ipl-logo

How Does Flannery O Connor Present The Theme Of Ignorance In Good Country People

1277 Words6 Pages

In Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People”, O’Connor utilizes the analogy of good country people as a representation and critique of the ignorance of society. To do so, O’Connor presents the sense of superiority certain characters possess, resulting in them becoming ignorant to the truth of the world that is around them. In doing so, O’Connor challenges common perceptions of society in never questioning those who appear inferior to one, yet are still capable of unimaginable things. Through the examination of the characters of Mrs. Hopewell and Joy, or Hulga, and their interactions with good country people in Mrs. Freeman and Manley Pointer, superiority will be shown to cause one to become ignorant of the true nature of others; hence, leading …show more content…

Hopewell displays great ignorance. Adhering to her last name, Mrs. Hopewell sees the world through an optimistic lens, believing the world around her to be uncomplicated. In other words, Mrs. Hopewell hires Mrs. Freeman with the intent to allow her to be “into everything” after the warning from Mrs. Freeman’s previous employer (O’Connor 3). Therefore, Mrs. Hopewell decides to give Mrs. Freeman full responsibility; in turn, Mrs. Hopewell is able to use Mrs. Freeman “in… a constructive way” (O’Connor 3). Nevertheless, the point that Mrs. Hopewell does not appreciate is the necessity of Mrs. Freeman to be in others “business”, or life, as well, not just in regards to the job (O’Connor 3). In other words, Mrs. Hopewell does not recognize the fact that Mrs. Freeman desires to know everything about Mrs. Hopewell’s life, instead Mrs. Hopewell perceives the lower class Mrs. Freeman as just desiring to work hard; hence, Mrs. Hopewell’s sense of superiority causes her to become ignorant of Mrs. Freeman’s true intentions, alike to …show more content…

Throughout the work, O’Connor entices one to question others and to refrain from coming to regard such others through faulty stereotypical images that come from a place of superiority and ignorance. While the work does indeed illustrate an example that is quite hyperbolic in its representation, the truths in the representation; however, are not without importance. At last, society can take hints from O’Connor due to the fact that as individuals, it is habit to view matters from distance as Mrs. Hopewell does when she sees Manley from the mountains, when a closer inspection reveal all that had been hidden from

Show More
Related

Use Diction And Characterization In Flannery O Connor's Good Country People

316 Words | 2 Pages

Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People" uses diction and characterization to establish the message of the story. This point is best exemplified by the characters names. For example, the name "Hopewell" characterizes not only the mother but also her daughter. Both of the women appear to be simplistic and believe that what is wanted in life can be achieved. Similarly, both of the women appear to be blind to the true world.

Read More

Hypocrisy In Flannery O 'Connor's Wise Blood'

1242 Words | 5 Pages

Hypocrisy, the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behaviour does not conform. Asa hawks displays this well throughout Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood, and so does the grandmother from “A Good Man Is Hard To Find”. We meet Asa in the beginning of the book who claims to be “blind” and is a preacher with a bastard daughter named Lily Sabbath. The Grandmother from “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” sees herself as a very superior character. She views herself as a very strong woman and believes that her morals a very strong as well, but what she does not understand is that her self-centredness causes her to be a hypocrite and the end result was her death.

Read More

Good Country People Hulga Analysis

385 Words | 2 Pages

Brian Duffie Mrs. Campbell American Literature II 3/27/16 Themes in “Good Country People” Many lessons can be learned from “Good Country People”. Some of the major themes throughout the story include education, hierarchy, and identity. Education is a major theme throughout the story because Hulga is thirty-two year old who has a lot of education.

Read More

Character Analysis Of Hulga In Good Country People

686 Words | 3 Pages

The main character in the short story, "Good Country People" written by Flannery O'Conner, is a thirty-two-year-old woman named Hulga. This intense character withdraws from the physical world into a world of intelligence due to a hunting accident that left her with a wooden leg. She looks down on other folks for not being highly intellectual. Manley Pointer, a bible salesman, uses Hulga's pride to profit over sexual favors and her wooden leg. I once read a quote by Denise Mina where she said, "I think the negative traits are what make us love other human beings, the foibles, and the flaws.

