Irony In Mrs. Hulga's Good Country People
The story “Good Country People” is based around four very different characters, and discusses the everyday objectives that they face. The main character Hulga is the well-educated atheist daughter of Mrs. Hopewell. Hulga who suffers from a deformity has a wooden leg and doesn’t really have much of a life outside of the farm. Mrs. Hopewell is a judgmental overbearing mother pushing her daughter to be something’s she’s not. Lastly Mrs. Freeman the nosey tenant and Manley Pointer a quick talking salesmen, that will try to swindle people out of more than their money are just some of the examples of everyday “Good Country People.” The story of “Good Country People” is full of irony as well as the characters and their names along with the roles …show more content…
One of the essential characters in the story Mrs. Hopewell is quick to cast judgment. Believing that there are few “Good Country People” left and that the ones who are left are the “the salt of the earth” (450)! By the end of the story Mrs. Hopewell’s philosophy stands no ground because another main character that she believes is “Good Country People” turn out to be nothing more than a snake. The name choices of the characters in the story can be interpreted as ironic. For example Mrs. Freeman she has an ironic name because she really isn’t free of anything. She is a housemaid living as a tenant on a farm that doesn’t belong to her. Manley Pointer the fast talking traveling Bible salesman has an ironic name as well because by the end of the story the reader can conclude that he is anything but a man, and turns out to be nothing more but an immature little …show more content…
To Hulga's surprise Manley had ulterior motives; he decides to steal her wooden leg. When she tries to retrieve the leg from him, he easily pushes her down, this leaving her feeling more handicap and more vulnerable than ever. Her reaction to him is not only outrage she’s embarrassed and feels completely violated. Physically vulnerable, she mumbled, "You're a fine Christian! You're just like them all — say one thing and do another..."
Manley And Hulga Chapter Summary
353 Words | 2 PagesManley and Hulga choose to go out for a stroll, and in the end they start discussing the idea of life, religion, presence, and God, however for the most part about Hulga 's wooden leg. Manley is extremely inspired by the wooden leg and requests that Hulga let him see it. Hulga, notwithstanding her doctorate in logic, doesn 't have a great deal of involvement with genuine circumstances of a sentimental sort. Manley focuses on this and entices a couple of kisses out of her. They go into the space of the horse shelter to have some protection, and Manley says he adores her.
Similarities Between Jasper Jones And To Kill A Mockingbird
777 Words | 4 PagesIn To Kill a Mockingbird, Maycomb is described as a ‘tired old town’. This tells the reader that Maycomb and its justice system are set in their old-fashioned ways. Similarly, in Jasper Jones, the red dirt, Australian wildlife and run down buildings show that Corrigan is also a ‘tired old town’. This mise en scene serves as a background as Jasper is manhandled by the police, further showing the prejudiced justice systems. By showing us the rural towns of the texts, Lee and Perkins are able to portray the systemic prejudice present.
Southern Women In Robert Morgan's Gap Creek
895 Words | 4 PagesIn today’s world, there is a stereotype of the typical Southern woman who always has her hair and nails done to perfection, kind, and is the ideal wife. However, Drewitz-Crockett goes on to argue that “people praised a woman by saying she is a fine woman and a hard worker, back in twentieth century.” Back then, work was appreciated, whether that entailed household chores, child birth, or farm work––that is how Robert Morgan portrays Julie Richards in his novel, Gap Creek. In Robert Morgan’s novel, Julie Richards is represented as strong, hardworking, and knowledgeable about her surroundings in South Carolina.
Examples Of Nihilism In Good Country People
949 Words | 4 PagesAll her mother sees is an immature woman. Mrs. Freeman considers her an interesting anomaly. Hulga's willingness to expose herself to Manley because he accepts her with the leg. There is part of her that is drawn to that level of infatuation. "Kissing him again and again as if she were trying to draw all the breath out of him" (O'Connor).
Situational Irony In Hulga's Wife
70 Words | 1 PagesAnother character that adds to the story’s situational irony is Hulga’s mother, Mrs. Hopewell. Her name alone is also a symbol for irony. It is a name used to show a person who would provide a life of hope for her unhappy daughter. Although her name may mean hope, she is constantly putting down her child and turning away her suitors. She gives no hope to her daughter at
Good Country People Hulga Character Analysis
1359 Words | 6 Pages(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.”
Good Country People Humor Analysis
363 Words | 2 PagesIn “Good Country People”, O’Connor uses humor. The humor is found among the characters. She uses humor to create plot twists. The way the humor is set up ends in a tragic event.
Symbolism In Good Country People
868 Words | 4 Pages“...The hunting accident...the leg had been literally blasted off” (O’Connor 484), this sentence mentioned by the author symbolizes Hulga’s personality, because when something very valuable is taken away from someone and they are aware of it, but are not able to react to it, it could change a person drastically. Hulga could have been a totally different women if she had her leg, that’s why the author decided to give her a wooden leg. In the story the author mentions how Hulga does not care about her appearance at all. When she goes on a date with Manley Pointer she wears a dirty white shirt, applies Vapex as perfume, and never smiles. “...
Character Analysis Of Hulga In Good Country People
686 Words | 3 PagesThe 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.
How Does Flannery O Connor Use Physiognomy
1117 Words | 5 PagesBecause the characters in this story are described in more detail than the characters in “Good Country People” it is reasonable to believe that there is also more physiognomy that can be used to further
Irony In A Good Man Is Hard To Find
772 Words | 4 PagesThis story is about a grandmother who does all the wrong things and ends up getting herself and her family killed. In A Good Man is Hard to Find, we go through this adventure with a family that never truly makes their destination. The lies begin to build and the loose term of a good man gets thrown around one too many times. Does dressing like a lady and acting proper like a lady truly save your life? The grandmother’s moral code and values are skewed and largely self-concerning.
Redemption In Flannery O Connor's Good Country People
756 Words | 4 PagesThroughout 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.
Character Analysis: All The Pretty Horses
715 Words | 3 PagesInstead of having a good paying job on an oil rig in San Angelo, John Grady still wants to search for his own country. Despite the ending of “All the Pretty Horses” is not a happy one, John is finally able to mesh his romanticised ideals with the real world. Even if the Earth does not provide for a place anyone, John decides to make his own place by refusing to back away from his ideals and instead chase after them. He would much rather attempt to live the life he wants, rather than adopt a life made for someone
Flannery O Connor's A Good Man Is Hard To Find
1142 Words | 5 PagesFlannery O’Connor is a renowned Southern author, noted for her gothic works and heavily Catholic themes. She focuses predominantly on racial tensions, morality, and divine grace. The religious and moral themes of her short story, A Good Man is Hard to Find, converge on the character of the grandmother. Despite the self-proclamations of fulfilling what it means to be a Southern lady, Grandmother holds a superficial grasp of her religion. Throughout the story, the Grandmother never truly changed, only her ostensible actions did.
Rose For Emily Comparison
724 Words | 3 PagesIn the short stories, “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” by Flannery O’Connor and “A Rose For Emily” by William Faulkner, a noticeable comparison is made between the two. Both short stories have alarming and horrifying plots that criticize southern corruption through the main character’s distorted view of the world. One is about a grandmother and her family being viciously murdered in cold blood, and the other is about a woman who murders her lover and then sleeps beside his decaying body. The two short stories both share uniquely similar characters and settings in the way that they view their own distorted reality of the South. Firstly, racism, which is evident in both short stories, shows the influence that the southern culture has on the settings for the two protagonists.
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