A CRITICAL LOOK AT `GOOD COUNTRY PEOPL` BY FLANNERY O`CONNOR

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28 August 2006

Imperfection and Uniqueness in "Good Country People

In "Good Country People " Flannery O 'Connor writes a story that compares and contrast different ways of living one 's life . Through the story O 'Connor shows that an unnatural decision to chose atheism and nihilism over a common sense approach of accepting life and living it to the best of one 's ability will lead to an unhappy fulfilled life

The main character is Joy Hopewell . Joy is a thirty-two

year old single woman who lives with her mother . At the age of ten , Joy loses her leg in a hunting accident . This accident plays a pivotal role in Joy 's live . As a result of the accident , Joy becomes imperfect , not only physically which can minimized with a wooden leg , but in her personality . Joy is rude , self-centered , and uses her disfigurement to turn inward away from others . She lacks self-confidence and common sense . She studies philosophy at university and is awarded a PhD in philosophy . When Joy turned twenty-one , she legally changed her name to Hulga , a name she chooses because it sounds ugly to her . Clearly she no longer has any joy . Hulga claims to be an atheist , but in reality she is more of a nihilist . She doesn 't believe in God , but she doesn 't seem to believe in anything at all

Hulga /Joy has a weak heart that she claims prevents her from teaching philosophy at a university where people will understand what she is talking about . Given the sedentary nature of being a philosophy professor , this "reason " seems more of an excuse that allows her to wallow in her unhappiness . Although Hulga physically has a weak heart she has one figuratively as well . She has never been able to give her heart to anything or anyone , so she has given it to nothing . Hulga has emphasized the intellectual side of her life at the expense of the emotional and physical . What she can 't deal with she turns away from She abandons the physical part of her life when her leg is destroyed she abandons the emotional side when refuses to give herself to anything . theless , it is clear that Hulga longs to be one of the "Good Country People " Given the opportunity to walk out with the trickster Bible salesman Manley Pointer , she quickly decides to go . She imagines that she will seduce Manley and be in control of him

When the encounter develops differently than she expected , with Manley gaining control over her , Hulga feels lost . of education helps her Hulga loses her wooden leg and glasses and is , temporarily unable to walk or see . Interestingly , as Zaharick points out this incident calls to mind the Bible verses in Matthew 5 :29-30 (Zaharick . Hulga 's life has been hampered by her nihilistic beliefs caused by her reading of philosophy and the loss of her leg has caused her to turn...