Irony in Flannery O'Connors Good Country People - Book Report/Review Example

Irony in Flannery O'Connor's Good Country People Date: Thesis Statement Flannery O'Connor was a devout Catholic and also a critique of atheism. In her short story "Good Country People" O'Connor uses irony and symbolism to expose the falsities of the pseudo-intellectuals, who believe in and support atheism. The two central characters Joy Hulga Hopewell and Manley Pointer appear at the outset, to be the opposite of what they actually are; Pointer is an atheist who appears to be a Christian and Hulga Hopewell actually believes that Pointer is a true Christian even while she professes to believe in 'nothing.' Flannery O'Connor in effect, warns her readers of the ruin and chaos that the lack of spirituality can bring about, as illustrated in the example of Hulga Hopewell's wretched condition, at the end of the story. Through the use of symbols such as names and the color of attires, she builds the irony, and in the end exposes the negative impact of atheism. Irony in Flannery O'Connor's Good Country People Introduction From ancient times, stories have been told and retold with the primary goal - to differentiate between the good and the bad. While the manner in which story-tellers narrate their tales may depend on the story being told and the mind-frame of the audience, some rules are universal. Many writers choose to demarcate the good and the evil clearly even at the beginning of their narratives, whereas some others employ techniques like irony, shock, symbolism to ultimately distinguish between the two. They do this in order to heighten the interest of the audience, or just to make it a little awesome. The techniques ensure that the message in the narrative is easily remembered, because the surprise elements that lie hidden in the story and are unknown to the audience. The surprises leave the audience shocked and the story memorable. The American writer and novelist Flannery O'Connor (1925-64), is a case in the point. She states that "In good fiction, certain of the details will tend to accumulate meaning from the action of the story itself, and when this happens they become symbolic in the way they work" (O'Connor cited in Notes on O'Connor). Her deep rooted Catholic faith often finds expression in her stories set in the predominantly protestant southern states and Gothic style of writing (Galloway 1). O'Connor in her short story Good Country People illustrates an atheist character Hulga Hopewell in stark contrast to the background of Mrs. Hopewell (the faithful) household. The character of Manley Pointer - the Christian Bible-seller, is also skillfully employed by the author. This essay shall analyze the work Good Country People, and try to understand how O'Connor uses irony and symbolism to expose the falsities of the pseudo-intellectuals, who believe in and support atheism. It shall study the two central characters Joy Hulga Hopewell and characters and Manley Pointer, and argue that the author has deliberately designed her central characters as nihilists (Colas 1). By the use of irony, [making Hulga Hopewell, (outwardly non-believing but, actually believing in Christian values), fall into ruin in the end in the hands of a Christian Bible-seller (who is actually an atheist)] O'Connor has accurately driven home the dangers of atheism, non-spiritual ideologies, and the chaos they can cause by camouflaging themselves as Christians. By effective use of the above techniques, she warns her readers of the wretchedness, deceit, and chaos that atheism and non-Christian values can bring about. Symbolism - A Technique Lucretia B. Yaghjian notes that, "While O'Connor's view of symbol as a religious category was that of a Tridentine, doctrinally orthodox Roman Catholic who subordinated the religiously symbolic to the ultimately "real," her literary use of symbol does not separate those categories so neatly." (p 1) Her use of symbols here in Good Country People is less to do with that of the Holy Trinity; it seems more associated with the goodness of Christian Faith, and the evilness of Nihilistic theories (Colas 1). Symbols are especially prominent in this work. For example, names of all the characters symbolize something. Hedgepeth holds that in this work of O'Connor's, "choice of names seem to give indications about the personalities of the characters and seem to be more relevant to the story than what the reader would commonly overlook as simply being stock character names." (p 1) Joy Hopewell, the thirty-two year old woman with an artificial leg, is so called by her mother because she brought joy for the latter. And when Joy, who is also a