Hulga And Manley example essay topic

Things Are Not Always What They Seem With "Good Country People"Why that looks like the nice dull young man that tried to sell me a Bible yesterday", Mrs. Hopewell said, squinting. "He must of been trying to sell them to the Negros back in there. He was so simple", she said, "but I guess the world would be better off if we were all that simple" (145). At the end of the story, Mrs. Hopewell considers Manley Pointer "simple". Little did she know that this "simple" man had just caused Hulga severe mental and physical anguish. Her ignorance towards the underlying evil in the world turns out to be her greatest fault.

Situations are not always as they seem, and unless one first looks within, his or her weaknesses may be exploited through evil doings. In Flannery O'Connor's short story, "Good Country People", irony is seen throughout the story relating as the contradiction between what is thought to be a good country person and what really turns out to be evil. There are several examples of irony in O'Connor's short story. Several people, as well as objects, in this story appear to be one thing and end up being just the opposite. The most obvious is Manley Pointer who appears to be "good country folk" and ends up being symbolic of all evil.

The Bible carried by Manley turns out to be nothing more than a hiding place for "a pocket flask of whiskey, a pack of cards, and a small blue box with printing on it" (135). Joy-Hulga appears to be accepting of her situation, but she is still very ashamed of her appearance. In the story, both Hulga and Manley wear masks over their true natures. Their final confrontation, however, reveals Manley to be a cunning atheist while Hulga is exposed as a girl whose naivet sharply contradicts the nihilistic cliches she professes.

After the confrontation in the hay loft with Hulga, Manley is revealed as an abuser and a thief, but only to Hulga. There are two types of irony throughout this story, situational irony and verbal irony. Situational irony is found when Hulga is expecting to seduce an innocent, however, it turns out to be quite different. Joy-Hulga is easily the most taken advantage of character in the entire story. As her ugly sounding name implies, she appears ugly and evil, but deep down she has a desire for love and happiness. She says, "I am one of those people who see through to nothing" (115).

Little does she know, that she recognizes one of her greatest weaknesses in this statement. Hulga has said one thing but her hidden desires cause her several problems later on. For example, the whole scene that takes place in the hay loft, which is know as verbal irony. Manley was thought of as a "good country folk", however, this was quickly changed around when he seduces Hulga in the hay-loft and takes her leg.

Little does Hulga know that Manley Pointer "has been believing in nothing since he was born" (145). The irony of the story is in essence who was thought to be a good country boy turned out to be very evil in causing harm to one of Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman's own. Although Hulga was not the good Christian girl that they had hoped for, they still never imagined Hulga being put through great physical and mental anguish. Unfortunately, they were unable to recognize evil surrounding them the whole time. Just when they believed Manley was trying to sell the bibles to the negros, ... "she (Mrs. Freeman) returned her attention to the evil-smelling onion shoot she was lifting from the ground" (145).

Ironically, Manley Pointer happens to walk by right as she picks the "evil-smelling" onions. In conclusion, all throughout O'Connor's short story "Good Country People", situations were not always as they seemed. The title itself is very ironic. Throughout the story, Manley was putting on a fake front and was not the person he appeared to be.

O'Connor seems to be saying that one must not be fooled or the consequences could be severe much like they were with Hulga.