“Your beliefs don’t make you a better person, your behavior does.” While it is unknown who first said this quote, it holds the undeniable truth that being religious does not necessarily make you a good person. There are many religious people who have committed horrible acts and there are many secular people who have worked to make the world a better place. The character Manley Pointer in the story Good Country People by Flannery O’Connor is a prime example of a supposed religious person who has many immoral qualities.
Among the many immoral qualities that Pointer possesses, the one that is most plainly seen is that he is deceitful. He came to the home of the Hopewells, pretending to be a Bible salesman. They let him into their home and Ms.
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Hopewell takes pity on him because he claims to be a good honest country boy with a heart condition. While it is unknown whether this statement was true, it is probable that he only stated this because he knew of her daughter Joy’s heart condition. He later tricked Joy herself when he managed to get her alone in a barn and stole her leg. Pointer made a point of stating that this was not the first time that he had fooled someone in this way. “‘I’ve gotten a lot of interesting things,’ he said. ‘One time I got a woman’s glass eye this way’”(547). Pointer also was immoral because he gave the impression of being a good Christian who sells Bibles.
Due to this, Joy believed that she could seduce him and that he would be filled with remorse and regret afterward. However, when she was with Pointer in the barn, he revealed that he does not actually believe in that stuff; he only pretended that he did in order to make money and to give people a reason to trust him. “‘I hope you don’t think,’ he said in a lofty indignant tone, ‘that I believe in that crap! I may sell Bibles but I know which end is up and I wasn’t born yesterday and I know where I’m going!’”(546). This goes to show that while there are many people who claim to be religious, there are still some who believe in very immoral things. Recently during the March for Life, there were thousands of people participating in the annual protest. While a majority of them came from Christian families, there was a portion of people who were not religious that also joined the campaign to protect the lives of the unborn. On the other hand, people who claimed to be Christians were on the opposing side that was determined to keep the country pro-choice. This is a prime example that being religious does not automatically determine the morality of a
person. From both the story, Good Country People, and from the recent March for Life, it can be inferred that the title of being religious does not necessarily ensure that someone is a moral person. This is apparent when Pointer turns out to be cruel and steals the leg of a disabled woman and from the Christian people who are fighting against the pro-life movement. The important messages that the short story is trying to convey through the qualities of Manley Pointer are, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” and, “Being religious does not necessarily make a person good, just as being secular does not indicate that a person is bad”. Instead, both religious and secular people must choose whether to act in a way that is admirable or abominable.
I feel that the Grandmother in the story 'A Good Man is Hard to Find' suffers from psychological conditions. She does not care at all about anyone but herself. I feel that she may even be narcissistic. It is ironic because she would be expected to look out for her family. The Cambridge Dictionary defines narcissism as 'too much interest in and admiration for your own physical appearance and/or your own abilities' It is ironic because she would be expected to look out for her family, however in reality she only really looks out for herself. She shows how self centered she really is many times throughout the story. She displays a complete lack of regard for what anyone else wants to do. All she cares about at first is what ...
When an individual has to do a compare and contrast for a short story in the realm of literature, I believe that you have to take into account the deeper meaning in a short story. You have to read between the lines, one has to know what the symbols and what metaphors are. “A symbol is something that has a literal identity, but also stands for something else—something abstract—like an idea, a belief, or an emotion. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between one object and another that is different from it.” (Clugston, 2014) The reader needs to know that the author is using figurative language in the short story. Once the individual can understand this, the literature work will be significantly easier to do a compare and contrast essay.
...k that perhaps she should have kept her original name of Joy because it does in fact suit her.
Joy did whatever it took and sometimes it meant not letting Wes leave military school to come home. She stood her ground and wanted to make him a better person, so she made him stick it out. She also valued her kids education so much that she did all she could which meant working multiple jobs just to keep them out of the public schooling system. If Wes didn’t have the support of his mother, he would of turn out like the Other Wes that was in the story and he mostly likely would have gone to jail
“A Good Man is hard to find,” a short story written by Flannery O’ Connor, is one of the most interesting stories I’ve ever come across to in my life. Born as an only child into a Catholic family, O’ Conner is one of the most “greatest fiction writers and one of the strongest apologists for Roman Catholicism in the twentieth century (New Georgia Encyclopedia).” She was a very strong believer in her faith and she used her stories as a tool to send the reader a message that were most likely ignored and almost never uttered out loud. The story revolves around a grandmother who believes to be high and mighty around others. This results in her downfall later on.
A Good man is Hard to Find" focuses on Christianity being filled with sin and punishment, good and evil, belief and unbelief.
