironically. . Mrs. Freemans good nature comes out by her attitude towards Hulga. However, her mother still calls her Joy out of her love for her daughter and considers her as a child. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Physically defeated, Hulga attempts to use her intellect to shame Pointer into returning the leg. What makes the title "Good Country People" ironic? Struggling with distance learning? Mrs. Hopewell had told Hulga, in simple, "good country" terms, that a smile on her face would improve matters ("a smile never hurt anything"). Some characters consider themselves superior to others while others do not recognize where they stand in life. Education When after a minute, she said in a hoarse high voice, "All right," it was like surrendering to him completely. For example, Mrs. Hopewell sets her standards for good and bad people. It is descriptive because mostly the main characters are discussed by Mrs. Hopewell as she describes Joys history and complains about her attitude. 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. Hulga, meanwhile, naturally scorns the Bible Salesman at first, but then feels a sudden burst of emotion when it seems like someone else might share her same heart condition. Oh, Manley Pointer. Carramae is Mrs. Freemans daughter who is fifteen years old. Both women are individuals who simplistically believe that what is wanted can be had although each of them is, in her own way, blind to the world as it really exists. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Mrs. Hopewell's daughter, Joy, is thirty-two years old and lost her leg in a childhood shooting accident. She is an independent lady and a successful landowner in the Southern part of the US in the 1950s with farmers and tenants working for her. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Good Country People Character Analysis | LitCharts She has very few options in life and is always trapped in awkward situations that further heighten her irritation for the world. LitCharts Teacher Editions. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Hulga is an atheist who refuses to allow her mother to keep a Bible in the family parlor. She also imagines that she takes his remorse and changes it into a deeper understanding of life. Faith Also, every person has a different approach to life. When he finally left, Hulga was standing in the road and he stopped near her to talk. Why did Flannery O'Connor choose an onion as the closing image in the story "Good Country People"? He also asks her to show him the place where her wooden leg joins her body. When Manley tells her that he likes her wooden leg because it makes her different, she felt as if her heart had stopped and left her mind to pump her blood. Her mind, of course, is incapable of this feat. She so resents her mothers phoniness that she causes her mother annoyance whenever possibleand acts very immature in the process. Their relationship seems to be moving towards the possibility of love in the beginning, but they part in a huge disillusionment later on. She also changed her name from Joy to Hulga when she was in college at twenty-one. Why does Hulga go on the picnic with Manley Pointer in "Good Country People"? She admires her daughters before Hulga and Mrs. Hopewell because Mrs. Freeman likes to make Hulga feel inferior and ordinary. He also carries his briefcase along with him. dinner which Mrs. Hopewell does not approve of. For instance, Hulga is irritant and moody due to the lack of care and love of a man. Thus, ironically, in pointing out her mother's "blindness," Hulga has revealed to us that she herself is blind about her own desires and her own view of reality. Sometimes Mrs. Freeman also joins them in the debates. I been believing in nothing ever since I was born. Then Manley packs up his things along with Joys wooden leg in his briefcase and throws it down. In his identity crisis, he wants to harm people to feel triumphant. Explain each character's ways of manipulation in "Good Country People.". What do you think of Hulga's conviction that intelligence and education are incompatible with religious beliefs? Their kiss Hulga's first is used by O'Connor to indicate that Hulga's plan may not go as smoothly as she imagines. She considers everyone inferior to her and reminds them of their lower class e.g. Instant PDF downloads. Although the Hopewells consider him as a simple, unintelligent, and inferior person but still he manages to gain their attention and fool them, quite ironic. For example, Mrs. Hopewell is a respected lady and a landowner. Good Country People as an Example of a Southern Gothic Literature 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. What characteristics of grotesque are used in "Good Country People"? Both of the characters whom Mrs. Hopewell describes as being good country people turn out not to fit that description at all. This illusion is induced in her mind first by her mother and then by Manley Pointer. Having made her commitment to Pointer, Hulga allows herself to indulge in a fantasy in which "she would run away with him and that every night he would take the leg off and every morning put it back on again." Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1725 titles we cover. The last two paragraphs of the story, concerning Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman, were added at the suggestion of O'Connor's editor. