Good Country People

Flannery O’Connor is an American novelist who has written over 32 short stories. She is credited with writing in the southern gothic style of writing. In “Good Country People” her gothic style is shown throughout the story in things such as the salesman’s real items he is selling. In this story there is a theme that is presented throughout that people are putting on acts instead of being who they really are. This is evident in characters such as the salesman, Hulga, and Mrs. Hopewell. The salesman is a prime example of someone who in the story that puts on an act. When he first comes into town he sells himself as being a bible salesman. This front along with his country charm allows him to get along with the people in the town. By saying that he is selling bibles people see his as a good country boy. As the story progresses he seems to be getting close and intimate with Hulga. (Quote) It is not until towards the end of the story that we discovery that he is in fact not a bible salesman but a salesman of prostatic body parts. He is trying to steal Hulga’s wooden leg and sell it. Even while selling bibles we see that this

This starts with her changing her name from Joy to Hulga, even though her mother hates the name. According to O’Connor, “When Mrs. Hopewell thought the name, Hulga, she thought of the broad blank hull of a battleship” (556). A main reason that she changed her name is due to her appearance, Hulga is a thirty-two year old woman that is on the heavy side and only has one real leg due to her other being shot off in a hunting accident when she was ten. These two reasons cause her to feel that she will be single the rest of her life and act like she is above being married to a man. This is held up until she meets the bible salesman who come into town and seems to start to take a liking to her. When this happens we see her cover of being too good for a man start to