Hopewell describes “good country people” as
people who are “not trash
.” She repeatedly says they are the “salt of the earth.” It becomes clear as the story unfolds that she considers people she can control as “good country people.” They are people onto whom she can project her own ideas (or fantasies) of who they are …
What is the meaning behind good country people?
The main themes in “Good Country People” are
social status, Christianity, and innocence versus experience
. Social Status: Manley Pointer’s description of himself as a “country boy” puts the Hopewells at ease and makes them vulnerable to his deception, emphasizing the unique social landscape of the rural South.
What is the effect of O Connor’s use of the phrase good country people?
The use of this phrase throughout the story not only has the effect of pointing out the fact that the “good country people”
are really “bad country people”
but it also emphasizes O’Connor’s theme of grace, which is Biblically based. Grace is unmerited favor, given by God to sinners – people that do not deserve it.
What does Hulga represent in Good Country People?
Her name is symbolic because she is a good Christian woman. She has a daughter, Joy, who has changed her name to Hulga to represent
how ugly she feels, she has a wooden leg
. Mrs. Hopewell, has a troubled daughter who does not believe in God, but her mother hopes that her daughter will embrace the faith.
Why does Hulga seduce Manley?
The central conflict in this story is between Hulga, who believes herself to be vastly superior to everyone around her, and the Bible salesman, Pointer, whom Hulga and her mother at first take to be simple, naive “good country people.” Hulga wants to seduce Pointer
to shatter his alleged innocence, both physical and
…
Do you ever look inside and see what you are not?
Do you ever look inside and see what you are not?
God
!” [..] “Malebranche was right: we are not our own light. We are not our own light!”[5]. … According to this premise, all reason, knowledge and wisdom of man comes from God, but not from his ability of thinking and reasoning.
Did you ever look inside yourself and see what you are not?
Do you ever look inside and see what you are not? God!” she had cried sinking down again and staring at her plate, “Malebranche was right:
we are not our own light
. We are not our own light!” Mrs. Hopewell had no idea to this day what brought that on.
What does Hulga need to realize about herself?
Expert Answers
Joy-Hulga has an
incredible sense of superiority over everyone around her
. She is college educated with a degree in philosophy and that alone makes her different and “better” than her mother Mrs. Hopewell or the tenant worker, Mrs. Freeman.
What ironies does Hulga not realize about herself?
Hulga realizes that she has
a “weak heart” physically
, but she has no idea just how weak her heart is spiritually and in terms of compassion and concern for other people.
What does Manley steal from Hulga?
Hulga fantasizes about seducing him, but in the end, Manley is the one who seduces her. He leads her into a barn loft, steals
her prosthetic leg
, and abandons her.
How does Hulga see salvation?
A life without faith is a life without meaning. How does Hulga see salvation? c.
She says that there’s nothing to see.
What does the wooden leg in good country people symbolize?
The leg has come to represent
her soul
: it is what makes her unique, and it is what makes her vulnerable. … We can regard this “wooden part of her soul” as the part of Hulga that depends on philosophy and cynicism.
How old was joy when she lost her leg?
Freeman. Mrs. Hopewell’s daughter, Joy, is
thirty-two years old
and lost her leg in a childhood shooting accident.
What is Manley pointers job?
Manley is
a traveling Bible salesman
, which sounds great until we’re told that he’s “from out in the country around Willohobie, not even from a place, just near a place” (40).
What does it mean to look deep inside yourself?
Introspection
means “to look inside,” and describes the act of thinking about your own actions or inner thoughts. When you examine what you do, say, think or feel and how it affects your life and the lives of others, that’s introspection.
What does look inside yourself mean?
To look inside means
to discover your beliefs
, your thoughts, and your feelings about something. To look inside means you will discover and acknowledge how you want to be treated, how you want people to see you, and how you want to treat others.
