Identification & Self Perception in “Good Country People” In Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People,” the ideas of characterization are heavily developed, often showing the symbolic and ironic importance of the characters. One such character is Hulga, a young woman who portrays herself as an intellectual atheist, having Ph.D. in philosophy. The story follows Hulga, whose sense of identity becomes challenged when meeting a country boy named Manley, who is later found to be a con artist. Throughout the story, Hulga originally sees Manley as just a country boy who is not as intellectually developed as she is. However, it soon becomes prevalent Manley is manipulative. Manley first gains Hulga’s trust by presenting himself as an atheist, then …show more content…
In the story, Manley constructs a fake identity to destroy Hulga’s, flawing the idea of self-perception, both in the story and in reality. This is what creates the opportunity for O’Connor to encourage the audience to go think about their self-perception and real identity. Overall, the depiction of identity and self-perception between the Hulga and Manley which are of symbolic nature and ironic duality, correlate directly to …show more content…
Walker uses the identity of a quilt to symbolize Dee’s family history, representing her family’s African American heritage. Dee chooses to see the quilt as art rather than use it as it is meant to function. On the other hand, Maggie and her mother believe the quilt represents something more on a personal level. The ancient quilt is described as having “scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn fifty and more years ago, bits and pieces of Grandpa Jarrell's Paisley shirts…” showing the cultural heritage the quilt signified (Walker, pg. 5). The quilt represents family history and connection to the family’s older generations. Rather than serving as a symbol of identity like Maggie and her mother do, Dee chooses to see the quilt as a cultural identity, away from family history. This makes the quilt significant because it serves as a connection between Dee’s family’s past and the present, connecting to her values and beliefs in the