Flannery O Connor's Good Country People

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In “Good Country People”, Flannery O’Connor used the character’s names to symbolize and relate to the character’s personality. The main character Joy, who legally changed her name to Hulga, which in the story Hulga was a representation of ugly and the name Hulga was one way her mother could not shed light on her gloomy life. Joy-Hulga’s mother Mrs. Hopewell name also stood out, she was a very positive woman and always tried to see the brighter side of things. She always hoped that things would turn out well for “Joy”. Mrs. Hopewell also saw the good in people and always insisted that the world was a lot better with “good country people”.
“In a memorable contribution to her stories that use the grotesque, Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People" ironically reverses the old saying that country people are good and its corollary, simple”. Mrs. Hopewell looked at these particular people as good wholesome, hard workers and that they could do no harm. Mrs. Freeman name was also ironic in this story. She worked for Mrs. Hopewell, in this instance, …show more content…
Hopewell fits that description. Mrs. Hopewell was a very earnest, hard-working women who took care of her family after she had a divorce from her husband. Mrs. Hopewell was always displaying good faith. She also tried to pass this on to her daughter, who she named “Joy”. She loved her daughter dearly and was, even more, understanding with “Joy” after the accident not getting upset anytime Hulga-Joy would lash out. Mrs. Hopewell believed that she had suffered enough and didn’t want to hurt her anymore. What Mrs. Hopewell didn’t realize that not intervening with Hulga’s lash out, was allowing her to always act as a kid and not the thirty-two-year-old women that she was. Mrs. Hopewell only wanted what was best for Hulga, only wanting her to live a happy normal life. And to have her daughter back would have been one of the best rewards in life for Mrs.
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