Good Country People
Flannery O’Conner, uses her characters to formulate an event straight out of the old south, in her short story, Good Country People. The thick southern accents, littered with misspellings and poor grammar, add a flare to the various mentalities that led to an assault in one of the final scenes. We are first introduced to Mrs. Hopewell, the head of the home and, her adult daughter, Joy. We learn that Joy is a victim of a hunting accident that resulted in the loss of her leg and the onset of a dismal outlook. The hired help, Mrs. Freemen, is often observing in the kitchen. Her disengaged communication, seems to offset Mrs. Hopewell’s over reaching ability to turn a blind eye. When a bible salesman comes to the door, he is invited to stay through his charm and wit. Meanwhile, Joy, who is usually well guarded, …show more content…
As Joy is in pursuit of an identity, she changes her name to Hulga and assigns herself as an atheist. The silently, judging Mrs. Hopewell, thinks of the name as “a broad, blank hull of a ship” (2) and thinks of school as “just for fun.” (3). This helps to demonstrate the lack of support that Joy must feel from her mother. The dismissive attitude of Hulga, is not only directed at her mother, but towards others as well. When the bible salesman joins them for dinner, she doesn’t make eye contact with him nor will she respond to his remarks. This dynamic changes however, when the salesman is alone with her. At first, her responses begin short and hesitant. Her face remains expressionless when he asks how old she is. Then in a flat tone, she responds with a lie. She tells the salesman that she is only seventeen. I presume that she is lying, to not appear as pitiful as she feels, in her peculiar situation. It is not until the salesman begins to compliment her, do we see how vulnerable her disability makes her and how she hopes that he can fill that