How Religion is Distributed: Religion in O’Connor’s “Good Country People.” Charles Spurgeon, a Particular Baptist preacher, known as the “Prince of Preachers,” once said, “If I was a Roman Catholic, I would turn a heretic, in sheer desperation, because I would rather go to Heaven than to Purgatory.” Spurgeon and Flannery O’Connor’s characters have similar ideology playing there, just by the sheer definition of a heretic: a person holding an opinion at odds with what is generally accepted, or relatively, a freethinker. O’Connor’s characters go through many sufferings and through trials, but focusing on “Good Country People,” we can see how they all are heretic, and until they have some sort of trial, do they understand some sense of religion …show more content…
or God. Though, how important is religion in O’Connor stories? Religion in O’Connor’s stories provide in depth accounts of suffering though sin, religious symbolisms that prove our flawed human race, and how O’Connor attempts to hide in religious facts. Some believe that suffering is a human condition mainly because with God, we are at peace, and while we work our way to Heaven after death, all we bring about in life is suffering. Though suffering is only defined as the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship. People suffer everyday through something, whether it be just a flood of homework or a monstrous amount of cleaning because you haven’t cleaned your room in four years. In Flannery O’Connor’s stories, it’s based off of religious suffering and the understanding that without religion, there is consequences in not believing in this said God. As stated, from an academic journal, “Suffering And The Sacred in Flannery O’Connor’s Short Stories,” “Flannery O'Connor makes it clear that she is writing stories from a framework of Catholic theological assumptions, but that she is also creating stories that must be read symbolically in order to interpret how the manners in these stories reveal the mystery in accord with her assumptions” (Leigh). Here, the reader now can infer that most of her stories are going to be symbolic to the Catholic religion, and will be thus following the rules and the idealisms of Catholicism. Taking a look at her stories a reader will find that at least half of it is symbolic to religion, or to sin, and as well as the inferred pain and suffering from committing such a sin. Usually one of the seven deadly sins, pride, wrath, gluttony, envy, lust, sloth and greed, which is most prominent in the Catholic religion are the sins that are provided in an O’Connor story. In this story for example, one can find that there is a sense of pride in Hulga that will inevitably be her undoing and lead into her suffering. There are also elements of suffering through these sins that most preachings will tell you are the work of God and will prove that He will be there for you when you need someone. Preachings will teach that in the strongest time of suffering, God will be there, but as we see in “Good Country People,” not everything is proposed that way, even when the person that was the least trustful said “You can never tell when you’ll need the word of God, Hulga”(O’Connor 700). To have the Bible Salesman-- a crook, liar and a thief-- say that, before he took Hulga’s wooden leg is truly symbolic, especially after already stating that Hulga didn’t believe in a God. This shows that since she didn’t believe in god, that she suffered more. Though, does suffering prove religion? It does only when there is evidence to announce a sin that exists, such as with Hulga denouncing faith. In Catholic point of view, and for religion in general, there is nothing worse than saying that you don’t believe in God. As well, there are religious symbolisms that prove our flawed human race, showing that there is somehow some correlation between Flannery O’Connor’s catholic beliefs and her stories.