doctorate in philosophy with a crisp manner of speaking, renames herself Hulga, it is to show symbolically, the hold she has over her life. Furthermore, Hulga suffers from a heart condition which coupled with her lost leg makes her not only large, and bulky, but also bitter and angry, and her the name 'Hulga' symbolizes something that is as dull and meaningless as the world that surrounds her (Colas 1). Hulga declares to Pointer with a bold appearance, "I don't have illusions; I'm one of those people who see through to nothing" (O'Connor 191), symbolizing her belief in nihilism (Colas 1). Ultmately, it appears as if Hulga is made to lose her 'joy' (her wooden leg, her self- confidence) because, she did not believe in herself as having 'Joy'! Similarly, Manley Pointer is thus named "because 'Manley' stands for manhood and 'Pointer' refers to a man's penis, which represents power. Manley Pointer, the Bible salesman, was a symbolic meaning of power" (Sipe 2). Manley Pointer enters the household of Mrs. Hopewell, in the guise of a good country person with strong faith in old Christian traditions. When Mrs. Hopewell so often says "good country people" it stands for the traditional values the country-side people symbolize. Significantly, Hopewell - Hulga's mother prefers to call her "Joy", though she laments her daughter's "bloated, rude, and squint-eyed" (O'Connor 184) appearance, because she is "Hopewell" - never gives up hope, like a true Christian. Here too name is made symbol of "her positivistic outlook on life and her willingness to always, in a sense, hope for the best" (Hedgepeth 1). Colors are equally a part of the symbolism technique employed by the author. For example, the color blue. It is of special significance, since Hulga underlines her ideology (nihilist) in the using that color. As Colas puts it "Like the Nietzchian passage outlined in blue, he enters the story wearing a blue suit; His blue suit is a critical element of the symbolism in the story, showing his reflection of the nihilism that Hulga espouses" (p 1). Objects are used as symbols too. The most striking example of this is Hulga's wooden leg. Her original leg, said to be lost in hunting mishap, is replaced with a wooden leg. Wood is a material that is not easily affected by external conditions, and thus it symbolizes the nature of its Hulga; "On a deeper level, however, the wooden leg is a symbol of the 'wooden part of Hulga's soul' that reveals significant information about her character to the astute reader" (Yaghjian 1). It has given her the freedom to stand on her own legs, and hence it is indeed dear to her, "as someone else would his soul, in private and almost with her eyes turned away" (O'Connor 193). To her the leg "represents her soul (which she, no doubt, does not believe exists) because it is the most important thing about her" (Colas 1). Understandably, she feels as if her life itself is ruined at the end of the story, because, without the wooden leg, she can neither walk, nor even stand up, without it. Stephen Sparrow point to this precisely that in the end, "it is not her virginity that Hulga loses, but something of much greater importance: she loses her faith; her carefully constructed faith in nothing, which all through the story is symbolized by her wooden leg" (p 1). Irony - An Effective Role HughRuppersburg ofUniversity of Georgia states that generally most of O'Connor's central characters "have well-established views of themselves, of human nature, and of the world. They attempt to order their lives in accordance with their views of the world; the pattern of action in the stories moves toward a moment in which the main characters recognize the falseness of their views" (p 1). This turns out to be an accurate assessment in the case of Good Country People, as we can see through Hulga Hopewell and Manley Pointer, who portray themselves to be something, while deep down, hidden from others view, they are quite the opposite. Hulga Hopewell, though she puts up an arrogant and haughty appearance, she is very unhappy and unsettled deep inside. She is portrayed as seeking acceptance for what she is while ironically, criticizing of her mother and Mrs. Freeman (O'Connor 183-184). O'Connor has made irony the main technique in the climax of the plot, to shock here audience into disbelief. In the hay-barn - the setting of the climax, Pointer at intimately persists on making Hulga say she loved him, even though she had stated that love was only an illusion according to her. She ultimately relents and admits reluctantly to loving him; he asks her to prove it by showing him the joining place of her wooden leg with her torso, all the time