Good Country People Essay

Temptation is the toughest obstacle in life to get past. People desire all sorts of things, and many of those desires can be destructive for the possible salvation leading into the next life. St. Cyril of Jerusalem intellectually compared temptation to a dragon who dwells on the side of the road, looking for those passing by to devour. He added to this by saying that in order to go to the father of souls, it is necessary to past by the dragon. Due to temptation being a difficult obstacle, however, every person does not make it past and falters. In her short stories, the author, Flannery O'Connor, shows those who falter and are overcome by temptation with the sinful decisions they choose to make. In “Good Country People,” Hulga Hopewell is the character that cannot overcome the dragon. O’Connor’s character is a flawed character, in the fact that she is an amputee with a prosthetic leg, and she, also, …show more content…
Shortley in the short story, “The Displaced Person.” Mr. Shortley is under the impression that he is better than any other person, especially if the other person is a displaced immigrant. His pride is vividly seen when he feels threatened by the work ethic of a Polish foreigner named Mr. Guizac. The threat of him, eventually, gets to the point that the owner, Mrs. McInyrer, is talking about firing the Shortleys due to his lack of work compared to Mr. Guizac. In an attempt to save his pride, Mr. Shortley quits the job and moves his family. Even after this, however, he still has a strong dislike for Mr. Guizac and is seen upon his return to the farm to work again, as his wife, Mrs. Shortley, dies. He has the opportunity to change his ways and save the Polish man from getting crushed by the tractor, but he falters in doing so and is overcomed by the temptation of his own pride. His own demise is seen when this occurs, as he is out of the job again and becomes the new displaced