Revelation and Good Country People by Flannery OConnor - Essay Example

‘Revelation’ and ‘Good Country People’ by Flannery O’ConnorFlannery O’Connor has written many short stories during her lifetime, but two of her most famous works are undoubtedly ‘Revelation’ and ‘Good Country People.’ Revelation focuses on an arrogant doctor, Mrs. Turpin who considers herself superior to others. She is humbled and deeply troubled by the message Mary grace gives her. Good Country Man is the story of Hulga, a disabled nihilistic girl with a wooden leg who considers herself superior to others because of her education and does not seem to enjoy anything in her life.

Even though Mary Grace and Hulga are characters from different stories, it is interesting to see the relation between them. The rest of the essay compares and contrasts Mary Grace with Hulga in detail. The names of both the characters symbolize their personalities in the stories. Mary Grace is seen as a bearer of divine ‘grace’ in the story. The name ‘Hulga’ has no meaning; the girl changes her name to make it sound uglier which is indeed a representation of her character. Despite their different roles in the stories, the theme of divinity is linked with both the characters.

Both the characters have a marked influence on others. In ‘Revelation,’ Mrs. Turpin has always deemed herself superior and holds racist and degrading views about others. Mrs. Turpin considers Mary ugly and ignores her, however when she throttles Mrs. Turnip; she realizes that it was something supernatural that must have forced the girl to do this action and she is deeply worried by the message she gives her. She shakes Mrs. Turpin’s conscience by her message and compels her to ponder on her views and opinions about herself and others (O'Connor, Revelation).

Regarding the role played by the characters, Hulga appears totally different from Mary. She is everything that Mary does not appear to be. Hulga is rude, arrogant and is a follower of nihilism with her prosthetic limb as the only thing she considers important in her life. In Contrast to Mary, she is not at all concerned about God and Divinity. She is only humbled when Manley tricks her and steals her wooden leg. This episode leaves her greatly humbled, and she needs to look for something she can have faith in, and this is the only time in the story that she feels closer to God.

Hulga in ‘Good Country People’ hence is a receiver of God’s message, which shatters her beliefs of arrogance and independence and moves her closer to Humility. On the other hand, Mary Grace is a bearer of God’s messages, which brings about the same results in Mrs. Turnip, which are experienced by Hulga at the end of the story (O'Connor, Good Country People). Hulga and Mary Grace are two very different characters and play a completely different role in their respective stories. They appear to be complete opposites to each other, but despite the difference of roles they play and the beliefs they possess in their respective stories, it is the divine message that ultimately links the two.

Works CitedO'Connor, Flannery. "Good Country People." O'Connor, Flannery. The Complete Stories. Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 33 edition , 1971. Print.O'Connor, Flannery. "Revelation." O'Connor, Flannery. The Complete Stories. Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 33 edition, 1971. Print.