giving credence to her deep belief that he is a true believer in Christian values. Her innermost fears surface and she feels highly insecure without the wooden leg. Pointer's true self gets revealed when he refuses to hand her back her wooden leg, and instead puts it in his valise, and taking out from what seemed to be a Bible-like box, flask containing whisky, some cards with obscene pictures, and a pack of contraceptives. Here the irony is that, all the time, Hulga and the audience believed him to be a man of sincere Christian values, while proves to be quite the opposite. Not stopping at this, O'Connor adds to the irony, by revealing Hulga's true self too. Aghast at the change of Pointer, Hulga is terrified and angry; "aren't you just good country people" (O'Connor 193) She cries out as if thunder- struck, "You're a fine Christian! You're just like them all - say one thing and do another" (O'Connor 193).If she was really a non-believer as she professed to be, there was no reason to be shocked at his change. She should have rather, rejoiced at his true non-believing nature which matched what she had been repeating all the time! While she outwardly boasted not to believe in anything, she had actually believed that he was a good man, with solid Christian faith, and she couldn't accept it when he in reality, turned out to be a mirror of her atheism. Pointer deals her with the ultimate blow, and angrily disowns all that he had hitherto symbolized, as "crap" (O'Connor 193). His cold indication that he collected curious things, like a glass eye from a woman, just as he had robbed her of the wooden leg, exposes the sadistic, and sinister touch in his character. O'Connor's irony touches its peak when Pointer scorns at Hulga's ruined position, and adds that he didn't think her to be very smart (though well-educated), and that he had believed in nothing at all, all his life. Similarly, take the image of Manley Pointer "walking on water" at the end of the story. This alludes to "Jesus as 'symbol of God' disguised as a bogus Bible salesman functions ironically as a closing joke"; because Pointer "by intimating the presence of Jesus in a guise that neither the saved nor the churchly nor Hulga herself would anticipate or acknowledge". Hulga claims to be a non-believer, a nihilist, an atheist; but is actually, not. While she had imagined herself to be the one who will seduce Pointer, she finds herself seduced by him. All the time she thought herself to be a non-believer; however, she starts trusting the outward guise of pure Christian that Pointer put on. "For the first time, she realizes the evil of nihilism and the damage nihilism incurs" (p 1) states Brandon Colas. She discovers that "the Bible salesman is not the unspoiled innocent she thought he was; he has, in fact, a sinister and psychopathic side and prepares to steal her wooden leg" (Gossett 176). Indeed, he is not the real Pointer what he appears to be outwardly. This is understood fully, only at the end when he completely uncovers his disguise to Hulga, "And you needn't think you'll catch me because Pointer ain't really my name. I use a different name at every house I call at and don't stay nowhere long." (O'Connor 193) The irony in his words hits one hard, that not only is 'Pointer' not his real name, but the appearance of a true Christian that he portrayed was also false. Conclusion Beverly Lyon Clark remarks that for most part "O'Connor's pronouncements have guided much of the criticism of her work" (p 1). Nevertheless, Flannery O'Connor's short story Good Country People has been very absorbing and interesting. It certainly seems that O'Connor has carefully planned the projection Hulga Hopewell and Manley Pointer, to be the reversal of what they actually were. If the ironical reversal in the character of Manley Pointer was less shocking, it may not have delivered the required impact to make it memorable. By leading Hulga and the audience to believe that Pointer was not only a Bible-seller, but also a sincere man of solid 'country' stock, and good Christian faith, O'Connor has indirectly upheld Christian faith. Through the unexpected and sudden 'Volta face' of Manley Pointer, O'Conner has delivered a message of warning. A warning of the potential havoc that lack of spirituality can wreck seems especially relevant today, as this is the era of globalization, and 'virtual reality.' Electronic gadgets have become a handy tool that facilitates some unethical uses like, for example, pornography because it enables its users to electronically camouflage sinister intentions, and lure unsuspecting victims into its cruel web. While the masked users appear on the surface to