At birth, one does not get to choose a name. One’s name is assigned and one’s name turns into an identity. In many instances in Flannery O'Connor's short stories, names give away a character’s moral identity. Many of the names that Flannery O'Connor uses are ironic and provide insight on how she wants the character’s to be perceived. In the short story, Good Country People, a thirty-two year old crippled girl changed her name from Joy to Hulga because she believed it was an ugly name, eventually, Joy/Hulga will have an ugly realization about her moral character. In the short story, A Good Man Is Hard To Find, it is immediately established that the bad guy on the run, “The Misfit”, received his name for a reason. Throughout these short stories, …show more content…
Hulga judges her mother because Hulga has a PhD in philosophy and her mother is not educated. Although Hulga has a PhD in philosophy, she acts like she knows everything, but she does not even know herself. When a bible salesman comes to Hulga’s house, her mother invites the teenage boy into their house for dinner because she wants her daughter to get married. Hulga eventually warms up to the boy and they make plans together. Hulga plans to seduce Manly Pointer and believes that she has the intellectual ability to control him because he is a “Christian” and Hulga claims that she does not believe in anything. Hulga plans to manipulate Manly Pointer on their date, but does not recognize that she has actual feelings for him. However, Manly Pointer turns out to not be a Christian at all and only wanted to take advantage of Hulga. Manly Pointer tricks Hulga into taking off her leg and this makes her feel “entirely dependent on him” (289). Hulga put herself in a vulnerable position when she thought that she was in control of the situation. Manly Pointer is not a real Christian and in his “bible” are playing cards and alcohol and other non-Christian like items. His bible was a fake front that he used in order to get what he wanted. Manly Pointer’s name is ironic because he wanted to figuratively “point” Hulga into the right direction by having her get over herself and realize that she …show more content…
The birth name of “The Misfit” is not revealed. Having an escaped felon on the loose named “The Misfit” establishes a sense of suspense and impending doom at the beginning of the story. The story is about a family vacation down to Florida. The grandmother lives with her son and his family and was invited on this vacation. The grandmother brought her cat in the car with them. The grandmother was the first person to bring up “The Misfit” and that he was heading for Florida. It is established that the grandmother does not want to go to Florida in the first place and she uses “The Misfit” as an excuse. On the car ride, the grandmother tells of a an old manor that she once went to as a child and there “was a secret panel in [the] house” (123). The children were so persistent that the father made a detour to find the house. The grandmother realized that the place she remembered was in a different state, but refused to be wrong so she did not speak up. The grandmother’s realization lead the cat to jump out of its carrier and attack the father which made the car flip. While waiting for help, a van is emerging from the distance. “The Misfit” and his gang are in the van and the grandmother recognizes him. The Misfit tells the grandmother that “‘it would have been better for all of you, lady, if you hadn’t of reckernized me’” (127). If the grandmother had