Religion is a big theme in “Good Country People”
by Flannery O’ Connor. In this story the daughter Joy who has renamed herself,
Hulga is an open atheist. Her mother on the other hand claims to be a
Christian. When Manley, a man selling bibles, who also claims to be christian
comes to their house to sell bibles, Mrs. Hopewell invites him in. Manley and
Hulga hit it off and go out together. Manley takes Hulga up to the loft of the
barn and Hulga we soon find out who Manley truly is. Manley being a Christian
is a lie. We learn this when he opens his bible and it is hollow inside and
filled with dirty pictures, booze, and condoms. In the end Manley ends up
stealing Hulga’s fake leg and confessing to her that he actually doesn’t
believe in anything and does the Christian act to get what he wants.
Knowing the authors
background, of how she was a devoted catholic, I think helps understand the
role of religion in this story. I think it’s kind of ironic how she brings out
the worst of religion. This shows that people can claim to be something but you
don’t really know what’s in their heart. I think she wrote this to get people
to want religion in their life. She shows how Hulga does not have religion in
her life and what the outcomes of her situation.
In the text we can see
where there is a contradiction in Mrs. Hopewell’s religion. The text says, “ My
daughter is an atheist and won’t let me keep the Bible in my parlor”(p.1345).
Mrs. Hopewell really keeps her Bible in the attic, meaning she doesn’t think
it’s important to have around. She may not be an atheist like her daughter, but
this shows that religion isn’t a big part of her life. We can definitely see
where Manley misuses Christianity. “ He was now nineteen years old and had been
selling Bibles for four months. In that time he had sold seventy-five
bibles..”.(p.1346) Even though Mrs. Hopewell and Joy do not have religion in
their life Manley still wants to convince them that he is a devoted Christian.
He knows they will be more trusting of him. He says things to build up his
convincing belief in Christianity. Hulga asks Manley why he brought his bibles
with him and he replies, “ You can never tell when you’ll need the word of
God..”(p.1349). That line makes it sound like he wants the bible with him
everywhere he goes, which makes him sound like a devoted Christian. But when we
observe why he really wants his bible with him everywhere he goes, we can see
how easily it is to be fooled by what someone presents and what actually is
their motivation or what’s inside.
Overall I really like
this story. I liked the message of the story and it was not only relatable to a
religious perspective but it was also relatable to other aspects of life. You
truly never know what is in a person’s heart. I think this shows the dangers of
giving people the benefit of the doubt. Also it shows how you should not
pretend to be someone you’re not. If Mrs. Hopewell would stop pretending
religion is a big part of her life and have been more forward to Manley about
how they’re not interested in religion and wouldn’t have invited him in then
Hulga wouldn’t have gotten into the situation she got in.
I liked this story too, though it was definitely very creepy. I liked what you said about the irony of O'Connor being so religious yet writing a story about someone saying they were religious but being evil. This is an interesting thing but I think she used it to show that even though the church is the ultimate good, people will pretend to be a part of it in order to tempt you into evil.
ReplyDeleteI also liked this story. I did think it was creepy, but I also feel that's what made it more interesting to me. It is also very true that people shouldn't pretend to be something they aren't.
ReplyDeleteI also found this story pretty disturbing. Along with the religious aspect, I think back to that video we watched about O'Connor and how she said everyone was different and she accepts them. I think she used some of that in her story. She used various religions and even the non-religious and they each had their own part. I found that really fascinating.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's interesting that he doesn't, in fact, have the Bibles with him, but rather objects that symbolize the opposite of what we consider a "good Christian" would have. What are we supposed to make of that?
ReplyDeleteAnd it's interesting that he doesn't, in fact, have the Bibles with him, but rather objects that symbolize the opposite of what we consider a "good Christian" would have. What are we supposed to make of that?
ReplyDeleteIt is really strange how persistent Manley is about convincing them he is a devout Christian even when he knows that Mrs. Hopewell and Joy are not overly religious. I know it is to gain their trust, but it is just such a weird story and it makes you question how well you really know people.
ReplyDelete