be innocent and innocuous, they are in reality, ruthless and inhuman, and similar to the anti-hero character Manley Pointer, thus making O'Connor's work very present, and meaningful. List of Works Cited. Clark, Lyon Beverly. "Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964)" Electronic article, accessed on April 8, 2007. http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/bassr/heath/syllabuild/iguide/oconnor.html Colas, Brandon. "Nihilist Hypocrites" - Flannery O'Connor. Good Country People in www.literature-study-online.com Electronic article, accessed on April 8, 2007. http://www.literature-study-online.com/essays/oconnor.html Galloway, Patrick. "The Dark Side of the Cross: Flannery O'Connor's Short Fiction" In Pat's Lit Page (1996). Electronic article, accessed on April 8, 2007. http://www.cyberpat.com/essays/flan.html Gossett, F. Thomas. "Flannery O'Connor's Humor with a Serious Purpose" in Studies in American Humor Electronic article, accessed on April 8, 2007. http://www.compedit.com/flannery_o'conner.htm Hedgepeth, Gregory. "Isn't Hulga Hopewell a Pretty Name" An Analysis of Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People" in English 2000, Interpreting Literature. Luke Whisnant. Electronic article, published in October 22, 2004, accessed on April 8, 2007. http://core.ecu.edu/engl/whisnantl/2000/gregory.htm O'Connor, Flannery. Good Country People. The Library of America (Sep 1988) Online edition accessed on April 7, 2007. http://www.geocities.com/cyber_explorer99/oconnorgoodcountry.html A Few Notes on Flannery O'Connor. "Writing Short Stories" in Mystery and Manners. In Electronic article, accessed on April 8, 2007. http://ftp.ccccd.edu/mtolleson/2328online/2328notesoconnor.htm Ruppersburg, Hugh."Flannery O'Connor's Short Fiction" in The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Electronic article, Published Jan 22, 2004, accessed on April 8, 2007. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsppath=/Literature/Fiction/Works&id=h-2470 Sipe, Corey. "Interpretative Analysis of Short Stories" Electronic article, published in September 02, 2006, accessed on April 8, 2007. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/56116/cathedral_by_raymond_carver_good_country.htmlpage=2 Sparrow, Stephen. "Stamping Out Joy - The Fallacy of Certainty in Good Country People" In Comforts of Home website. Electronic article, accessed on April 8, 2007. http://mediaspecialist.org/ssstamping.html Yaghjian, B. Lucretia. "Flannery O'Connor's Use of Symbol, Roger Haight's Christology and the Religious Writer. Journal of Theological Studies. Volume: 63. Issue: 2. (2002): 268+. COPYRIGHT 2002 Theological Studies, Inc.; COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group Good Country People Outline: Good country people is a short story by Flannery O'Connor. She strongly believes in Catholicism. She warns against non-believers and their valueless-ness in this story. The story is about a non-believing, Nietzsche following, thirty-year old, well-educated but not very smart woman called Hulga Hopewell. She also has a heart condition and has lost her leg in a hunting accident. She is actually called Joy, but her own bitterness because of the above two setbacks makes her rename herself as Hulga. Hulga move about with her wooden leg, which is the source of her self-confidence and independence. Despite her education, she is not a very positive person. She does not believe in anything. He mother Mrs. Hopewell has taken a tenant Mrs. Freeman and her two daughters, of whom the younger is married and pregnant. The Elder is still looking for a suitor. Mrs Hopewell have them as her there because they are "Good Country People" which means people with very solid traditional values. In order to make her point extra-memorable, O'Connor has deliberately made her anti-hero as a real non-believer, a cunning cheat, who ruthlessly robs Hulga of her leg. Hulga herself is actually a false nihilist, since she appears to be a non-believer, while deep inside she actually believes in the Bible salesman's Christian values. It is only because of this she plans to seduce him. However, the author has buried surprises for the reader, by ironically twisting the story and revealing the true nature of the anti-hero only in the end. The author has also employed a number of symbols to drive her point into the readers. Thus, by effectively employing irony and symbols, O'Connor has spun a compelling tale, to warn her reader of non-Christian theories and their dangers. The anti-hero Manly Pointer is a typical example of that, and the heroine Hulga is a warning as to what shall be the fate of the non-believers. Read More