Symbolism plays a key role in providing the proof of religion, if it wasn’t already obvious with the fact that Manly Pointer was a Bible Salesman. When we take a look again at O’Connor’s story, Manly Pointer appears to be the ideal “good country person.” He just sells Bibles and attempts to spread the word of God. In the barn loft while he is with Hulga (the main character utilized in the story), the reader meets the real Pointer, who isn’t even called Pointer because he has so many different names for his different roles he plays as a renowned Christian Bible Salesman. O’Connor uses Pointer as an example of the aspect of society that pretends to be a Christian, but actually scams and hurts people, or does something against the teachings of the bible. This wasn’t the first time he had hurt someone, and he uses the Bible to his own will. He even said to Hulga at one point in the loft, in her most vulnerable and troubled time, “‘I hope you don’t think 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.’” (O’Connor 704). When looking at the symbolism, it appears that we can provide belief that we are flawed in our human race based off of religious accusations. Through Pointer and Hulga both not being one with God, we can infer that there is a path that leads to yet religious beliefs leading into hurt, suffering, and ignorance. According to “A Good God is Hard to Find” by Alexander Nazaryan, it has even been stated that Flannery O’Connor utilized her characters to show a bit of herself, and her religious beliefs, as well as what her ideals on her symbolism means for her
stories: But while she hovers ironically over her fictional characters, observing the hopeless errors of their ways, she is just as concerned with her own failings. In one entry, she castigates herself for "my lack of charity to Mr. Rothburg," a student whose work she had not liked and who "came back at me today like a tornado." Lamenting the episode, O'Connor concludes, "I am not much. Please help me to do Your Word oh Lord." (Qtd. in Good God is Hard to Find). O’Connor, here, was quoted from a journal/diary she kept, and it provided her own words that she was afraid of failing in the eyes of God, and thus placed these ideals and beliefs inside her characters. In doing this, the symbolism proves that in “Good Country People” shows the flawed use of religion in the human race, and the consequences that comes along with being a flawed society. Lastly, through analysis, one can prove that O’Connor utilized some sense of religion in her short stories. Though O’Connor is said to be a very religious woman, but she attempts to only hint at religion in her works. In “Good Country People” it was simple to see that there was a religious aspect with Manly Pointer, as stated previously. For this fact, William Giralda pointed out in “Confessions of a Catholic Novelist”: O'Connor remains the ideal illustration of how a Catholic who tells stories does not [by fact] become a Catholic storyteller.... her faith always hidden, even when she's most vociferously expressing it. The fiction writer wears no vestments, and in her best stories and two novels, this is how O'Connor excels, as a kind of anti-preacher of her quaking faith (Qtd. In Confessions). With this in mind, it’s hard not to see the facts present, with the symbolisms to sins and to what they all mean. O’Connor provides a healthy look inside religion, showing that there are flaws, such as biblical people like Manly Pointer, but also provides that God is good through her words. Religion may be difficult to pick up on because of how she chooses to display it, but it is there, and it is worth the effort to try and find it. In conclusion, there are three proofs that religion is distributed in O’Connor’s “Good Country People”: suffering, symbolisms, and through analysis. Even if there is religion in a short story, it doesn’t make it a religious piece, but just a piece written by a religious person. A quote from John F. Kennedy resonated along with that sentence, in his speech about religion to the US during his campaign, “I am not the Catholic candidate for president. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for president, who happens also to be a Catholic.” For Flannery O’Connor, she isn’t a Catholic writer but a writer who just happens to be Catholic as well, and whether or not one sees the religion in her stories may just be a point of perspective. Works Cited Giraldi, William. "Confessions Of A Catholic Novelist." New Republic 246.7/8 (2015): 60-65. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 May 2016. Leigh, Davis J. "Suffering And The Sacred In Flannery O'connor's Short Stories." Renascence 65.5 (2013): 365-380. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 May 2016 Nazaryan, Alexander. "A Good God Is Hard To Find." Newsweek Global 161.43 (2013): 1. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 May 2016. NPR News. "Transcript: JFK's Speech on His Religion." NPR. NPR, 5 Dec. 2007. Web. 18 May 2016. O’Connor, Flannery. “Good Country People.” The Story and Its Writer. Ed. Ann Charters. Compact 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015. 690-704. Print.
Religious Imagery in Flannery O'Connor's The Life You Save May Be Your Own. The religious imagery in Flannery O'Connor's The Life You Save May Be Your Own gives the story a cynical undertone along with a healthy dose of irony. O'Connor uses allusions to Jesus and Christianity to examine the hypocrisies of the religion and its adherents. Her character Tom T. Shiftlet is portrayed paradoxically as both the embodiment of Christ and an immoral, utterly selfish miscreant.
