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April 03, 2006

Good Country People

O'Connor, '''Good Country People'' -- Jerz: American Lit II (EL 267)

"She looked at nice young men as if she could smell their stupidity."

O'Connor's funniest writing yet! Seriously, this quote says it all. Hulga/Joy, is a bitter person because of her hanidcap. Of course it is normal to want to be normal, but plenty of people make the best out of what they have by considering what they could not have. It's my opinion that this girl who is in fact a woman, needed to learn a good lesson and if it was the twisted bible salesman who taught her it, then so be it. he quote prooves that Hulga/Joy thinks highly of herself when it comes to intellect. She presents herself in such an ugly way, with her manners and such, that she only has her intelligence to rely on. BUT...apparently she is not as smart as she thinks! She thinks that she is going to take advantage of this boy in the barn and that he is so innocent he has no idea what is going on...when she is the one who is in the dark. I wonder what smart Hulga/Joy thought to do without her leg while she was stuck in the loft? I bet she would have some explaining to do once her mother and Mrs. Freeman finally found her. I cant imagine her ignoring that topic!

Posted by TerraStumpf at April 3, 2006 12:57 PM

Comments

Yup, she reminded me of the child in The Temple: full of herself but limited in many ways. I am just not sure why O'Connor had to write so many stories with such similar ideas. It seems the society in which she grew up contained a lot of people who were limited in their experiences and this may have really bothered her.

Posted by: Jennifer DiFulvio at April 3, 2006 08:39 PM

I hadn't thought of the connection between the child in "The Temple" and Hulga here, but that's definitely a credible comparison. I might be able to work that into my paper somehow; thanks, Jen!

Posted by: ChrisU at April 3, 2006 11:49 PM

You know, it seems to me also that O'Connor is interested in showing self-assured, even arrogant (is that the word I mean?) characters only to have them outwitted or shown to be transparent.

Nelson was arrogant until his trip to Atlanta. The girl in "Temple", as Jen pointed out, was arrogant too, but by example, she displayed she didn't know everything (the rabbit giving birth anecdote). Hulga is for all indications another smart person who is show she isn't so crafty she can't be bested by someone who's streetwise.

I'd bet that's some sort of insight into the author, but what? I don't know.

Posted by: Matt Hampton at April 23, 2006 12:16 AM

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