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Distortion In Good Country People

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Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “Good Country People,” is effective in showcasing distortion through its characters’ attributes. In the story, O’Connor gives the readers “normal” characters who later on take away their masks to reveal their true, deceiving intentions. First, is the distortion of Christianity vs. Atheism with the characters Joy and Manley Pointer. Joy is an Atheist as said in the story, “My daughter is an atheist and won’t let me keep a bible in the parlor” ( pg. 446). Meaning, Joy does not believe in a religion such as christianity. The young man, Manley Pointer, comes along to the Hopewell household to try and sell them a bible. Joy and Manley end up going on a date where they almost have sex. As one digs deeper into the intentions of Joy, they shall find that Joy was trying to lure Manley into having sex with her so she can prove his religion to be wrong. Having sex before marriage is a sin. By breaking this man of his religious views, she would corrupt him into …show more content…

O’Connor introduces Manley as a bible merchant. He goes door to door selling bibles to households. The readers start to believe he is a simple young man who just wants to sell bibles. He is a simple christian boy. Joy and Manley go on a date and end up in a barn. Things get spicy between them fast. Then, the situation goes down hill from this point on. He whispers into her ear, “Show me where your wooden leg joins on” (pg 452). It is at this moment he decides to reveal his intent. He takes her glasses and leg and runs. Manley is not a simple christian boy. He is a scam artist who just tricked a woman with a P.H.D in Philosophy out of her wooden leg. O’Connor wants us, from the beginning, to assume he is a pleasant young man with good intentions of love. This plays into the distortion aspect because Manley is presented to us in such a kind manner but his personality and attributes are distorted from a realistic

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