“Good Country People” is a short story about widow and farm owner Mrs. Hopewell and the people in her daily life. Mrs. Freeman, mother of two, is her farm tenant. Mrs. Hopewell’s daughter is Joy. Joy is a very intelligent yet miserable soul. When Joy was ten years old she lost her leg in a hunting accident.
Mrs. Hopewell * Hulga: Does not regard her with the level of education earned in the field of philosophy – thinks sense & reason is lacking compared to her knowledge of philosophical matters * Thinks Hulga is deprived because she had never “danced a step or had any normal good times” (274) * Would like to brag about her like she can brag about Mrs. Freeman’s daughters – finds it difficult because of the profession that Hulga took: “You could not say, “My daughter is a philosopher” (276) * Hulga’s deeper knowledge of philosophy draws a parallel with Mrs. Hopewell’s willingness to accept & trust people as good – hence the term “Good Country People” * Adores Mrs. Freeman’s daughters & tells people about them constantly – ashamed of Hulga’s name change from Joy, attitude, behaviour, etc; does not address Hulga’s desire for acceptance: “If you want me, here I am – LIKE I AM” (274) Hulga * Displays of rebellion, possibly because of the declaration that she will not live past forty because of her heart – studies in philosophy borders on atheism, which contradicts Mrs. Hopewell’s views * Aggravated by Mrs. Freeman, who chooses to focus on the grotesque aspects of people * Because of the stock that she put into her prosthetic leg, it has become her source of dependency/anchor to sanity – like her philosophical understandings, her state of being unique makes her who she is and how she behaves * Previous to her encounters with Pointer, she has always relied on her intellectual superiority as leverage over others, but once he asks her to prove her love by showing him her leg, she loses control of herself and transfers it over to Pointer through her leg * This intellectual superiority is punctured when he reveals that he is not the “Good Country Person” that she thought him to be – the sides have now shifted to Pointer holding
“Good Country People” The protagonist of this story is Hulga also known as Joy. Joy is a 30 year old woman who at the age of 10 was crippled. She lost a leg in a hunting accident. She is well educated with multiple degrees and an atheist. Her belief is in books and science.
Now we are what make up the Air Slammers boarding team. Sarah and Lily are twin sisters, but their parents decided to give them names that are nowhere close to each other. In order to avoid getting them mistaken for the other, although they look almost exactly alike there is one difference between them. Sarah is extremely protective when it comes to her sister Lily and for some reason she will not let anyone but me talk to her when she is not around. Lily on the other hand is the friendliest girl I know, she has attended all of my races and is the first person to visit and the last to leave when I get banged up during a race and land myself in the
Mrs. Freeman is quite the opposite, having to work on a farm for other owners and not having a free or open mindset towards people. Mrs. Hopewell isn’t very hopeful with her daughter and of her becoming successful with her knowledge and is very pessimistic with Hulga. Hulga, the dual dimension main character that goes through a complete change throughout the story. She changes her name to Hulga, an unusual and rather ugly name, to reflect her feelings about her injured body and self-esteem and to forget about her given name Joy. The significance of Joy remaining conscious even though terribly injured as a child when her leg was blasted off indicates that Joy seems to have rejected her own body by choosing a life of intelligence and of the mind.
”My sister’s the one who’s always had to imagine life without me”. Kate was selfless to come up with a plan so that her sister could live a normal life. Sara Fitzgerald is also brave because she never gave up with everything going wrong in her life she continued on strong. I agree with her decision throughout the book; I too would have done anything to keep my loved one alive. “My daughter has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant; the hospital explained that our insurance company needs to sign off on coverage.” Sara is desperately trying to get her daughter the help she needs but no one is trying to help her.
Jule was a poor orphan from early on in her life. Also unlike most feminine main characters Jule is very strong and independent. Her parents died while she was very young leaving her to fend for herself. Luckily Jule is a fighter, and learns how to take care of herself. Jule becomes a social chameleon and learns how to deceive everyone.
Review “Good Country People” Flannery O'Connor story “Good Country People,” is a story that captures one by usage of symbolism, characterization and irony; warning people life is not pointless and human values are not worthless. Joy/Hulga is the dual-named main character that goes through a complete change throughout the story. She changes her name from Joy to Hulga, an “ugly” (171) name, to reflect her feelings about her injured body and mind. As the name is the contradictory of her real name Joy; as is her personality. The impact of Joy remaining conscious even though terribly injured as a child; when her ”…leg had been literally blasted off;” (172)indicates that Joy seems to have rejected her own body by choosing a life of intelligence.
Although, Hulga is not a very pretty girl, she uses her Ph.D. to place her beyond anyone else. Hulga claims she does not trust or believe in anything. Ultimately, she does have total faith in her education and wooden leg. Second, Mrs. Hopewell first appears to readers as an optimistic woman, having a weakness for who she believes in as “good country people.” In the result of Hulga’s deformity, Mrs. Hopewell fails to accept Hulga for who she truly is. This reveals to readers that Mrs. Hopewell is self-fish, deceptive and
The Life You Save May Be Your Own Reflection The story “The Life You Save May Be Your Own Reflection” took many reads to figure out and analyze. First, I took a look at the characters. The old Lucynelle has nothing in her life besides her daughter and her crumbling farm. She loves her daughter and does everything for her. Although, she was in a rush to get her married.