I think that Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is written partially in order to convert people who have not yet fully accepted the Christian faith. O’Conner, having a strong upbringing and solid Christian background, wrote this story believing it would help people who do not have a strong moral base and Christian convictions to seriously making the necessary changes. Flannery O'Connor showed deep concern towards the value system of the youth at the time. She firmly believed in helping to guide the youth in a positive direction. Her belief that Christ was no longer a major priority to the people of her generation was a driving motivation. "A Good Man is Hard to Find" shows Flannery O'Connor's concern for the priorities and values of her time.
He regards himself as a fraud. These insecurities are the foundation of Proctors character development into an anti-hero.
By definition joy means a great feeling of pleasure and happiness. In Mary Flannery O'Connor's short story Good Country People, Joy Freeman was not at all joyful. Actually, she was the exact opposite. Joy's leg was shot off in a hunting accident when she was ten. Because of that incident, Joy was a stout girl in her thirties who had never danced a step or had any normal good times. (O'Connor 249). She had a wooden leg that only brought her teasing from others and problems in doing daily activities. Joy was very rude as well. In the story it speaks of her comments being so rude and ugly and her face so glum that her mother's boss, Mrs. Hopewell, would tell her if she could not come pleasantly than for her to not come at all. (O'Connor 249).
Doing good deeds makes one a good person, right? One definition of a good person is someone who does good acts but doesn’t truly mean and feel it in their heart. Lane A. Dean Jr. is an example of
The thought of good people brings warmth and joy to my heart. On a daily basis I would like to think that most, if not all, of the people we surround ourselves with strive to be good people. My initial thought that came to mind before I began to read David Foster Wallace’s “Good People” was that this would be a story about all the people around each other doing good for one another bringing happiness to me as a reader. The story took a huge turn as it did not talk about the good of the people, but the expectations and judgments we hold for others to be good people. My eyes and my heart opened up, as Wallace’s story unfolded, in which he used a controversial issue to make a point by tugging at the emotions of the reader. I now know that this story was not to make a statement about a very controversial issue, but to make us realize that being a good person doesn’t always mean we have to follow by the expectations or rules that have been set for us, but by being who we truly are and having an understanding for one another.
In Flannery O 'Connor 's short story, A Good Man is Hard to Find, the theme of good vs. evil unravels throughout the series of tragic events. The Grandmother’s epiphany introduces the idea of morality and the validity is left to the interpretation of the reader. By questioning the characteristics of right and wrong, morality and religion become subjective to personal reality and the idea of what makes individuals character good or bad becomes less defined.
In the story “Good Country People”, by Flannery O’ Connor Joy/Hulga wants to seduce bible salesman Manley Pointer. When Manly pointer comes onto the scene he seems like a holy rolling, bible thumping, good ol’ country boy. He comes into the home that Mrs. Hopewell and Joy/Hulga resides into and attempts to sell Mrs. Hopewell a bible. Mrs. Hopewell doesn’t necessarily want to buy a bible but does recognize Manly Pointer as “just the salt of the earth” (pg. 2531). Manley pointer states in the story that he decided to devote his “…life to Chrustian service” (pg. 2529). Joy/Hulga just isn’t having this. She is a self-proclaimed atheist and has her PhD in philosophy. She believes that she has caught the eye of Manly Pointer because she noted how he
Some people think that the religion is God-given and flexible for all times, but the other see it as traditions that change with time. Folkways can change to mores which are habits and traditions that are used to make moral judgments. Sumner believes that sometimes mores and folkways can be harmful and dangerous (24). Therefore, a person may think that what was right for ancestors may not be right these days now. Thus, most religions’ main goal is advocating to have good morals. Some believers feel that to have morals, they should follow their religion’s commandments. Additionally, thinking that there is an afterlife, which is the Day of Judgment and heaven and hell, morality becomes more desirable. Some religions teach that this life, which we are living right now, is nothing but a test for your morals and how much you successfully followed the required commandants. A person is evaluated by his actions and they are ones that determine one’s place in heaven or hell in the afterlife. As a result, people act morally for the benefit of their
...s as far as saying he will go to hell if that is the cost to be a true friend to Jim, his loyal companion and even a father figure. With this, he acknowledges that he is an evil person and that society has the correct answers when it comes to being ethical. His moral crisis near the end illustrates that he desires to be “good”, but he is unsure of what that entails. By society's standards, 'being good' would mean sending the letter informing Miss Watson of her runaway slave. In his heart though, being good means protecting those you care about, despite violations of any rule or law. So his choices are turning Jim in, or to help Jim escape from his captors, the latter being is the choice he makes. Society hinders and disrupts the development of his strong moral compass, because he believes that he is going to hell, even if he also believes he made the right choice.