Good Country Men Research Paper

At first glance, we tend to judge people by what they appear to be. However this may not be the case, as some individuals have more in common than what appears to be. We see this situation through the stories “Good Country Men” and “Eveline” by Flannery Connor. These two stories illustrate this reality through choices and stark realizations. Both stories illustrate the power of paralysis, the role of women, and missed opportunity through the characters of Eveline and Hulga. Although these two women seem to be very different people, we learn the same life lessons through their difficult situations. Eveline never realizes what she has experienced due to her refusal to examine into the future and its potentials. Eveline’s lesson is left for us …show more content…
She desires a new life where “people would treat her with respect (Joyce)” and she would not be treated like her mother. But she also knows that a new life with Frank was her ticket to freedom. In the quote, “Frank would save her. He would give her life, perhaps love, too. However, she wanted to live. Why should she be unhappy? She had a right to happiness. Frank would take her in his arms, fold her in his arms. He would save her” (Joyce), Eveline depicts her indecision to make a choice. Even though these reasons are true, they are not strong enough to make Eveline to leave her family behind. She wants that new life but she is also comfortable with the “familiar objects from which she had never dreamed of being divided (Joyce).” The unknown frightens Eveline and she convinces herself that she did not find her present life a “wholly undesirable life (Joyce).” She is paralyzed by fear and, in the end, the unknown becomes more of a risk than a blessing and she cannot bring herself to move forward. Compared the Hulga, Eveline’s paralyzed state is quite different. In Good Country People, Hulga is paralyzed by her experience as a victim. She ultimately surrenders not only to Manley but also to her own