American Literature

The actions and behavior of an individual are shaped by the religious values and beliefs held by himher. The faith that a person has in hisher religion and the existence of god, provides himher with the strength to face the numerous obstacles in hisher life. But when an individual lacks this faith or alters hisher faith according to the varying circumstances of hisher life, the consequences can be ruinous. The short story Good Country People by Flannery O Connor, depict the religious beliefs and faith of the protagonist, Hulga. In the story, Hulga is a disabled woman, who believes in nothingness. Even though Hulga claims to believe in nothingness, her faith is centered on her wooden leg. Hulga considers herself to be an intelligent and educated woman, but she fails to judge Manley correctly and thereby puts herself in a vulnerable situation.

Beliefs of Hulga
The story Good Country People focuses on the thoughts and attitudes of a woman whose physical conditions have led to the development of individual beliefs and faith. The protagonist of the story, Hulga is a thirty two year old woman. She had lost one leg in an accident during her childhood and since then she was walking with the aid of an artificial leg. She is suffering from a heart condition which prevented her from pursuing her desire of a good career, in spite of being highly educated. She had a weak heart.Joy had made it plain that if it had not been for this condition, she would be far from these red hills and good country people.She would be in a university lecturing to people who knew what she was talking about.
(Connor). The circumstances, in which Hulga led her life, influenced her faith, thoughts and attitude towards life.

Through her behavior and actions, Hulga suggested that she believed in nothing and her faith was based on this philosophy of nothingness. When Mrs. Hopewell, Hulgas mother reads one of Hulgas books, she comes across some lines which expressed Hulgas faith in nothingness. Science, on the other hand.. If science is right, then one thing stands firm science wishes to know nothing of nothing. Such is after all the strictly scientific approach to Nothing. We know it by wishing to know nothing of Nothing. (Connor). Hulga lived by this philosophy which made her to place faith in her intellect rather than religious beliefs or values. She even changes her name Joy, for it was in contrast to her nature and beliefs. Her name was really Joy but as soon as she was twenty-one and away from home, she had had it legally changed.  Mrs. Hopewell was certain that she had thought and thought until she had hit upon the ugliest name in any language. (O Connor). Hulga lead her life in accordance to her beliefs and thinking.  

Although Hulga claimed to believe in nothing, her wooden leg symbolized her faith. Until the time, the wooden leg was with her, she felt that she had control over her life. She had total faith on her wooden leg and education. It was only when the wooden leg is taken away from her that she feels helpless and vulnerable. When she accompanies Manley Pointer to a barn, she realizes the significance of the wooden leg in her life. In the barn, Manley professes his love for Hulga and asks her to show her artificial leg. When Hulga removes her artificial leg, he takes it and places it far away from her. It is after Hulga demands to have her leg back, that the evil intentions of Manley are revealed. He just wanted to have some fun with her and acquire theartificial leg. Hulga appeals to Manley by reminding him of the country where people were good,
and so he was also expected to be good. Her voice when she spoke had an almost pleading sound. Arent you, she murmured, arent you just good country people (OConnor). But Manley is not moved by her pleas, he flees away with her artificial leg. Hulga, without her artificial leg, is left helpless in the barn. The faith of Hulga is symbolized through the wooden leg and her dependence on it.

Error in Judging Manley
Having acquired the degree of PhD in philosophy, Hulga regards herself to be superior among her family members. Although she considers herself intelligent and prefers to stay away from other people, she falls for the advances of a young man, Manley Pointer. Manley Pointer visits her house as salesmen selling Bibles. He introduces himself as a young man belonging to the country. Hulgas mother, Mrs. Hopewell believes him to be good person as she harbored thought that country people were good. Why she cried, good country people are the salt of the earth (OConnor). Even Hulga, who is rude and proud, believes Manley and accompanies him to a barn. Hulga, who believed that her education has provided her with the knowledge and power of reasoning, commits the foolish act of going out with a stranger and thereby putting herself in a vulnerable situation. She fails to comprehend the evil intentions of Manley Pointer in spite of being a highly educated woman, for she thinks like her mother while judging Pointer. Although Hulga always looks down on her mother for being an uneducated and religious woman, she also makes the same mistake like her mother, by believing Pointer to be a good man just because he mentioned that he came from country.

Actually Hulga agrees to go out with Pointer thinking that she will seduce him and transform his remorse into an understanding of life with the aid of her intellect. She imagined that the two of them walked on the place until they came to the storage barn beyond the two back fields and there, she imagined, that things came to such a pass that she very easily seduced him and that then, of course, she had to reckon with his remorse. (OConnor). She saw Manley as a person whom she would influence with her intellect and knowledge. But Hulga is proven to be completely wrong, for not only Pointer flees away with her artificial leg but also makes her realize of her helplessness. Hulga, who prided in the fact that she was highly educated, finds herself in a helpless situation. Without her wooden leg, Hulga loses her confidence and experiences helplessness.

The protagonist in the short story Good Country People by Flannery O Connor, Hulga places her faith in her intellect rather than her religion. Having lost one leg in an accident during her childhood, Hulga was compelled to utilize a wooden leg for walking. Hulga concentrated her energies in educating herself and acquired PhD in philosophy. She considers herself to be superior among her family members because of her education. As she believed in the philosophy of nothingness, she gave more significance to her education and knowledge. Although Hulga believed in nothingness, her wooden leg was her strength and faith. Without her wooden leg, she felt helpless and vulnerable. Hulgas intellect fails in judging the real intentions of Manley, as she believes him to a good man and accompanies him to a barn. It is in the barn that Hulgas vulnerability is exposed when Manley takes her wooden leg and runs away.