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.
The story “Good Country People”, by Flannery O’Conner is a work that uses characterization in a new and interesting way to help shape and present the characters of this story. One of the main characters is Hulga Hopewell, also known as Joy Hopewell. This characters name plays a very ironic role in the story. Through the use of such a peculiar name O’Conner helps to develop and build the characteristics of Hulga. In the story “Good Country People” the use of the name Hulga (Joy) Hopewell helps to further build upon the characterization of Hulga and give the reader a deeper understanding of the character.
He has qualities of “good country people” by selling bibles and “not attending college but devotes his life to Christian service” (178). His appearance and name is a great symbol that signifies of something that is not real which connects to Hulga’s name. Manley’s name has an impact towards Hulga because his name signifies a manly figure which is a missing part in Hulga’s life. On the other hand his last name Pointer symbolizes great divulge of something amazing that will stand out in Hulga’s way. However his name is seen as a false and in reality symbolizes the emptiness of a male presence and the revelation that her life consists of only falsities. O’Conner also used a great mirror description between a bible and his name. Manly pulled out two bibles though one “was hollow and contained a pocket flask of whisky, a pack of cards and a small blue box with printing on it” (192). O’Conner used this hallow bible filled with several profane and contrary items as a symbolism to expose the meaning of Manley’s true self character. Manley is seen as a true nihilist, and through his name, hollow bible and false Christian morals he has revealed himself towards Hulga, as a true meaning of simply believing in nihilistic
“Our first lesson about God made the deepest impression on us. We were told that He loved us, and then we were told that He would burn us in everlasting flames of hell if we displeased Him. We were told we should love Him for He gives us everything good that we have, and then we were told that we should fear Him because He has the power to do evil to us whenever He cares to. We learned from this part of the lesson another: that “people,” like God and parents, can love you and hate you at the same time; and though they may love you, if you displease them they may do you great injury; hence being loved by them does not give you protection from being harmed by them. We learned that They (parents) have a “right” to act in this way because God does, and that They in a sense represent God, in the family.”
Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood follows Hazel Motes’ attempt to abandon his religious beliefs and establish a “Church Without Christ”. Hazel Motes and many of the characters in Wise Blood seek material prosperity, but utilize religion as a means to reach such a goal. This perversion of Christianity for materialistic objectives prevents the characters’ redemption from Christ. Specifically in the case of Motes, it is not until he has lost everything material that he finally accepts Jesus’ divine grace. The grotesque characters exist to display the distortion of moral purpose that materialism brings. The symbols in Wise Blood focus solely on materialistic desires, this symbolism effectively displays how much the characters rely on materialism in
"Good Country People", by Flannery O’Connor, presents us with a look into the monotonous lives of three women living together on a rural farm. All three women are set in their old-fashioned ways, having experienced very little of life, out on the farm. A bible salesman named Manley Pointer, appearing like nothing more than simple, "good country people"(1), pays them a visit one day. It turns out that this simple countryboy is actually a brilliant con artist who scams the pretentious daughter, Hulga (also known as Joy) into removing her wooden leg, which he proceeds to steal. A great change in Hulga is triggered by her experience with Manley Pointer. Although it was a cruel scam, the bible salesman helps her to see the truth about her education and human nature. Hulga realizes that in addition to book smarts, people skills are also crucial in navigating the real world.
Religion is a pervasive theme in most of the literary works of the late Georgia writer Flannery O'Connor. Four of her short stories in particular deal with the relationship between Christianity and society in the Southern Bible Belt: "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," "The River," "Good Country People," and "Revelation." Louis D. Rubin, Jr. believes that the mixture of "the primitive fundamentalism of her region, [and] the Roman Catholicism of her faith . . ." makes her religious fiction both well-refined and entertaining (70-71). O'Connor's stories give a grotesque and often stark vision of the clash between traditional Southern Christian values and the ever-changing social scene of the twentieth century. Three of the main religious ingredients that lend to this effect are the presence of divine meanings, revelations of God, and the struggle between the powers of Satan and God.
