When reading Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People," I was left wondering if which characters, if any, fell under this category. Whenever "good country people" are defined in the text, it seems to be applied to the simple-minded and religious agrarian. The traveling bible salesman/ con-man initially receives this distinction. Manly Pointer is a deceptively polite and deceptively simple individual, who abuses the idealized "good country" image to intrude upon the family with (isolated) destructive consequences. From the perspective of Hulga (a decidedly anti-GCP), Mrs. Hopewell is no more than a simple-minded mother, and the hired Mrs. Freeman is equally simple-minded and shrewd. Hulga resents the existence of these simple women, who considered demographically, are "country people." Mrs. Hopewell is isolated by this resentment, and exists much removed from the real world - living in a self-created one of illusion. She holds pseudo-philosophical beliefs, and cliched maxims, both based upon her inventive "good-country" philosophy. By her own standards, Mrs. Hopewell considers herself, and her surrounding community as "good country." The daughters of Mrs. Freeman, although far removed from this idealized standard, are praised by Mrs. Hopewell as "two of the finest girls she knew."
The definition of "good country people" seems to be agreed upon by the characters, however it remains questionable weather this is a positive or negative distinction. Mrs. Hopewell praises the Freemans (and her decision to hire them) based upon this distinction: "The reason for her keeping them so long was that they were not trash. They were good country people." One could draw the conclusion that if there exist "good country people," "bad" country people must exist too. Joy is the single character who voices a negative opinion of these simple individuals. The underlying irony in the text is the absence of simplicity among these characters. Joy takes prides her education and worldly philosophical beliefs and actions, however, at the story's close, she demonstrates the naïvety expected of "good country people."
The definition of "good country people" seems to be agreed upon by the characters, however it remains questionable weather this is a positive or negative distinction. Mrs. Hopewell praises the Freemans (and her decision to hire them) based upon this distinction: "The reason for her keeping them so long was that they were not trash. They were good country people." One could draw the conclusion that if there exist "good country people," "bad" country people must exist too. Joy is the single character who voices a negative opinion of these simple individuals. The underlying irony in the text is the absence of simplicity among these characters. Joy takes prides her education and worldly philosophical beliefs and actions, however, at the story's close, she demonstrates the naïvety expected of "good country people."
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