Characters in Good Country People by Flannery OConnor

Table of Contents

Mrs. Hopewell
Hulga
Manley Pointer
Conclusion
Reference

Good Country People is a short story written by an American novelist and essayist Flannery OConnor and published in 1955. In the story, OConnor portrays the conflicting natures of people living in the American South with irony and wit. A case can be made for three of the four main characters being not who they seem to be: these are Mrs. Hopewell, Hulga, and Manley Pointer.

Mrs. Hopewell

Mrs. Hopewell is someone who, at first sight, appears a kind, patient, and overall good person. However, her own view of what good people are is rather questionable: she judges one based on their social class and not their character. Mrs. Freeman can barely be tolerated by anyone, but Mrs. Hopewell considers her and her family good because they are good country people (OConnor, 1955). In addition to that, when Joy Hopewell decides to change her name, Mrs. Hopewell does not wish to accept it. That is, the lady of the house has her own standards in accordance with which she lives and does not want to see past them.

Hulga

Then there is Joy, or Hulga, an atheist with a wooden leg and a Ph. D. in philosophy who rebels against the traditional southern expectations. She seems reasonable, sharp, and unaffected by anything, but when a man pays attention to her for the first time, her limits are softened and her mind is clouded. It shows that Hulga is not as much of an atheist and a rational thinker as she thought herself to be; deeply inside she has always wanted to surrender herself to something.

Manley Pointer

Manley Pointer is the storys most vivid example of the distinction between appearance and reality. He acts like a naive simpleton to come into peoples homes, buy into their trust and sell them Bibles. In fact, he is a disingenuous and heartless individual who uses this cover to deceive people. He tricks Hulga by breaking through her self-protection and stealing her wooden leg and teaches a very important lesson: do not judge a book by its cover.

Conclusion

In conclusion, one of Good Country People s main themes is the distinction between peoples true nature and false expressions. While with the character of Pointer it is demonstrated most evidently, the examples of Mrs. Hopewell and Hulga show that anyone can be not what they seem. Therefore, one is never to make definite inferences when it comes to others and always leave room for doubt.