Postmodernism In Good Country People

After the events of WWII, to say that America had changed drastically was an understatement; with the entirety of the Cold War, amongst other political strife at home and abroad, America during this time was an era of conflicting ideals. Consequently, literature changed its perspective; most commonly, however, was the transition from modernist ideals to postmodernist ideals. Much like modernism, post-modernism offered to reject the ideals presented by popular trends during their time; yet for postmodernism, the rejection, in this case, mostly dealt with homogeneity (a universal standard defined by advancements in American quality of life) and how literature acts as a deconstructive tool (Byam 2259-2260). Yet many of these deconstructions during …show more content…
‘One time I got a woman’s glass eye this way’” (O’Connor 2537). Consequently, nearly every single character from Mrs. Hopewell to the bible salesman act as deconstructions of the ideas behind various “good county person” …show more content…
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