English Comparative Essay

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Comparative Essay A Comparative Essay of “Good Country People” & “Better Be Ready, Bout Hal Past Eight..” The short stories, “Good Country People” and “Better Be Ready, Bout Half Past Eight” convey the atrocities of being blinded by labels and undeserving stereotypes that are commonplace in the world we know today. Whether it be racial, sexual, or pertaining to sexual preference, labels and clichés never reveal the positives in the actual person. In “Good Country People”, Joy Hopewell, as she was once known before her agnostic/atheistic worldview took control of her outlook on life, changed her name to Hulga. This immediately signifies her ugly lack of significance she sees in the world surrounding her. Hulga despite her aloof attitude, wants a sense of approval from others. Hulga’s negative characterization comes from her atheistic view on life. She is constantly angry and waiting to explode other it seems. She refuses to allow her mother to keep the bible in their dining area. She basically has the feeling that there is no purpose in life. This affects her greatly in every aspect of her life and shows in each act of the story. Her mother is the unsuspecting, easy going country lady that will gladly give trust to a “a good Christian man”. This ever- trusting, “happy-go lucky” mindset is the type of person Manly Pointer is looking to target. Pointer is the traveling bible salesman/ rapist who opens the eyes of the atheistic Hulga and makes her let go of a beliefs for a second then she realizes basically that both of their respective beliefs are baseless that they are just external covers for the real internal self. They use them as disguises to gain trust from people who’s beliefs are inclined towards theirs. The short story “Better Be Ready, Bout Half Past Eight” , incorporates sexual preferences and sexual

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