Flannery O’Connor believed in the power of religion to give new purpose to life. She saw the fall of the old world, felt the force and presence of God, and her allegorical fictions often portray characters who discover themselves transforming to the Catholic mind. Though her literature does not preach, she uses subtle, thematic undertones and it is apparent that as her characters struggle through violence and pain, divine grace is thrown at them. In her story “Revelation,” the protagonist, Mrs. Turpin, acts sanctimoniously, but ironically the virtue that gives her eminence is what brings about her downfall. Mrs. Turpin’s veneer of so called good behavior fails to fill the void that would bring her to heaven. Grace hits her with force and their illusions, causing a traumatic collapse exposing the emptiness of her philosophy. As Flannery O’Connor said, “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.” (487). The significance is not in the plot or the actual events, but rather the meaning is between the lines.
Characterization is the most prevalent component used for the development of themes in Flannery O?Connor?s satirical short story ?Good Country People.? O?Connor artistically cultivates character development throughout her story as a means of creating multi-level themes that culminate in allegory. Although the themes are independent of each other, the characters are not; the development of one character is dependent upon the development of another. Each character?s feelings and behavior are influenced by the behavior of the others.
Flannery O’Connor lived most of her life in the southern state of Georgia. When once asked what the most influential things in her life were, she responded “Being a Catholic and a Southerner and a writer.” (1) She uses her knowledge of southern religion and popular beliefs to her advantage throughout the story. Not only does she thoroughly depict the southern dialect, she uses it more convincingly than other authors have previously attempted such as Charles Dickens and Zora Neale Hurston. In other works, the authors frequently use colloquialism so “local” that a reader not familiar with those slang terms, as well as accents, may have difficulty understanding or grasping the meaning of the particular passage. O’Connor not only depicts a genuine southern accent, she allows the characters to maintain some aspect of intelligence, which allows the audience to focus on the meaning of the passage, rather than the overbearing burden of interpreting a rather “foreign language.”
Flannery O 'Connor utilizes multiple biblical references, such as Jesus raising the dead, to create a foundation for what the Grandmother and Misfit believe in terms of morality. The Grandmother references Christianity in a positive and redeeming sense while the Misfit claims that “Jesus was the only One that ever raised the dead, and He shouldn 't have done it. He shown everything off balance” (O’Connor 151). Her reality before the incident was the people such as the Misfit were evil, while those similar to her who grew up in the classic traditions of the south were better off. Although she was raised in a highly religious and proper setting, she does not realize the fault in her logic until she is staring down the barrel of a gun. The grandmother attempts to use this religion to save her life by telling the Misfit about prayer and salvation. By asking the Misfit "Do you ever pray?" and then repeatedly saying “pray, pray, pray”, she is attempting to show him the fact that he does not have to do evil acts because of his past (O’Connor 149). Because the Misfit does not view himself as evil, his reality is that his actions and beliefs are morally
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
Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved, explores the physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering that was brought on by slavery. Several critical works recognize that Morrison incorporates aspects of traditional African religions and to Christianity to depict the anguish slavery placed not only on her characters, but other enslaved African Americans. This review of literature will explore three different scholarly articles that exemplifies how Morrison successfully uses African religions and Christianity to depict the story of how slavery affected the characters’ lives in the novel, even after their emancipation from slavery.
Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People" is a story told through the examination of the relationships between the four main characters. All of the characters have distinct feelings about the others, from misunderstanding to contempt. Both Joy-Hulga, the protagonist, and Manley Pointer, the antagonist, are multi-faceted characters. While all of the characters have different levels of complexity, Joy-Hulga and Manley Pointer are the deepest and the ones with the most obvious facades.