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. This boy, with an instinct that came from beyond wisdom, had touched the truth about her. Joy is an atheist and has a Ph.D. in philosophy but seems non-sensible to her mother, and in an act of rebellion against her mother, Joy changed her name to "Hulga," the ugliest name Mrs. Hopewell can imagine. He says that his disbelief in any religion is bigger than her disapproval of religious institutions and runs away. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. 10 Questions Show answers Question 1 30 seconds Q. Thus, the reader is left with the impression that Mrs. Hopewell will also have to undergo an epiphanal experience which will destroy the confidence she has in her ability to control and to use Mrs. Freeman. . Religion is only a medium to reach the target. On the contrary, the truth lies inside oneself. In "Good Country People," how does Hulga feel about her wooden leg. Morality In Flannery O Connor's Good Country People Her unwillingness to associate herself with those around her has made Hulga a very unlikeable person. Mrs. Hopewell survives in a self-made world of illusion, isolating herself from the real world by mouthing pseudo-philosophical, clichd maxims which only isolate her further from her daughter who has a Ph.D. in philosophy. What statement is Flannery OConnor trying to make by having Manley hide sexual items behind the cover of a Bible? The shallowness of daily life and the pointless conversations between Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman cause her constant annoyance. Hulga imagines that she is the one to seduce Manley to shed his religious shell and enter a freer world. Hulga's epiphany, or moment of grace, occurs as a result of Pointer's betrayal of her faith in him and his destruction of her intellectual pretensions. However, her illusion is shattered by the fraud of Manley who removes her wooden leg leaving her useless. Also like Hulga, OConnor was well educated and brilliant, but living in a relatively uneducated Southern environment. Good Country People by Flannery O'Connor Quiz - Quizizz Through the use of this narrative, she highlights the importance of the main characters and expects the readers to focus on these characters mainly. Is it significant that the story begins and ends with Mrs. Freeman? This description of Mrs. Freeman introduces, the idea that this story takes place in a world full of easy clichs and meaningless platitudes. Hulga is in constant contact with a vain but simple-minded mother and an apparently simple-minded but shrewd hired woman. 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. He had some conversation with Hulga about her religious beliefs but having atheistic thoughts, she negated his religiosity. Mrs. Hopewell is aware that Hulga disapproves of the Freeman girls, but she herself remains enchanted by them, totally unconscious of her own daughter's deep need to be accepted even though Hulga states that "If you want me, here I am LIKE I AM. Mrs. Hopewell considers Mrs. Freeman to be extremely nosy, but she knew that before she hired her and has dealt with this problem by making sure that it is Mrs. Freemans job to know everything; she is in charge of the whole household. From Hulga's point of view, the surrender of her leg was an intellectual decision; consequently, the destruction of her faith in the power of her own intellect can come only through betrayal by the one whom she rationally decided to believe in, to have faith in. . She does not make a distinction between good and bad people based on their character but judges them on the basis of their class. She doesnt know how to be without it, so she panics, and he ends up stealing it and abandoning her in the loft. Good country people. In the story, the main characters exhibit such features explicitly. 5. It seems odd that the story, whose focus is Hulga and her wooden leg, begins with a description of Mrs. Freeman and her interactions with Mrs. Hopewell. It is the same year OConnor wrote the story, therefore, one can assume that the place is somewhere in Georgia that is Connors home town. The Grandmother want to visit friends in Tennessee. The situation worsens when Manley Pointer, a Bible salesman shows up at their place. Incomplete Families: "The Drover's Wife," "The Chosen Vessel," and "Good Country People" The color imagery associated with Pointer as he leaves (blue, with heaven and heavenly love; green, with charity and regeneration of the soul), coupled with the image of walking on the water, would appear to indicate that O'Connor wishes the reader to see Pointer as an instrument of God's grace for Hulga. Hulgas seemingly religious epiphany is perhaps the most crucial moment of the story. Seeing this, Joy catches anger and calls him a hypocrite and a pretentious person who plays with religion. For example, Hulga is an intellectual character and the story ridicules her for her false admiration by the people around her because of her knowledge. He pretends to be entering her house accidentally but after meeting Hulga, he seduces her within no time. Similarly, the whole storyline is judgmental about the standard of good and wrong. Mrs. Hopewell lies about keeping a Bible at her bedside to give the impression that she is religious. Similarly, the writer begins the story with a descriptive note on Mrs. Freemans truck-like facial structure. PDF downloads of all 1725 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. That's life!". Similarly, Hulga and Mrs. Hopewell think of Manley Pointer as a simple and good man who cannot harm Hulga in any way. Pointer's final comment strips Hulga of her last resource her feeling of intellectual superiority. In every instance, the intellectual comes to realize that his belief in his ability to control his life totally, as well as control those things which influence it, is a faulty belief. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. On the contrary, he is the most deceptive and heartless person who deceives other people also. In the short story "Good Country People," how do the names of the characters symbolically represent thematic contrasts in the story, and what exactly is Hulga's greatest handicap? As the story is structured in the Southern part of the state, some factors depict the south gothic nature of the short story. However, she faces injury at a tender age that does not let her lead a happy life. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. She takes care of it as someone else might take care of his soul. She is a grumpy person who does not care for what others say or they are. Similarly, she realizes it to Mrs. Freeman at every point that Mrs. Hopewell is superior to her and she is nothing in front of Hopewell. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Hulgas insistence that she climb up to the loft indicates sensitivity regarding her artificial lega sensitivity which the Bible Salesman is now exploiting. (including. Mrs. Hopewell had no bad qualities of her own but she was able to use other people's in such a constructive way . She is used to reading a lot and prefers to live in isolation. This is because she is looked down upon by Mrs. Hopewell. This request leads Hulga to believe that she has "seduced him without even making up her mind to try.". In this respect, OConnor represents a miniature of the everyday social life. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Then the story shifts to the kitchen of Mrs. Hopewell. Chazelle, Damien ed. She would make these statements, usually at the table, in a tone of gentle insistence as if no one held them but her. He still refuses to give her her leg back; instead, he slams it inside his valise and climbs down the ladder, abandoning her in the loft. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. For instance, both Mrs. Freeman and Manley Pointer are seen as "good country people" by Mrs. Hopewell; both have a morbid interest in Hulga's wooden leg; both of them allow their "victims" to form an erroneous view of "good country people"; and finally, both Pointer and Mrs. Freeman are described as having steely eyes capable of penetrating Hulga's facade. Consequently, they will be prevented from the dodging world by living their way. This is because the doctors have advised her to take great care of her daughter as with the best of care, Joy might live to see forty-five. The name Pointer (manly), not his real name, functions as a semi-obscene pun on one level, and it comes to point out, on another level, the depths to which humanity might descend if it follows only its "manly" nature. Throughout the story, many identities are shown but by the end of the story the real identities of the characters are revealed. Hulga (like OConnor) sees through the hypocrisy of people like her mother, but she is able to offer little of her ownshe can only act against others, not for herself. -Graham S. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. 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). He masks his identity to gain his means from other people through foolery. Hulga has now undergone mortification, and Mrs. Hopewell appears to be facing a future revelation. She is married to Lyman and is pregnant. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. This supernatural power metaphorically functioned as the strings between the puppet master (the mind) and the puppet (the body). Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. . Good Country People Questions and Answers - eNotes.com It is precisely Hulga's Ph.D. degree in philosophy which creates a major problem between the two women. to anyone." Hulga sees herself as superior to and more intelligent than the men in the area, showing that she too sees a clear hierarchy of people with herself at the top. She is supposed to meet Manley at the gate at ten oclock, and she has been up thinking about it all night. Why do you think Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Hopewell are introduced before Hulga? . Hulgas view of the world and the people is completely different from what Manley makes of her. Good Country People Overview Quiz - eNotes.com You're just like them all say one thing and do another," only to hear Pointer tell her that he is not a Christian. . He takes obscene playing cards, alcohol, and prophylactics out of the book. In the last two stanzas of "Upon the Burning of Our House," Bradstreet compares heaven to a house. 4. "Good Country People" Flashcards | Quizlet Manley Pointer plays his role by removing Hulga's leg and setting it out of her reach. Explain your thoughts by using support from the text. The pink weeds and "speckled pink hillsides" (pink being the color symbolic of sensuality and the emotions) serve to emphasize how Hulga is slowly losing control of the situation.
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