Mrs Hopewell In Good Country People

“Some can’t be that simple. I know I never could,” says Mrs. Freeman in the ending of the story, which means that perfection is difficult to achieve. However, in the book, Mrs. Freeman and other characters judge people around them just by their appearance. Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People” criticizes the people of the American South for their moral blindness and hypocrisy as well as people’s negative habits of stereotyping, contradictory, and cliché. The book delivers the message to be critical and to see things beyond the border.
Mrs. Hopewell is a representative of American South morality by being blind and hypocrite. She believes to be able to distinguish if a person is a good country people or a trash. In her mind, a good country

It is her blindness that leads her to an unpleasant manipulation by Manley Porter. It is enough for her to hear some beautiful words by someone and to understand if they are good country people or not. She believed she had no good qualities making her more comical character because she sees others bad qualities but she is unable to see hers. “…He is so simple, but I guess the world would be better off if all were that simple.”- it took only one day to meet Manley Porter to get to this conclusion to Mrs. Hopewell. She pretends to understand people but she is unable to understand her own daughter. Her daughter, Joy pretends to be different from her mother, but she is the same. She, as her mother is naïve and has a misperception of the world. They are not able to see the world as a mixture of good and evil. Joy or Hulga as she named herself pretends to see others more realistic as her mother but still she believes at good country people. Mrs. Hopewell doesn’t understand her daughter and she feels ashamed of her attitude and wearing. She is unable to understand her daughter necessity to be accepted by her as she claims: “If you want me, here I am- LIKE I AM.” Even her daughter’s changing name

Freeman is contradictory and stereotypes. She says everyone is different but she doesn’t accept others opinions. She allowed her daughter to have an education and she got a PhD on philosophy, but still she wasn’t pleased with her daughter. People can say “My daughter is a nurse, a school teacher, a chemical engineer” but can’t say “My daughter is a philosopher” according to Mrs. Hopewell. She supports the idea to have an education, but according to her, her daughter has gone too far. She doesn’t accept her daughter as she is and she is judging what she wears. Her outfits, changing the name to Hulga and behaviours shows she was still a child according to Mrs. Hopewell. Hulga was as contradictory as her mother. Due to an accident at the age of ten she has lost her leg and she has heart problems. Her inability to have a normal life makes her a nihilist. She pretends to be above the typical Christian believers and to be an atheist. “You’re a Christian” she heisted. “You are a fine Christian! You’re just like them all-say one thing and do another. You’re a perfect Christian..” she says when she understand Manley’s intentions. Hulga pretends to understand more people but she gets easily manipulated. Both woman say something and do something else, they pretend to be smart enough to control others but they get easily manipulated.
Mrs. Hopewell was superficial and cliché at the most time and this leads to unpleasant situations with her daughter. She is always using quotes like: