Mrs. Hopewell owns a farm in rural Georgia which she runs with the assistance of her tenants, Mr. and Mrs. Freeman. 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. We are required to make an inference about Mrs Hopewell based on the story's settings.. She takes care of it as someone else might take care of his soul. 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. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. 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. She doesnt know how to be without it, so she panics, and he ends up stealing it and abandoning her in the loft. Religion is only a medium to reach the target. The ever-present hostility which exists between Hulga and her mother is undoubtedly aggravated by the presence of Mrs. Freeman, whom Hulga's mother idealizes as an example of "good country people." OConnor depicts the society that bestows false praises upon its members of intelligence or prestige. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. 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. What is Manley Pointer's motive for humiliating Hulga? What characteristics of grotesque are used in "Good Country People"? All characters of the story are in the illusion of fake identities. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. The way the content is organized and presented is seamlessly smooth, innovative, and comprehensive." Get LitCharts A + The daughter of Mrs. Hopewell, Hulga is intelligent, intellectual, and cynical. Ordinarily, she remains in forward: staring straight ahead. Despite being the chaste sections of society, some characters exhibit conflicting and false appearances. Joyce, Meghan. The story is set in the Southern part of the US in 1955. 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. to anyone." The inference that can be made from the excerpt is "It is located on a wide, isolated expanse of farmland".. Joy lives with her mother only because of her weak heart. Choose the correct pronoun from those shown in parentheses. 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. Remember that until this moment, Hulga has subscribed to an atheistic viewpoint. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Flannery O'Connor - Good Country People | Genius The short story Good Country People is not overloaded with the idea of positive aspects of love, but it shows how love affects life in every respect. Explain. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Mrs. Hopewell happily buys into this impression, seeming to congratulate herself for recognizing good character and, once again, reinforcing her highly conventional perception of the social hierarchy with herself at the top. Eventually, Mrs. Hopewell brings up the Bible salesman, and Mrs. Freeman mentions that she saw him leave; clearly, she saw him talking to Hulga as well. Most of the story is set in Mrs. Hopewells kitchen. Good Country People Literary Analysis - GraduateWay For example, when she meets Manley, Hulga disapproves of his religious ideas but she still believes that he is good and sincere. She admires her daughters before Hulga and Mrs. Hopewell because Mrs. Freeman likes to make Hulga feel inferior and ordinary. Its suggested that Hulga wasnt as cynical as she thought she was, and she is now punished for her act of faith and vulnerabilitypunished by someone who better sees the harsh truth of life, and in his cynicism is totally deceitful, atheistic, and amoral. "Good Country People" - CliffsNotes bookmarked pages associated with this title. Good Country People Summary & Analysis Next Themes Themes and Colors Key Summary Analysis The story begins with a description of Mrs. Freeman, a woman working on a farm in rural Georgia. . Hulga is in constant contact with a vain but simple-minded mother and an apparently simple-minded but shrewd hired woman. In philosophical terms, she is a nihilist. Presently, while Freeman discusses her daughters, Joy takes her breakfast to the table so that her mother may not find the chance to ask about the salesman. Refine any search. When Mrs. Hopewell reads one of her daughters science books, the words worked on Mrs. Hopewell like some evil incantation in gibberish. She tells Manley that she doesnt believe in God. Mrs. Hopewells willingness to introduce the Freeman family around town is presented as surprisingin the world where this story takes place, class and status place people into a clear hierarchy. