Good Country People Hulga Character Analysis

In the short story “Good Country People” by Flannery O’ Connor, many unique and controversial characters are presented. Amongst them, the character Joy, who renames herself Hulga, is introduced. Hulga is the daughter of Mrs. Hopewell, a single woman who owns a farm in the South. As the story continues, it is revealed that Hulga has serious medical complications and lost her leg in a traumatic hunting accident at the age of 10. At the end of the story, Hulga’s artificial leg was stolen by a bible salesperson named Manley Pointer who is a con artist. In the text, Hulga is noted as a cynical and rude character. Her constant poor treatment of others mixed with her superiority complex from a Ph.D. education makes it increasingly difficult to sympathize

At the age of 10, Hulga’s leg was blown off after a hunting accident. Later, Hulga was diagnosed with heart complications and is expected to not live past 45 years old (5). She may be cynical at times, but she clearly lacks self-esteem. The people around her do not compliment her, and romance is limited in her life. The passage states, “She [Hulga] had never been kissed before." (12). This illustrates how Hulga has had no romantic interactions in her life and is now having her first kiss at the age of 32 with Manley Pointer. Because Pointer was the first person to show interest in Hulga, she allowed herself to be vulnerable to him, and he used that to exploit her. During her childhood and adulthood, she was always looked at with pity and faced judgment and rejection, whether that be her appearance, strength, or attitude by doctors, peers, or her family. In the article, Mrs. Hopewell expresses her pity for Hulga stating “She thought of her [Hulga] still as a child because it tore her heart to think instead of the poor stout girl in her thirties who had never danced a step or had any normal good times.” (4) This quote elaborates how she’s never danced or done normal fun activities throughout her childhood and now adulthood. This excerpt also shows how Mrs. Hopewell can’t help but look at Hulga with pity, knowing that her wooden leg causes her the misfortune of never having a normal life. To combat this sense of pity and rejection from individuals, Hulga developed a “reject them before they reject me” ideal. This was created to protect herself from the constant rejection she faced and explains why she is always psychoanalyzing others; To try and find flaws in them before they find flaws in her. Hulga is missing a childhood filled with happiness and normality, a life past 45 years old, basic social interactions, and relationships with others who she