Disabled Characters In Flannery O Connor's Good Country People

Superior Essays
Literature not only reflects culture, which decides what is the norms and expectations but produces these cultural messages of “normal” and “abnormal.” This paper examines the portrayal of disabled characters that have been riddled with stereotypes and used to elicit sympathy from other characters or the readers. This will be done by exploring disabled characters with a range of physical disabilities and cultures associated with those characters.

(Albrecht, 724)
The ideal of the nuclear’ family unit was widespread during the 1950’s in the United States. Quantitative data presented by the American Sociological Association(image above) illustrates the idea of family values, marriage, home and children being abundant in literature during the 1950’s. It showed in 324 pieces of literature, 92% discussed directly or implicitly shown traditional family values of the 1950’s, and only 8% presented alternative family ideals. Even while there were only small pockets of
…show more content…
Hulga is given more depth than just she has a disability, however, the short story puts an emphasis that she did not ‘overcome’ her disability. Hulga is made to be a character who is unashamed of her disability, this is showcased by her statement “Here I am, take me as I am.”(). Nonetheless it is very clear that the community around is uncomfortable and perturbed by her missing leg. One character, Mrs. Hopewell even has the thought of "she could walk without malcing the awful noise… but she made it ... because it was ugly-sounding" (275). With moments such as these in the book, the reader focuses more on whether or not Hulga ‘exaggerates’ her disability, rather than taking time to admire her for her confidence. Hulga is not allowed the readers sympathy or respect, since her successes of education being the item of commentary and her education being downgraded by her living with her

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    The 1950's nuclear family was once ideal. How individuals view marriage has changed since then. There are more single parent homes, which could be due to more women being educated and less dependent on males. More individuals cohabit as opposed to being married like those in the 1950s. This is due to the stigma of sex outside of marriage being reduced.…

    • 98 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The 1950’s were one of the most prosperous decades with its new technology, new medicine advances, new cars, and moving to the suburbs were all contributing factors to why the 1950’s was such a prosperous time. The fundamentals of the prosperous 1950 's were new cars, suburban lifestyle, advances in technology and medicine, and pop culture. Since Americans were receiving a larger income it lead to more spending on extra items American popular culture made the 1950s one of the most prospering decades; However, celebrities of the 1950 's were threatening American moral values in a negative way along with the new society developing. The 1950’s was a prospering time in the economy but American moral values were changing with new trends and daring ideas with celebrities and is why teenagers and parents had such a difficult time agreeing on the same values. Teenagers view on fashion and values was changing because of television and…

    • 1471 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Living Under Circe's Spell

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In the short essays “On Being a Cripple,” by Nancy Mairs, and “Living Under Circe’s Spell,” by Matthew Soyster, two different authors expose what their life was like after being diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis). The first essay is a piece that discusses years of dealing with this chronic degenerative disease, reflecting on what it has taught the author, how it has made her a better person, and also talks a lot about how society should treat the disabled as normal people. The second is a much shorter narrative where the author talks about his briefer experience with MS and the immediate emotions felt when he first faced challenges of the disease that ruined the course his future had been set on, focusing mainly on himself rather than the broad perspective of society. Both of these stories incorporate specific tone to make their stories more interesting and drive their opinions on how disabled people should be viewed. Using tone is one of the easiest ways an author can portray how they feel about a subject aside from flat out stating it.…

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Society places its’ social normality’s on just about everyone, not even aliens can escape the conventional idea of green skin and foil hats. Nancy Mairs is no stranger to this as she divulges her scuffle with society in her personal narrative, “On Being a Cripple”. Through her strong use of pathos, she takes the reader into a reoccurring battle of suffering, rejection, acceptance, and happiness with herself, her family, and society. Family is a word that can take on multiple meanings and forms depending on the person being asked. Mairs’ narrative mentions her family many times, she sees them as a support system, a solace, and at times, the source of her stress.…

    • 113 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    World War II gave Americans an unprecedented era of economic growth, prosperity, and happiness, so it seemed. Everyone desired the perfect life, with the perfect family, in the perfect home: the American Dream. The ultimate goal was to meet the love of your life, get married young, move to the suburbs (which you could surprisingly afford after the economic boom) and start popping out babies. The perfect home was a well kept one, always clean and containing the newest, shiniest appliances to a housewife’s delight. The perfect family was a married, heterosexual couple with two or three well-behaved children; the father’s duties were to go to work and be the breadwinner while the mother stayed home to make bread.…

    • 1172 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    In the book, The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap by Stephanie Coontz, the author deconstructs various types of stereotypes and myths embodied by television shows that romanticize family life and gender roles. Coontz (1992) states that these idealizations promote the “traditional family” myth which she describes as “an ahistorical amalgam of structures, values, and behaviors that never coexisted in time and place” (p.9). The notions derived from this myth are a compound of characteristics that resemble mid-nineteenth century and early 20th century paradigms concerning family life (Coontz, 1992, p.9). Coontz (1992) describes both components in detail in Chapter 1 describing the first as a mother-child oriented family…

