Good Country People Symbolism

Improved Essays
Show More
Plot
Flannery O' Conner is someone who depicts the title of the short story "Good Country People" by presenting these characters, and showing their true intensions as the story leads on. The main and essential characters are people who seem good on the outside at first glance but after while their true colors show you who they really are. Characters such as Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman are just the opposite of their name and what "Good Country People" are supposed to be. Mrs. Freeman loves a person downfall and that’s what she see in Hulga, she has also been working for Mrs. Hopewell on the farm. Mrs. Hopewell is the mother Hulga and her other daughter, she doesn’t uplift her daughter like the others instead she belittlers her with reasoning. And the main antagonist is Manly pointer who comes as a wholesome bible salesman at first but later on is discovered as a conniving trickster who preys on the weak. The protagonist is Hulga because despite her good education, she still reflects on her physical appearance and bad heart as her setbacks. While they do hinder her she choose to walk blindly down the wrong path instead of upholding her faith in what she truly believes in. Life has its ups and downs we cannot let bad outweigh the good live everyday like it's your last.
Symbolism …show more content…
Joy is a feeling of happiness but if you're always depressed and bothered than that’s not the right feeling for you. Having change her birth name to Hulga described her personality and what she thought of herself. For example, she felt ugly because her leg, bad heart she was too self-conscious about her outward image. A name is something a person identifies with and becomes that persons own brand. When Hulga change her name from joy the symbolic meaning is her feeling insecure and hopeless because of her surrounding and past events that her to this

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Grandmother In A Good Man Is Hard To Find
    • 291 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Grandmother In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    In Flannery O'Connor’s short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, the characters didn’t seem to portray any sympathy. Bailey, the grandmother's son, doesn’t show any sympathy toward his family when they were in the woods. He yelled “[h]ush! Everybody shut up…” (O'Connor 306) at his family, which showed he had no sympathy for their feelings.…

    • 291 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Hypocrisy In A Good Man Is Hard To Find
    • 1439 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Hypocrisy In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    The grandmother and The Misfit both fail to find remorse in their hearts for their actions and desires. Flannery O’Connor’s tale allows the audience to see the flaws in a person esteemed to be perfect, giving them the opportunity to assess their own hypocrisies and moral flaws. O’Connor’s portrayal of tradition and its emersion in to modern day society allows audiences to remember the good old days, and to question if a good man really is hard to find? O’Connor also leaves the audience with the answer that a good man really is not hard to find as long as you are willing to look a the soul of person rather than their initial actions that label them. The Misfit really was a good man in the sense that he stood firm in his beliefs and he was not a hypocrite.…

    • 1439 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Postmodernism In Good Country People
    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Postmodernism In Good Country People

    Now, what purpose would O’Connor have in establishing a character who exemplifies none of the traits “good country people” have in a story about deconstructing the traits of “good country people?” There are two interpretations based on that quandary: her role as a character and a parodic symbol of O’Connor’s critics. When you consider her role as a character; she effectively catalyzed the other characters into revealing their true natures: be it the bible’s salesman’s true intentions or revealing her mother’s condescending nature towards “salt of the earth.” As for a symbol, however, remember that O’Connor was frequently criticized by literary critics for her bawdiness and usage of regionalism for her works; effectively, Hulga was a parodic symbol of how O’Connor viewed those critics. This assumption bases itself on how most critics viewed regionalism as a relic of realist-era writings with little relevance in…

    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Hypocritical Characters In Good Country People
    • 1610 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Hypocritical Characters In Good Country People

    Mrs. Hopewell herself does not use her clichés to express her religion but simply express her desires of the world’s morals. The reader can see how Mrs Hopewell affects Hulga and how Hulga reacts to her…

    • 1610 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Narcissism In Good Country People
    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Narcissism In Good Country People

    “Good Country People” illustrates that dismissing sin instead of accepting it leads to great loss. Hulga believes she is much more intelligent and cultured than her mother and those around her, especially because of her choice to be atheistic. When a good country Bible salesperson, Pointer, arrives, she believes she can easily trick and corrupt him, yet even when he tricks her, she attempts to reaffirm her spiritual position by criticizing his, stating “‘you’re a fine Christian! You’re just like them all - say one thing and do another. You’re a perfect Christian” (184).…

    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Good Country People And Catcher In The Rye Analysis
    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Good Country People And Catcher In The Rye Analysis

    Some traditions show that certain people must have certain roles in society. For example, today’s society puts pressure on the female to conform to fixed rules. They are expected to be seen, and not heard, while the man does all of the work. Two short stories that break these traditions are Good Country People, by Flannery O’Connor, and Catcher In The Rye, by J.D. Salinger. Good Country People is about a girl who does not conform to that society’s rules about women and is seen as odd by the people around her, even her mother.…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Literary Techniques In Parker's Back
    • 919 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Literary Techniques In Parker's Back

