Analytical Illusions In Flannery O Connor's Good Country People

Have you ever seen one of those optical illusion pictures where you see one thing, then if you keep looking you may be able to see something completely different? It is amazing how something so obvious to some could be hard to see to others. Hulga Hopewell met a seemingly innocent Bible salesman, Pointer Manley. Manley portrayed himself as a good country person with a heart condition just trying to be a missionary. Hulga did not see past the illusion he was painting for her and she began to trust him. No sooner did she start to open up, did Manley shed his façade and reveal his lying and thieving ways. “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor gives us a glimpse into reality vs illusions. O’Connor used a third person narrative point of …show more content…
O’Connor lets readers see into the minds of Hulga and her mother, but Mrs. Freeman and Manley are mostly viewed through Hulga and Mrs. Hopewell’s eyes. The narrator is judgmental, but also alerts readers to the problems Hulga faces that are beyond her control. The problems are not excuses, but they do isolate Hulga. With all of the characters trying to portray something they are not, the narrator gives us an inside look. We can trust the narrator when we don’t know if we can trust the …show more content…
Could there be another side of this person that you just are not seeing yet? Hulga didn’t see Manley’s bad side and allowed him to take advantage and hurt her. She thought she was much smarter and cunning than the Bible salesman, but it turned out she was the one getting taught a lesson. “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor showed readers a hard lesson to learn, seeing reality vs illusions. The narrator allowed us to see the insecurities and vulnerabilities of a woman putting on a tough illusion. Hulga had to learn a very important life lesson in a very hard way, but that doesn’t mean that we need to learn it the same