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Mrs. Hopewell had no bad qualities of her own but she was able to use other people's in such a constructive way . money, food, useless accessories, etc. A short story Good Country People is a striking example of a Southern Gothic literature. In both cases, Mrs. Hopewell creates her reality and lives in her standards ignoring the reality of life. He tries to get her to drink some liquor, but she rebuffs his advances. Manley, Manley, Manleyit might take Hulga a while to realize what a slippery trickster you are, but we're onto you from almost the moment you arrive on the page. Joy thinks that she has seduced Manley to become a freer man but on the contrary, he has entrapped her. This depicts the psychological condition of Hulga who is trapped in such a rural area among her narrow-minded companions. In the end, her education fails her badly in the class difference. On Saturday morning, Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman inquire Hulga about her conversation with Manley the day before. At the bottom is a group of people she calls trash, whom she describes as poor, uncultured, and essentially criminal. Hulga does not like this idea but he confesses that this is the thing that he likes in her because this distinguishes her unique nature. She considers her old tenants as trash while the new ones are good. Mrs. Freeman responds, "Some can't be that simple . Hulga makes eggs while her mother considers how she probably should not have earned a Ph.D. in philosophy, since it has not brought her any good. 5. Likewise, Mrs. Hopewell has no reverence or love for her religion or Bible and she doesnt care about such things. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Similar is the case with Mrs. Freeman who considers existence as pretensions and disturbing others in their comfort zones. realized that nothing is perfect and that in the Freemans she had good country people and that if, in this day and age, you get good country people, you had better hang onto them. That statement, as Mrs. Hopewell knows, is something that "ended with the Greeks and Romans. In naming the characters, OConnor uses symbols according to their true features. Good Country People offers few glimpses of true, authentic faith. In different ways, they are all hypocrites, claiming to honor and to have higher moral standards than they actually do. She is a thirty-two years old lady with a degree in philosophy. Similarly, Hulga and Mrs. Hopewell think of Manley Pointer as a simple and good man who cannot harm Hulga in any way. dinner which Mrs. Hopewell does not approve of. Previous Accordingly, they think and hope that their lifestyle in the world will lead them well and that they live in a way that is moral and better for them. Another aspect of Hulgas personality is her disbelief in God. Mrs. Hopewell watched from afar, but could not hear what is said. Manley Pointer. 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. document.write(new Date().getFullYear());Lit Priest, Literary Devices used in Good Country People, 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.. Connor sets up a conflicting argument between the staunch believers and disbelievers of Christianity. She would make these statements, usually at the table, in a tone of gentle insistence as if no one held them but her. For example, the name "Hopewell" (hope well) characterizes both the mother and her daughter. It is descriptive because mostly the main characters are discussed by Mrs. Hopewell as she describes Joys history and complains about her attitude. The Bible Salesmans theft of Hulgas leg represents a desecration of her most private boundaries. OConnor is a writer who highlights the importance of love by portraying its darker shade and then singling out its positive aspects. OConnor depicts the society that bestows false praises upon its members of intelligence or prestige. As she attempts to get away from him, he mentions that he is just a poor country boy with a heart condition. After dinner, Manley overstayed his welcome telling Mrs. Hopewell about his poor family for two hours. Although Pointer may seem an unlikely candidate for the role of grace-bringer, O'Connor, in commenting on the action of grace in her stories, has noted that "frequently it is an action in which the devil has been the unwilling instrument of grace.". In this short story, Connor ironically depicts the contradictory natures of the characters of the discussed Southern society. For example, Mrs. Hopewell is always hopeful about life. Further, he inquires about her wooden leg where it joins her leg and seems quite interested in it but she does not respond actively. To Hulga, there is no god and there is no afterlife; man is all. Manley takes Hulga to the barn and kisses her. Gothic tales really bring the creep factor, sometimes featuring characters imprisoned in small, enclosed, remote spacesyou know, like the barn loft where the climax of the story takes place. 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. Hulga's own attitude toward the two Freeman girls is one of repulsion. She is popular among boys and is proposed to by a man Harvey Hill but there is no information about her acceptance. . At the same time, she considers herself above the surrounding people. Hulgas seemingly religious epiphany is perhaps the most crucial moment of the story. He only uses religion to gain materialistic ends e.g. The other characters are mainly presented through the eye of their minds. "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. However, she is dependent upon her mother due to her physical illness. Hulga's eyes, she says, are "icy blue, with the look of someone who has achieved blindness by an act of will and means to keep it.". 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? Why does Hulga agree to meet with Manley Pointer? Their relationship seems to be moving towards the possibility of love in the beginning, but they part in a huge disillusionment later on. When she asks that he return it, he refuses, and from a hollowed-out Bible (emblematic perhaps of his own religious condition), he produces whiskey, prophylactics, and playing cards with pornographic pictures on them. He masks his identity to gain his means from other people through foolery. She has named her daughter Joy because she is her only happiness in the world. . He has also taken other peoples important things as his commodity. O'Connor uses the final paragraphs of the story to make clear the parallel which she established earlier between Hulga and her mother. and let's eat.". She comes to Mrs. Hopewells living place every morning to help make breakfast. The easygoing chatter between Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman contrasts with Hulgas sense of seriousness about life. His religious devotion even shames Mrs. Hopewell into claiming (falsely) that she has a Bible at her bedside. "The Displaced Person", Next For example, Mrs. Hopewells idea of good people is itself contradictory. The story begins with a description of Mrs. Freeman, specifically concerning her interactions with Mrs. Hopewell. She is used to reading a lot and prefers to live in isolation. As in O'Connor's story "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," a strangerdeceptively polite but ultimately evilintrudes upon a family with destructive consequences. Mrs. Hopewell wants her daughter to be happy and well dressed. but I guess the world would be better off if we were all that simple." OConnor also depicts a class conflict in her story Good Country People. In supper, Mr. Pointer discusses his family and his eagerness to help people. He disguises himself as a good country person and an agreeable man for the educated Hulga. She also calls Hulga by her proper name when her mother is out of sight. in the end, he is the one who fools her and leaves her helpless. Her bitter personality can be seen as the result of her harsh experiences also. Also, Hulga is a character who has deep philosophical thoughts and abstract ideas. Her forward. There they discuss important matters of their lives i.e. He sets up a controlled game and plays with the intelligence of those high-class women. In Good Country People, Mrs. Hopewell sees the people of her world as falling into a clear hierarchy. Now, Mrs. Hopewell wonders what was said between her daughter and Manley as Mrs. Freeman prattles on about her daughters. Good Country People Summay, Themes, Characters, & Analysis | LitPriest Some characters consider themselves superior to others while others do not recognize where they stand in life. She is also given the important task of opening and closing the text which gives her a crucial place in the story. Not affiliated with Harvard College. She is a grumpy person who does not care for what others say or they are. Her major flaw is her blindness towards the reality of people. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. What is the conclusion of "Good Country People" by Flannery O'Connor? The Bible Salesman has drawn Hulgas attention by being differentmore sincere, she thinksthan the other people Hulga knows, and by directly commenting on her artificial leg. She also thinks of young men as stupid and useless (because she is intelligent and philosophic). She reluctantly agrees to his demands because she does not want to lose what he is offering. When the Grandmother remembers an old plantation that she thinks used to be in the area they are traveling, Bailey does not want to take a detour to go find it. Throw a missing leg into . Sometimes Mrs. Freeman also joins them in the debates. However, her foil, Joy considers life as a meaningless existence. She was born Joy, and her mother refuses to call her by her legal name, Hulga, which she chose for its ugliness. Prior to his betrayal of her, Hulga considered herself to be the intellectual superior of all those around her. "Good Country People" doesn't quite rise to the level of a horror story, but there are many gothic elements. For instance, Hulga is irritant and moody due to the lack of care and love of a man. He also flatters Hulgas sense of intellectual superiority to gain her interest. but I guess the world would be better off if we were all that simple," is as wrong as Hulga's earlier assessment of Pointer. He removes her glasses but she does not seem to notice. In fact, Mrs. Hopewell is so blind to reality that she believes that she can "use" Mrs. Freeman. For instance, he develops empathy with Hulga and traps her the way she is willing to get stuck. In "Good Country People," how does O'Connor use situational irony to show the motivations of the characters? "Good Country People". He arrived with a large valise, apparently lugging around Bibles to sell, and charmed Mrs. Hopewell with his simple-mindedness. Manley Pointer also hides his identity from the people because he does not consider others trustworthy. Education There they talk about some important matters every day. They lie against the hay and Manley kisses her again. What do you think of Hulga's conviction that intelligence and education are incompatible with religious faith? For instance, OConnors interpretation is hugely interwoven with a meaningful expression of different aspects of life. She also thinks about her meeting with the salesman at ten and their previous days conversation. The loss of Hulga's glasses symbolically marks her total loss of perception, and she begins to return his kisses, "kissing him again and again as if she were trying to draw all the breath out of him." Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. Mrs. Hopewell is embarrassed and angry about her daughter's behavior, but she knows that she must ultimately accept it because of the hunting accident which cost Joy her leg when she was ten. 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. had been of that kind," she says. On the contrary, he is the most deceptive and heartless person who deceives other people also. 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. Hulga is an atheist who refuses to allow her mother to keep a Bible in the family parlor. Likewise, the experienced and independent Mrs. Hopewell is blind to see the antagonism of Mrs. Freeman for herself. . She decided that for the first time in her life she was face to face with real innocence. She has a heart illness, as well as a wooden leg that she wears since childhood when she was shot in a hunting accident. 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.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'litpriest_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',102,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-litpriest_com-medrectangle-4-0'); OConnors depiction of characters and actions is so complex and multifold that it becomes hard to follow their contradictory natures. As she says that Manleys observation of her is like encountering a new fantastic animal at the zoo. What hints are there to suggest that she's really just hiding the facade of her education and intelligence? Mrs. Hopewell's daughter, Joy, is thirty-two years old and lost her leg in a childhood shooting accident. 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. Similarly, Hulga and Mrs. Hopewell think of Manley Pointer as a simple and good man who cannot harm Hulga in any way. It was like losing her own life and finding it again, miraculously in his. 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. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. 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 is reluctant to tell them about her present date walk with him. Flannery O'Connor was a writer from the twentieth century who made her characters inflexible, ignorant, and with too much pride. That's life!". Whereas she moves through everyday life protecting herself with arrogance and intellectual superiority, here she makes herself completely vulnerableand in that moment of vulnerability, she accesses a more spiritual state of being, something which Flannery OConnor might call grace. This is the one true act of authentic faith in the story, and even OConnors language in describing it echoes that of the Bible: Jesus says, whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.. Manley packs up her wooden leg and his other possessions in his valise. For example, O'Connor uses the day of Hulga's "enlightenment" in order to create parallels between Mrs. Freeman and Manley Pointer, while the flashbacks to the events of the previous day establish the parallels which exist between Hulga and her mother. She is very quick to speak her mind, and takes pleasure in mocking her mother's religious beliefs. 2. This further distances their relationship. At ten oclock in the morning, Joy moves out on a date with Mr. Pointer. Joy thinks that Manley is the most simple and loving person she has ever met. In the story, the main characters exhibit such features explicitly. Summary and Analysis Mrs. Hopewell's analysis of Pointer, "He was so simple . She thought that she was savvy and saw through to nothing, perceiving the hypocrisy inherent in most perfect Christians, but the Bible Salesman mocks her for being surprised by his sinful behavior, as if believing that he might be genuinely religious was nave and childish on her part. However, in this illusion of nothingness, she does believe in good and bad. 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. Good Country People as an Example of a Southern Gothic Literature . It questions the idea of goodness, what are the standards for good qualities and why are some people considered good or bad. It also means that she seems more sensible and near to reality than the other ladies in the story. She is not even able to support her with it. Seeing this, Joy catches anger and calls him a hypocrite and a pretentious person who plays with religion. She is a loving mother and tolerates her daughters disdain and irritation in every possible way. Now, she sets off to meet him at the gate. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. What religious values are in "Good Country People" by Flannery O'Connor? Although Hulga tries to continue her "indoctrination" of the youth by explaining that she is "one of those people who have seen through to nothing," Pointer ignores her comments and continues to woo her, kissing her passionately and insisting that she tell him that she loves him. 4. For example, Manley Pointer is manly as he is a sinful human being who is selfish for his means. How is "Good Country People"related to Marxist criticism? Also, we can trace the year of happening from Harvey Hills car who is the suitor of Glynese. He withdraws Hulgas leg and keeps it aside. Why were the Wakatsukis sent to Manzanar? (including. Hulga imagines that she is the one to seduce Manley to shed his religious shell and enter a freer world. In Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People," what is the tone of the piece? . She also imagines that she takes his remorse and changes it into a deeper understanding of life. 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." 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. What is the significance of the title "Good Country People"? He says that his disbelief in any religion is bigger than her disapproval of religious institutions and runs away. She used to be insecure about her wooden leg, but now she reveres it as her defining quality, besides her education. . On the other hand, the style is also conversational because there are several discussions and dialogues among the story members i.e. However, she does not intend to lose these good people, so she keeps calm. In the 19-20th century, class conflict was one of the major issues of English society. The other day, Mr. Pointer called at their house. Pointer's trunk He asks joy whether they can find a comfortable place to sit down. "The Enduring Chill" Summary and Analysis, "The Artificial Nigger" Summary and Analysis. Instead, during their interactions, she tries to maintain control of her mind. Like the god Vulcan (who is himself disabled), Hulga imagines herself alone, toiling away at work that others will never appreciate. ", Hulga's manner of dress also contributes to the vast misunderstanding that exists between the two women. However, Joy does not pay attention to him after greeting him. He asks about her Christianity and when she disapproves of it, he is shocked. and any corresponding bookmarks? Good Country People Summary & Analysis | LitCharts Many writers portrayed it in their works. In "Good Country People," why is it significant that Mrs. Hopewell's daughter has two names? Hulga is vulnerable when it comes to her own identity: when Mrs. Freeman calls her Hulga, she reacts as if it were a violation of her privacy, even though that is the name she chose for herselfbecause she chose the name to assert her agency and mock others, and doesnt want anyone else to be in on the joke. Read the Study Guide for Flannery O'Connors Stories, Tempus Fugit: A Different View of Southern Hospitality, Conflicting Identity Schemas in Everything That Rises Must Converge, Flannery O'Connor's Intellectuals: Exposing Her World's Narrow "Field of Vision", A Grave Mistake: The Irony of Sheppard's Selfishness, View our essays for Flannery O'Connors Stories, Introduction to Flannery O'Connor's Stories, View the lesson plan for Flannery O'Connors Stories, View Wikipedia Entries for Flannery O'Connors Stories. Undesirable personality How does the grandmother talk Bailey into going to the plantation? Hulgas insistence that she climb up to the loft indicates sensitivity regarding her artificial lega sensitivity which the Bible Salesman is now exploiting. Teachers and parents! The Grandmother want to visit friends in Tennessee. . Its suggested that something romantic passed between Hulga and the Bible Salesman outside, and Hulga wants to avoid her mothers nosy questions about it. : 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. One does not only need education for a better life, experience matters more. In the story, Manley can be considered as a predator who aims at harming Hulga. On the other hand, if she did not believe in goodness, she would not have felt betrayed by his fraud. ). Joy suggests that they can be at ease in the barn. Pointer's final comment strips Hulga of her last resource her feeling of intellectual superiority. 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 Read the excerpt from "Good Country People." Mrs. Hopewell liked to Mrs. Hopewell would probably be pleased that her daughter was going on a date with such a nice boy, which is precisely why Hulga keeps it a secretshe doesnt want to give her mother any satisfaction. Before the Freemans, no workers would live with Mrs. Hopewell for more than about a year because they would not suit her idea of good people. She is a practical and hardworking lady and despite her upper social standing, she works with her workers in the field and at home. Being in power, Hopewell has the authority to shape a person according to her point of view. Through the use of this narrative, she highlights the importance of the main characters and expects the readers to focus on these characters mainly.