    Flannery O’Conner is an author that intrigues her audience with her style of writing. O’Conner’s writing tends to be dark and can be grotesque. She uses those techniques so that her readers can get a feel of what is going on in the story. She wants her audiences to “feel it in their bones”. O’Conner’s writing has a good amount of religious background to it.…

    • 919 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Good Country People Analysis
    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Good Country People Analysis

    Joy on the other hand is a miserable and stubborn person, which is very ironic that she is named Joy. She eventually changed her name to Hulga which to her was “the ugliest name Mrs. Hopewell could imagine”. Mrs. Hopewell then invites Manley Pointer, a bible salesman, over…

    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Good Country People Character Analysis
    • 1722 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Good Country People Character Analysis

    In a society where individuals put on a mask to hide their true identity, the same masks also obscure one’s vision. Written by Flannery O’Connor, “Good Country People” explores the lives of four characters who have different backgrounds and specific traits spanning from intense manipulation to outward rejection of others opinions. By utilizing an omniscient narrator and developing the four different characters in “Good Country People”, Flannery O’Connor displays how regardless of the background one comes from, one can harbor a sense of superiority through varying perceptions he may have: a perception of purpose, perception of manipulation, perceptions of society, and perceptions of intelligence. The perception of purpose Mrs. Freeman gives…

    • 1722 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Theme Of A Good Man Is Hard To Find And Good Country People
    • 1460 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Theme Of A Good Man Is Hard To Find And Good Country People

    Flannery O’Connor’s short stories, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and “Good Country People”, both elude a comparable tone and mood consistent with her usual writing style. Both of these stories fit in with the Southern Gothic genre which has a very unique feeling. This type of literature often utilizes supernatural elements and irregularity of the grotesque focusing on people from Southern United States and their innate Christianity. Southern Gothic writing holds a focus on eccentric characters as well as moody and unsettling events. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” has become one of the most famous examples of this genre, holding true to its eerie feelings and dark tones.…

    • 1460 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Symbolism In The Homeland
    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Symbolism In The Homeland

    Many people see the U.S Mexico border as a marker of territory belonging to the U.S and the territory belonging to Mexico. However, to many others the border symbolizes and means much more than that. Gloria Anzaldua, Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz and Alejandro Lugo speak of these other meanings that many times are swept under the rug. In The Homeland, Aztlan from Borderlands: La Frontera, Gloria Anzaldua speaks of the differences between the experiences of people living on the U.S side of the border and of those that live on Mexico side of the border.…

    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Examples Of Irony In Good Country People
    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Examples Of Irony In Good Country People

    Irony is a disagreement between what is actually being said and what is misunderstood, or what is expected it happen compared to what actually occurs. Authors will usually use this in their stories intentionally to make their audience stop and think about what was just said. The readers must realize when irony is taking place or what is being said in order for the use of irony to be successful. Dramatic irony is most found within books in which they put their characters in certain situations. In “Good Country People (O’Connor 116) we find two different types of irony, there is situational irony and dramatic irony.…

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Examples Of Irony In A Good Man Is Hard To Find
    • 1262 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Examples Of Irony In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    A Good Man is Hard to Find Analysis The battle between good and evil can be found throughout all of human history, but what is a “good person”? Is it someone who gives to others, or someone who has compassion for all? Is it possible for criminals to be “good”? Questions like these have started endless debates on what a “good person” is.…

    • 1262 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Displaced Person Flannery O Connor
    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Displaced Person Flannery O Connor

    Stranger Danger “The Displaced Person” by Flannery O’Connor, was published as a story in the Sewanee review in October 1954. The setting takes places after World War 2, where some refugees from the concentration camp are resettling to a farm. The literary techniques that O’Connor uses are symbolism, imagery, and irony. She uses these techniques to state her purpose about how people should not be judged for the way they are.…

    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Racism In A Good Man Is Hard To Find
    • 1097 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Racism In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    In her short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, Flannery O’Connor introduces the reader to a world of family issues, danger, and murder. The story was written in 1955 during a period of social and racial unrest in the southern United States. Mostly, the story follows O 'Connor 's basic Southern Gothic writing style, a work that is "cold and dispassionate, as well as almost absurdly stark and violent" (Galloway). While the quote gives major insight into the tone of the story, it does not offer a glimpse into O 'Connor 's real message of the story. Her take on the characters is a complex mixture of agreement and disapproval.…

    • 1097 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings