Religion In Flannery O Conner's Good Country People

Flannery O’Conner resided in Milledgeville, Georgia from 1938 to 1964. Since her death, the city of Milledgeville has, like most cities, changed and adapted to fit with its worldly surroundings. Some of O’Conner’s most famous works bring forth an insight into what religion was like in Milledgeville during her time there. Her use of what readers assume to be true stories, allows the reader to experience the older culture of Milledgeville. A more recent writer, Alice Walker, also lived in the Milledgeville area, and parts of her work convey the past religious views of the Milledgeville area as well. From both Flannery O’Conner’s and Alice Walker’s writings, the contrast between past and present Milledgeville can be made in relation to religion. The religious aspects of Milledgeville have changed immensely to coincide with the shift in religious dominance from one particular church, gender roles within religion, and the change in the status …show more content…
His character is assumed to be a devout Christian with pure intentions, yet turns out to be a mischievous man with an alternate purpose. By studying the characterization of this character the reader is able to see how O’Conner views male religious leaders. She conveys her experience with men utilizing religion as a disguise by using a strong woman as the protagonist and the corrupt bible salesman as the antagonist. Her story “Good Country People” has many interpretations, but to me, the main purpose of this story is to show the way in which men manipulated women with false information. Even today, a fraudulent individual can be discovered in regards to faking religion. Often times, people will use religion as a means of gaining something. For example, the Bible salesman used his church as a way to get the trust of women and to eventually scam them; the same is done in today’s