Good Country People Literary Analysis
Erika Fuller
“Good Country People” Flannery O’Connor’s dismissal of the outside world allows you to understand more of the symbolic quality of all of the active characters. Even the names she chooses for each character help her to establish their significance in the story. O’Connor uses symbolism, good versus evil and the psychological and physiological problems of the characters to create irony in “Good Country People”. O’Connor also uses Biblical parallels for inspiration to depict events in the story. All of O’Connor’s stories have characters that aren’t your typical run of the mill people; she also uses a lot of symbolism and irony in her characters physical appearances. The story is divided into four distinct sections which helps emphasize the relationships between the four main characters. O’Connor is able to establish subtle parallels between Mrs. Hopewell and Joy/Hulga, and Pointer and Mrs. Freeman by dividing the story into these sections. It also allows her to show the different sides of each character. All of these writing techniques help her establish depth in her story and she uses these techniques in nearly all of her stories. “There is very little going on of consequence in the action plot, but massive movement in the character arc” (Jones). In “Good Country People” O’Connor uses a third person narrator to tell the story of various women. First the narrator introduces two families or very different social stance. Mrs. Hopewell is a widow who lives a life dictated by social accuracy and her daughter Joy/Hulga who only lives with her mother in a physical sense. The name "Hopewell" characterizes both Mrs. Hopewell and her daughter. Both women are individuals who simplistically believe that what they want can be had — although each of them is, in her own way, blind to the world as it really exists. Both women fail to see that the world (because it is a fallen world) is a mixture of good and evil. This misperception leads them to assume that the
“Good Country People” Flannery O’Connor’s dismissal of the outside world allows you to understand more of the symbolic quality of all of the active characters. Even the names she chooses for each character help her to establish their significance in the story. O’Connor uses symbolism, good versus evil and the psychological and physiological problems of the characters to create irony in “Good Country People”. O’Connor also uses Biblical parallels for inspiration to depict events in the story. All of O’Connor’s stories have characters that aren’t your typical run of the mill people; she also uses a lot of symbolism and irony in her characters physical appearances. The story is divided into four distinct sections which helps emphasize the relationships between the four main characters. O’Connor is able to establish subtle parallels between Mrs. Hopewell and Joy/Hulga, and Pointer and Mrs. Freeman by dividing the story into these sections. It also allows her to show the different sides of each character. All of these writing techniques help her establish depth in her story and she uses these techniques in nearly all of her stories. “There is very little going on of consequence in the action plot, but massive movement in the character arc” (Jones). In “Good Country People” O’Connor uses a third person narrator to tell the story of various women. First the narrator introduces two families or very different social stance. Mrs. Hopewell is a widow who lives a life dictated by social accuracy and her daughter Joy/Hulga who only lives with her mother in a physical sense. The name "Hopewell" characterizes both Mrs. Hopewell and her daughter. Both women are individuals who simplistically believe that what they want can be had — although each of them is, in her own way, blind to the world as it really exists. Both women fail to see that the world (because it is a fallen world) is a mixture of good and evil. This misperception leads them to assume that the
Cited: "Flannery O ' Connor 's "Good Country People" Essay." BookRags. BookRags. 06 Oct. 2012 <http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2003/7/1/214939/3918/>. Holy Bible: The new King James version, containing the Old and New Testaments. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Bibles, 1982. Jones, Patricia. "An Analysis of Flannery O 'Connor 's Good Country People." Yahoo! Contributor Network. 7 May 2007. Yahoo.Voices. 06 Oct. 2012 <http://voices.yahoo.com/an-analysis-flannery-oconnors-good-country-people-331673.html?cat=9>. O 'Connor, Flannery. 1955. "O 'Connor 's Short Stories By Flannery O 'Connor Summary and Analysis "Good Country People"" O 'Connor 's Short Stories: Summary and Analysis: "Good Country People" 06 Oct. 2012 <http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/oconnor-short-stories/summary-analysis/good-country-people.html>.