Read More

Good Country People Critical Analysis

1321 Words | 6 Pages

Flannery O’Connor’s success as a writer was indubitably related to her own personal physical and mental failures; without them it is doubtful that she would have become one of America’s greatest fiction writers. It was through her suffering that she was able to relay so much allegorical understanding of her characters and bring them to life (and sometimes death.) Because of her debility with Lupus she became a fearless alliterator that disturbed the entire literary world, even until today. One of her greatest short stories provides insight into her personal life of misfortune above and beyond the others. A biographical and psychological analysis of "Good Country People” is that it was written by the author Flannery O'Connor as an emotional

Read More

Individuality In The Glass Castle By Jeanette Walls

898 Words | 4 Pages

Therefore, one comes to the realization that Jeanette’s prosperous life does not come from love and encouragement, but instead is influenced by her

Read More

Redemption In Flannery O Connor's Good Country People

756 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout much of O’Connor’s works, there is this idea that a character needs redemption, as Dorothy Walters suggests in her book, Flannery O’Connor. Walters also states when these characters are enlightened, it is often “through catastrophe.” In O’Connor’s “Good Country People,” this salvation through violence occurs for Joy. Through the evaluation of Joy’s downfalls in character and her misinterpretation of Manley Pointer, Joy has a horrific experience that will forever change her perspective and reform her overconfidence. Before Joy/Hulga even meets Manley Pointer, readers understand that she has a lack of experience in the real world.

Read More

A Good Man Is Hard To Find The Grandmother Character Analysis

1165 Words | 5 Pages

Turpin and the grandmother’s character, Flannery O’Connor made them very hypocritical and made sure her readers would notice it. The two women’s behavior came off in a way that suggested they had higher standards and were above everybody they encountered. Grandmother believes that where you stand in the social class depends on your blood and the family you were born into. Mrs. Turpin judged others and their place in the social class by whether they owned land or a home, and by their race, “Sometimes Mrs. Turpin occupied herself at night naming the classes of people.” (pg. 416)

Read More

Hypocrisy In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

897 Words | 4 Pages

Flannery O'Connor's stories gave the idea of what she wanted to show, which was to show humor with a violent twist. She wanted to be able to change her stories which made her write in a different way. For instance, her story “ Good Country people”, showed irony as well. There was a part where Mrs. Freeman said “ Some can't be that simple. . I know I never could.

Read More

Messages And Themes In Flannery O Connor's Short Stories

965 Words | 4 Pages

When reading a few of Flannery O’Connor’s stories, one cannot help but make a connection with her intensive stories and those of a television show. Both take mostly everyday people and exaggerate them into an absurd nature. Her stories and television shows use shock factors to draw in readers and viewers, respectively. While television shows tend to vary in themes and messages, Flannery O’Connor’s short stories tend to be focused on a few limited messages and themes. Television shows are mostly mindless channels of entertainment, Flannery O’Connor uses her characters not only to entertain, but to also cause readers to reflect inward and think.

Read More

Ignorance In O Connor's Short Stories

1364 Words | 6 Pages

Ignorance and Guilt as Reactions to Incontrovertible Changes in O’Connor’s and Cheever’s Short Stories The short stories “the Swimmer” by John Cheever and “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” by Flannery O’Connor deal with the day to day lives of ordinary characters and follows their development through several activities and events. While short, the stories show a clear development in the lives of the protagonists. Some of these developmental changes are incontrovertible and alter their lives and the lives of those around them for the worse.

Read More

Mary Musgrove Persuasion Character Analysis

807 Words | 4 Pages

By constantly fretting about her own health, she has become a valetudinarian who seeks the attention of others. Mary also maintains an unreasonable worry for her position in family and society, wishing to maximize her dignity in the eyes of the crowd. What is more, her “Elliot self-importance” extends all the way to natural occurrences, leading her to invoke “unfairness” in situations that seem to overlook her own ideal benefit. By characterizing Mary from a hyperbolic, satirical perspective, Jane Austen ridicules the conceited and silly behavior of many who do not deserve what they seek, because they think they

Read More

Theme Of Violence In Flannery O Connor's Short Stories

604 Words | 3 Pages

Humans, by their very nature, become egocentric. People tend to think of themselves as more important than they really are and look down upon others. In Flannery O’Connor’s short stories this part of human nature is explored and the egocentric people receive their comeuppance. The process of dispelling this aspect of humanity often involves violence. In Flannery O’Connor’s work, violence is the unexpected bearer and path to grace, disillusionment, and salvation.

Read More

Lady Bracknell And The Importance Of Being Earnest

1234 Words | 5 Pages

Superiority Complexes and False Beliefs Both Lady Catherine, in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, and Lady Bracknell, in “The Importance of being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde represent the status-centric beliefs of marriage during the time each work was written. Both characters are members of high social classes and believe themselves to be superior to others and demand respect. This sense of superiority is why when Lady Bracknell enters the room in “The Importance of being Earnest”, she was sure to make the fact that she had arrived known to everyone. After entering the room, Lady Bracknell ordered Gwendolen, her daughter, to “sit down immediately.” (Wilde 48).

Read More

Virginia Woolf Women

955 Words | 4 Pages

Hence, we can say Mrs. Dalloway, can be seen as a novel of projecting oppression, seclusion and isolation, Privacy of one’s own both in Body and Mind, creation of one’s Identity which could be either of the characters present in the novel or of the writers

Read More

More about How Does Flannery O Connor Present The Theme Of Ignorance In Good Country People

Related Topics

Open Document