Good Country People Character Analysis

Flannery O’Connor in Good Country People writes about a girl named Joy. She lives with her mother, Mrs. Hopewell in a big house with the maid, Mrs. Freeman and her two daughters, Glynese and Carramae that nicknamed Glycerin and Caramel by Joy. Although, Joy lost her leg when she was ten due to hunting accident and wears prosthetic leg, she managed to finish her school and earns her PhD. That proves her as a smart thirty-two years old mature woman, yet Mrs. Hopewell still treats her as a child. The treatment makes Joy so upset and she legally changes her name into Hulga, the ugliest name she could think of to upset the mother. Later in the story, a character is introduced as a Bible salesman with made-up name of Manley Pointer. Looked as a decent
and honest young fellow at first before shows his true malevolent nature of teasing and hurting the very feeling of Joy by snatching her prosthetic leg.
Reading this story makes me think of people who keep poking the soft spot of other people until it is no more. Pointer or whatever his real name is, pretends as a Bible salesman prey on old ladies planting sympathy and takes whatever pleases him. In this story, Pointer takes away the dignity of Joy, when she is vulnerable under passion. Joy never let anyone to touch her prosthetic leg before until Pointer persuades her with kisses and false affection. I do not know and do not understand why he does that. It is clear, that he collects things from his victims like a serial killer collects things as a memento.