Good Country People at eNotes

O'Connor frequently addresses hypocrisy in religion. How does she do so in "Good Country People?"

Is Joy/Hulga static or dynamic?

O'Connor frequently addresses hypocrisy in religion. How does she do so in "Good Country People?"

Is Joy/Hulga static or dynamic?

What does Mrs. Hopewell mean by "good country people" in the story " Good Country People "?

Mrs. Hopewell uses this term to describe people who are uncomplicated and uneducated. "Good country people" are characterized also by possessing what Mrs. Hopewell considers good values. This phrase, for Mrs. Hopewell, is both complimentary and subtly derisive. ...she considers herself more intellectual than all of the “good country people” around her... There is an implication that "good country people" are thoroughly understandable,...

I agree with the idea that no one deserves to be robbed of something as precious and valuable as a leg. Hulga is also robbed of her innocence, which maybe was fitting and deserved. If this is true, it is only true because she had been so smugly confident that her views were accurate and those of her mother were not. Perhaps, she was proven right in thinking that the world is an ugly place and there is no use in pretending otherwise. In...

I do not see how Hulga could hang on to her confidence (or arrogance depending how you see her) after being so wrong about Manley. This, to me, suggests a necessary change of view for her. She will no longer be able to go about with such a blithe and sure sense that she knows the truth about herself and the world.

Hulga is a character blinded by her own intelligence, we might say, convinced that she knows more than the people around her as a result of her education. Thus she believes also that she has a clear view of reality. She is honest and clear-sighted, in her view. We might argue that Hulga's education is symbolized by her glasses. Each represents a tool through which she believes she gains insight into the reality of the world. Each falls away...

Another irony of "Good Country People" comes in the title. Applied by Mrs. Hopewell, this phrase is used ironically and has several meanings. The phrase unites and identifies Mrs. Hopewell while also distinguishing her from more common people. Additionally, the fact that the phrase exists serves to aid Manley, who takes advantage of the cliched notions attached to the phrase. He uses the phrase as a "cover" for his actual intentions,...

Is Joy/Hulga static or dynamic?

What does Mrs. Hopewell mean by "good country people" in the story " Good Country People "?

In "Good Country People", why does Joy feel that changing her name to Hulga is her highest creative act?

Joy's mother suspects that the name Hulga is selected because it is the ugliest name that Joy could find. According to Joy/Hulga this is exactly the case. Joy/Hulga is a somewhat bitter young woman and one of her passions is to clearly demonstrate that her mother's views on the world are innaccurate. She resents the views which her mother simplistically espouses as well as the expectations her mother holds for her, saying at one point,...

In what ways do Mrs. Freeman's descriptons of her daughters Glynese and Carrame contribute to the theme of the story?

in two sentences, what is the story of good country people?

what does joy/hulga's artificial leg symbolize?

In "Good Country People", why does Joy feel that changing her name to Hulga is her highest creative act?

O'Connor frequently addresses hypocrisy in religion. How does she do so...

Is Joy/Hulga static or dynamic?

dynamic

O'Connor frequently addresses hypocrisy in religion. How does she do so...

Is Joy/Hulga static or dynamic?

dynamic

What does Mrs. Hopewell mean by "good country people" in the story "...

Mrs. Hopewell uses this term to describe people who are uncomplicated...

I agree with the idea that no one deserves to be robbed of something as...

I do not see how Hulga could hang on to her confidence (or arrogance...

Hulga is a character blinded by her own intelligence, we might say,...

Another irony of "Good Country People" comes in the title. Applied by...

Is Joy/Hulga static or dynamic?

What does Mrs. Hopewell mean by "good country people" in the story "...

In "Good Country People", why does Joy feel that changing her name to...

Joy's mother suspects that the name Hulga is selected because it is the...

In what ways do Mrs. Freeman's descriptons of her daughters Glynese and...

in two sentences, what is the story of good country people?

what does joy/hulga's artificial leg symbolize?

In "Good Country People", why does Joy feel that changing her name to...