Manley Pointer In Good Country People

In Good Country People by Flannery O’Connor, Manley Pointer a young unassuming Bible salesman successfully dupes Hulga Hopewell an unattractive yet prideful atheist with a PhD into giving him her false leg. Pointer is a man who exploits the weakness of other in order to achieve his goals. He often does this by sympathizing with other people’s conditions in life or allowing them to believe they have the upper hand.
Hulga and Manley first meet when he tries to sell Mrs. Hopewell, Hulga’s mother, a Bible. This is where the first glimpses of Manley Pointer’s true intentions are seen as gains Mrs. Hopewell’s faith by using her own pride against her. Pointer mentions during his time with Mrs. Hopewell that he suffers from as similar heart issue

That night Hulga “Imagined dialog for them…that reached below the depths that no Bible salesman would be aware of.”(6) Hulga is intent of seducing and having her way with Manley Pointer whom she finds to be inferior to her. The next morning Hulga goes out to meet Manley Pointer at the gate, but he did not appear at first leading Hulga to make the assumption that she is being duped. As she began to feel furious about being tricked Manley rose up from behind a bush proving Hulga’s assumption wrong, but providing her at taste of the betrayal yet to

Once in the barn Manley sees another opportunity to poke at Hulga’s pride. Manley makes a comment about how she must not be able to climb the ladder to upper portion of the barn because of her wooden leg. The two of them start to kiss while Manley cajoles her to say that she loves him. During this moment of passion Hulga alludes to the fact that she believes that she is superior to Manley which slightly irritates him. He then asks Hulga where her leg attaches disturbing her sensitivities in the act. At first she refuses but quickly changes her mind when she realizes that by giving him what he desires she can get was she desires. Hulga shows Manley how the leg detaches and reattaches then allowed him to perform the actions himself. Once Manley take the leg back off he sets it aside out of her reach and returned to kissing her. He then opens up his valise reviling two Bible one of which was “…hollow and contained a pocket flask of whisky, a pack of cards, and a small blue box…” (9). At this moment Hulga comes to the realization that Manley Pointer is not all that he seems. Hulga is angry and confused “Her face turned almost purple. “You’re a Christian!” she hissed.”(9) Hulga is having trouble comprehending how someone she considers to be far beneath her is able to so easily dupe her. Manley confesses that he is not who he claims to be and that