A Good Country Character Analysis

Good Country People is a story about some country people who are not so good. Flannery O'Connor pulls readers in and immerses them in her story with concise wording and deeply rooted background information. The story centers around four characters: Hulga, Manley Pointer, Mrs. Hopewell, and Mrs. Freeman. O’Connor establishes parallels between Hulga and her mother and also between Mrs. Freeman and Manly Pointer. Hulga and Mrs. Hopewell are two very different people, but they are similar in the sense that they both believe that the world is much simpler than it actually is. Hulga lives as if there is no meaning to life beyond what one can see on the surface, which why she remakes her entire image after she loses her leg and why she does not believe in God. She believes that there is nothing defining her life except for her deformity. Mrs. Hopewell’s world is one where everything has to operate a certain way in order to be “correct.” She says that “everybody is different” and that “nothing is perfect,” but she is unable to bring herself to accept Hulga’s disability because Hulga does not fit into a world where cliches function as truth. While their worldviews are drastically different, the fact that they see the world as black and white and expect things to be tailored to their lives make them very similar. On the other hand, Mrs. Freeman and Manly Pointer are both perceived by Mrs. Hopewell to be good, even innocent, country people, but in fact, they are both very shrewd. If Hulga and Mrs. Hopewell are blind to the ways of the world, Mrs. Freeman and Manly Pointer are their opposites. To drive this point home, O’Connor gives Mrs. Freeman some similar traits to Pointer, such as a strange fascination with Hulga’s wooden leg. At the end of the story, Pointer reveals to Hulga that he is not as simple as she believed and that he was a con artist, leaving Hulga literally stripped of everything she once was. Then, in the last few paragraphs, Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman are talking and Mrs. Freeman says “some people can’t be that simple,” and “I know I never could.” Implying that she is not as good as Mrs. Hopewell makes her out to be.

Good Country Brothers

As Mr. Heidkamp mentioned in class, the Coen brothers are very big fans of Flannery O'Connor. In fact they enjoy her work so much that they incorporate many of the themes that she uses in her stories in their films.

One idea that the Coen brothers incorporate in their films is the idea of violence used in somewhat of a humorous manner. Many of their films use a comical kind of violence, for instance, The Big Lebowski has many points where the main character is getting beaten up and the audience is laughing. there is one scene where the main character the Dude is getting his head dunked in the toilet by two people who broke into his house and they persistently ask him "Where's the money Lebowski?!" to which the Dude would respond after being lifted out of the toilet "I think its down there somewhere, let me take another look."

This form of comical violence that is in The Big Lebowski resembles much of that that is in the O'Connor story Good Country People. In her story, a young one legged woman is robbed by a man who claimed to be a bible salesman who was only interested in stripping her of her fake leg. After he tricks her in to giving him the leg, he runs off and exclaims "I once stole a glass eye this way!"

In addition to using similar ideas to O'Connor, the Coen brothers also payed homage to her in their film O Brother Where Art Thou' in a scene where a bible salesman beats the two of the main characters with a log and takes all their money, just like the robbery in O'Connor's Good Country People.

"Where's the Money, Lebowski?!?" Clip:

Good Country People

In class, we discussed how Hulga (Joy) represents us, the readers, in the story "Good Country People." Hulga believes she is above her mother, the Freemans, and even Manly Pointer. She has intellect! And a PhD to prove it. We're educated and we have a preconceived idea of what country people are like, just like Hulga.

However, in class we failed to assess and analyze all of the superiority complexes in the story. In the beginning of the story, O'Connor begins by explaining the relationship between Mrs.Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman. Mrs. Freeman hires Mrs. Hopewell reluctantly because she is a nosy, annoying woman. Freeman feels that she is smarter and more clever than Mrs. Hopewell and uses the woman to the best of her abilities. Freeman describes Mrs. Hopewell and her family as innocent, good country people. Conversely, Mrs. Hopewell  believes that she holds insights that no one else has, showing that she feels superior to those around her, including Mrs. Freeman.

Like Hulga, Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freemen also consider Manly Pointer to be a kind, innocent country boy. In addition to feeling superior to Manly Pointer, Hulga also considers Mrs. Freeman's daughter to be too back country for her liking. She judges Carramae for marrying so young and Glynese for having so many suitors This story contains the illusions of all of many of the characters, although the focus of the story is on the relationship between Hulga and Manly Pointer.

As the readers, we relate most to Hulga because she most directly witnesses the exposure of a good country boy and through Hulga we are able to experience this event as well. However, she is not the only character in the story who has unfounded ideas about good country people.