    • 1998 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The 1950s was a time where people wish they could go back to. In the 1920s the Great Depression happened, in the 1930s there was an increase in domestic violence, and in the 1940s World War II came about. In Stephanie Coontz’s article What We Really Miss About the 1950s, she goes into detail how the 1950s were in social values and in the economy. In Gary Soto’s story Looking for Work, as a Mexican-American child he would go out and find work and he wanted his family to be like those he saw in television. People were ecstatic for the 1950s from having the ideal family to having a great economy.…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Society doesn’t worry about people with disabilities. Mark Haddon’s novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, follows the theme of “sometimes people are born with disabilities, but it’s communities that handicap them.” Christopher is put in a school where he is not thought of to be as smart as some of the other students because of his disability. His dad disables him by telling him a bunch of big lies when he told Christopher to never lie.…

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When the media wrote about Aimee Mullings they falsely wrote about the sport she competes in: “First, there are the headlines: “Overcoming All Hurdles” (she is not a hurdle, although she is a long jumper)” (Riley 527). He giving the media a challenge on how they broadcast their headline over people with disabilities. At the end of the article he goes and gives the reader an appendix on how to write, and interview a person with a disability. He states that there are import rules to follow, but the most important are: “handicapped” (Riley 523).…

    • 1320 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many ordinary everyday people are oblivious to how they treat and act around those who are mentally or physically disabled. Three certain writers have written personal narratives and examined their views and their lives on being physically disabled. “Why The Able-Bodied Still Don’t Get it”, by Andre Dubus, “Disability”, by Nancy Mairs and “Should I Have Been Killed at Birth?”, by Harriet McBryde Johnson all relate to a certain aspect in life, which is living with disability. Even though each individual essay describes different attitudes and stories, they all seem to interact with one another by sharing some common ground. They are expressing their feelings about how the well and fit individuals treat them in a patronizing, pitying, and sometimes…

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    She is an extremely educated woman, but she understands herself so little. One example is that she realizes that she has a “weak heart” in the physical sense, but she also has a weak spiritual heart as well in terms of caring for others. Hulga is a very arrogant woman who always thinks she is one step ahead on everyone else. Mrs. Hopewell, Joy’s mother, is the only one who’s name appropriately fits her attitude and identity. The very idea of Mrs. Hopewell’s beliefs disgusts Hulga who has professed to believe in nothing.…

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the U.S., the biggest changes in the family are in its structure and changing priorities. In the past century, and particularly in recent decades, the definition of the family has widened to be inclusive of a spectrum of family structures, not just nuclear or traditional families. Less people are getting married and the divorce rate has increased, as have single parent homes and cohabitation, while birth rates have decreased. Ideas about gender roles in families have also been challenged with the women’s rights movement and the legalization of same sex marriage. There has also been an increase in interracial and interreligious marriages.…

    • 2359 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Without actually living in another person’s life, someone cannot really tell what the other person is going through or how they are feeling, and this can occur when it comes to disabled people. In “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs and “Living Under Circe’s Spell” by Matthew Soyster, the reader is lead into the state of mind of people living with disabilities. The essay written by Mairs analyzes how being disabled does not define someone's character, and Soyster expresses the struggles of being crippled and how others view them. Both essays direct the text towards other people who are disabled, or someone who may have a negative view on disabled people. With the use of diction and other devices, Mairs tends to sound more humorous and lively,…

    • 1118 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    People with disabilities are attached with stigmas, such as being less intelligent or incapable in certain facets of life. Stereotypes are present in society, but it may be difficult to discuss and to further change or overcome them. However, humor can be used as a device to allow a serious topic to be more approachable by relying on preposterous situations. Through the use of dark humor in Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, John Callahan breaks these stigmas and illustrates an outrageous view of disability in order to show the irrationality of the stereotype or stigma portrayed. Throughout this work, Callahan directly attacks the stereotypes regarding disability and illustrates the realistic portrayal of disability and offers a solution, through humor, to overcome the societal prejudices.…

    • 1779 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There are a multitude of reasons that the American family is different from the “traditional family” of yesterday. The ways that these changes are influencing people are extremely positive but there will always be a negative person to point out that a few of them have the capacity to be harmful and unwanted. These changes in family are seen most noticeably in the West but are also making their way to the East as well, though at much slower rates. While reading the article “Global Revolution in Family and Personal Life”, it is noted that the author sees the American family as stronger than ever. Giddens shows that throughout history the family has continued to change and is better now than it ever was.…

    • 787 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays