Moral Assumptions of People in Writings - Literature review Example

Blinded by Religion Due Introduction The world can be a frightening and occasionally dangerousplace. Despite our modern technology and sciences we still cannot explain the behaviors of human beings and the variant of motivations that fuel those behaviors. Human beings can be rather unpredictable. One of the ways that societies and cities have worked to maintain order, peace, deter crime, and provide citizens with a sense of safety and comfort is religion. Religion can be helpful and inspirational when used correctly. Every religion, faith, or belief system outlines specific behaviors to be embraced or avoided; the views of good and evil they should adopt, and influences the conduct of people around them. However, here in the United States where diversity reigns supreme, no single religion, philosophy, or ideology is universally shared. But people tend to see the world through the reality of their religious truths, they expect others to automatically behave a certain way. Flannery O’Connor’s stories “Good Country People” and "A Good Man is Hard to Find” personify the moral assumptions that people often make and why that act could be a dangerous mistake and, potentially, a lethal one. In these stories it is apparent that religious ideologies and “assumptions” of the “goodness of others” blinded characters to the reality of danger that was presented to them. Religion plays an important role in society and individual lives, but it ceases to be beneficial when it blinds one to the reality of the world around them. Background “Good Country People” tells the tale of a mother and daughter who are both convinced of the “goodness” of a strange man, Manley, who claims to sell Bibles. Mrs. Hopewell is devotedly religious and associates the good, simple country folk are automatically all examples of “good Christians people;” people who share her mentality and morality who would never be a threat. Hulga, Mrs. Hopewell’s daughter, is a confirmed atheist; she essentially, looks down on believers and sees them as less intelligent than her. She sees Manley as a religious simpleton, generally, to base and unintelligent to be a threat. However, in the end, both women are quite wrong, Manley reveals himself to be a wandering liar, and, likely, thief. He is not religious and he is not “simple minded” and Hulga came very close to being raped and murdered, but instead she is left in a hay loft, trapped, without her wooden prosthetic leg ( ). “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a different tale from the one above. The story is primarily told from the view point of the Grandmother; who is a self proclaimed good Christian, a proper lady, and the only one whose opinion really matters. She warns her family, including her son, that they should change their travel plans to avoid running into recently escaped prisoners that had not yet been caught. They do not alter their plans. The family has an accident and three men stop at the wreck. They are the escaped convicts and once the Grandmother reveals she recognizes them, it seals her and her family’s fate. As the killers execute her family in the woods, she continues to work to prevent the leader of the group from killing her specifically. She plays on his human nature, morality, and pity. However, the Grandmother’s pleadings have the opposite effect and he kills her by three shots to the chest. The killers, then take what they want and move on ( ). Discussion Religion plays a significant, but different, role, in both stories. In “Good Country People” we see the issue of science versus religion has existed between the mother and daughter for some time. Because Mrs. Hopewell perceives the Bible-selling Manley as a guest because good country people are moral, faithful, and harmless people; how else could he be? It is this assumption that has blinded Mrs. Hopewell to the potential danger she is entertaining. Hulga is resentful, almost, spiteful, concerning religion she is so convinced that Manley is a simple-minded, because of his religious beliefs and his status as :good country people.” In this way her disdain toward religion leads to assumptions that, also, blind her to Manley’s potential threat. She allows him to strip her of her prosthetic limb and shares a moment of intimacy with him, and then is shocked when his true nature is revealed (Nelson 1).Both women have allowed their personal beliefs and viewpoints to cloud their ability to identify the presence of false virtue and piety. Fortunately, Hulga, at least, lived to learn a valuable lesson, sadly the characters in “A good Man is Hard to Find” are not so fortunate. The significance of religion in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is reflected through the Grandmother. However, in reading the story it becomes clear that the “religious ideologies” are completely reflective of how she interprets them. For example, throughout the story the definition of “goodness” is brought into question. To the Grandmother “good” is personified by true virtue is directly related to behaving properly, and it is she that determines what that propriety actually is. In other words, her thinking is circular. She sees herself as a pinnacle of “goodness” and proper Christianity and she judges others based upon it (Sparrow 1). This becomes problematic when we consider that herself absorption starts to become rather vain and prideful, both of which are considered incredibly sinful under the ideas of Christianity. In fact, she does not start to tap into her true potential for goodness until moments before she died. Even the killer could see the woman’s self-serving flaws; he makes it clear that she would only ever be good if there was someone to threaten her life every single day ( ). The old woman’s perception of herself as a “Saint-like,” proper lady should save her life, not necessarily her family’s. She has been blinded to the real world and her place in it. In truth her virtue means little to others and if a convicted killer considers you not good enough to live, clearly that is something to consider. Both stories are like fables warning those of deep faith that it is possible to misinterpret and misuse those convictions and beliefs. The women in “Good Country People” were so jaded by their own antithetical views they have lost the ability to recognize actual danger when it is standing right before them. The Grandmother is “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a glowing metaphor of what happens to people when they adopt and use religion inappropriately. It is not meant to be a foundation for the pious to judge, become arrogant, and begin to see themselves as morally and spiritually superior to others around. She defines goodness by those who agree with her and those who do not are less and inferior. Learning this lesson resulted in her death. Following that kind of example could do the same to others. Flannery O’connor does a wonderful job presenting interesting, but disturbing stories that speak to the dangers of allowing religion to blind you to reality and blocks your ability to acknowledge good old fashioned common sense. Where is the common sense in applying your personal beliefs to another person’s mind? Again, human beings are unpredictable and can surprise you in good ways, but also, in awful and horrific ways. Faith should lend strength not to pass judgment, and never blind you from the relevant events in reality occurring around you. Conclusion The characters focused upon in these stories set a terrible example of their faith, to be honest. In the case of Mrs. Hopewell and the Grandmother they were blinded by their own “goodness” that they could not see the bad in others or themselves; and the latter could not recognize her piety and self proclaimed decency would not save her. In the end these stories are an astounding testament to “religion gone wrong.” Faith and belief are ideally mean to support society in positive ways; bring comfort, hope, and spiritual peace. It was never intended to be used to pass harsh judgments, grant a superior mentality, or to become the stick to beat others down who do not share your perspectives and views. In both stories we see what happens when that is line is crossed When people of faith look at the world, they see it through the eyes of their faith. Unfortunately, that perception will never be shared by everyone you meet, blinding you to their true intentions. Religion can prevent people from sensing the potential danger, their moral assumptions can make them naïve and results in them being taken advantage of or harmed. Flannery O’connor’s stories are extremely effective in making this important point; it’s a valuable perspective to consider and warning to heed. Work Cited Nelson, Kathleen. "Flannery OConnor, Faith, and a Wooden Leg." The Gospel Coalition. The Gospel Coalition, n.d. Web. 7 Mar 2014. . Sparrow, Stephan. "Grace Versus the Glamour of Evil in “A Good Man Is Hard To Find”." Catholic Education research Center. CERC, n.d. Web. 7 Mar 2014. . Read More