FREE ESSAY ON FLANNERY O'CONNOR AND THE SOUTH

FLANNERY O'CONNOR AND THE SOUTH

"A Good Man Is Hard To Find" and "Good Country People" are two short stories written by
Flannery O'Connor during her short lived writing career. Despite the literary
achievements of O'Connor's works, she is often criticized for the grotesqueness of her
characters and endings of her short stories and novels. Her writings have been described
as "understated, orderly, unexperimental fiction, with a Southern backdrop and a Roman
Catholic vision, in defiance, it would seem, of those restless innovators who preceded
her and who came into prominence after her death"(Friedman 4). "A Good Man Is Hard To
Find" and "Good Country People" are both set in the South, and O'Connor explores the
tension between the old and new South. The stories are tow ironically twisted tales of
different families whos lives are altered after trusting a stranger, only to be mislead.
Each story explores the themes of Christian theology, new verses the old South, and
fallen human nature.
In "A Good Man Is Hard To Find", O'Connor introduces the reader to a family
representative of the old and new Southern culture. The grandmother represents the old
South by the way in which she focuses on her appearnace, manners, and gentile ladylike
behavior. O'Connor writes "her collars and cuffs were organdy trimmed with lace and at
her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet. In case
of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a
lady"(O'Connor 118). In this short story, "the wild diproportion of the terms, the vapid
composure that summons up the ultimate violence only to treat it as a rare social
opportuinty, and the cool irony with which O'Connor presents the sentence makes it both
fearful and ludicrous"(Asals 132). The irony that O'Connor uses points out the appalling
characteristics of the grandmother's self-deception that her clothes make her a lady and
turns it into a comic matter. Flannery O'Connor goes to great length to give the reader
insight into the characters by describing their clothes and attitudes. The fact that the
grandmother took so much time in preparing herself for the trip exemplifies the old
Southern tradition of self-presentation and self-pride. The grandmother takes pride in
the way she presents herself because she wants everyone to know that she is a "lady". 
Bailey's, the grandson's, family represents that of the new Southern culture that is more
open to change, but they are not totally receptive to change. O'Connor describes the
children's mother in contrast to the grandmother by what they are wearing; thus their
clothes represent the age from which they are. The Children's mother "still had on slacks
and still had her head tied up in a green kerchief, but the grandmother had on navy blue
straw sailor hat with a bunch of white dot in the print"(O'Connor 118). The children's
mother is representative of the New South in which the Southern Lady is becoming less of
a central figure within society. A lady of the old south would never wear slacks and tie
her hair up in a kerchief to go out in public. Under an old south mentality these actions
would be considered very unlady like. O'Connor illustrates the tension between the old
and the new south by the constant struggle between the grandmother, her son, and the
daughter-in-law.
O'Connor also poses the contrast between the old and new South in her short story "Good
Country People". Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman represent the old South because of the
way in which they carry themselves and their traditional beliefs and values. Mrs. Freeman
works for Mrs. Hopewell who states "the reason for her keepin her so long was that they
were not trash. They were good country people"(O'Connor 272). Mrs. Hopewell describes
Mrs. Freeman and her two daughters as "two of the finest girls she knew and Mrs. Freeman
was a lady and that she was never ashamed to take her anywhere or introduce her to
anybody they might mett"(O'Connor 272). In contrast to Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Hopewell,
Joy/Hulga represents the new south that is not concerned with self presentation in the
way that the grandmother is in "A Good Man Is Hard TO Find". Joy/Hulga did not care to
participate in the morning gossip between the older ladies. O'Connor describes
Joy/Hulga's disregard for the old south and its sense of manners:
When Hulga stumped into the Kitchen in the morning (she could walk without making the
awful noise but she made it--Mrs. Hopewell was certain--because it was ugly-sounding),
she glanced at them and did not speak. Mrs. Hopewell would be in her red kimono with her
hair tied around her head in rags. (275)
O'Connor juxtaposes Joy/Hulga to her mother, Mrs. Hopewell, by contrasting her mannerism,
clothes, and overall demure. Joy/Hulga is described as making awful noises in contrast to
her mother whom is sitting in her red kimono across the kitchen from her. 
Mrs. Hopewell's name is symbolic of her very hopeful and optimistic nature. Joy's
changing her name to Hulga represents her renouncing of the old Southern traditions
imposed by her mother. Joy/Hulga does not conform to the social codes of the old south
because she deliberately makes grotesque and unlady like noise and does not apologize for
them. Joy/Hulga is "forced by her physical disabilities to live at home, the girl's
existence has become one continuous of outraged rejection of the life around her"(Asals,
103). Joy/Hulga is also set apart from the old south because she has obtained a PH.D. in
philosophy. O'Connor writes 
Mrs. Hopewell thought it was nice for girls to go to school to have a good time but Joy
had "gone through". ... The girl had taken the Ph.D. in philosophy and this left Mrs.
Hopewell at a complete loss. You could say, "My daughter is a nurse," or "My daughter is
a schoolteacher," or even, "My daughter is a chemical engineer." You could not say, "My
daughter is a philosopher". (276)
Mrs. Hopewell feels that it is unlady like to pursue an education that far, but Joy/Hulga
disregards this old southern sexist attitude about women and education. Joy/Hulga thinks
she has "defined a self that is the antithesis of her mother's"(Asals 104).
Education and mannerisms of the old and new south are not the only contrasting views that
Flannery O'Connor explores in these two short stories. Christianity and fallen human
nature are two other aspects that bring depth and ironic twists to "A Good Man Is Hard To
Find" and "Good Country People". In both stories, O'Connor explores the ideals and
hypocrisies of the Christian religion and faith. Within O'Connor's writings, the
traditional Christian themes of "fall and redemption, nature and grace, sin and
innocence" are explored (Bleikasten 138). 
In "A Good Man Is Hard To Find", O'Connor questions the faith and beliefs in Christianity
of the grandmother. At the closing of the story, when the grandmother is facing her own
death, the Misfit says: 
Jesus was the only One that ever raised the dead ... and he shouldn't have done it. He
thrown everything off balance. If He did what He said, then it's nothing for you to do
but throw away everything and follow Him, and if He didn't, then it's nothing for you to
do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can--by killing somebody or
burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him.(O'Connor 132)
The Misfit's view illustrates the active presence of an Evil force within the society.
The grandmother assumed that if you came from "good people" that you would naturally be a
"good person". In contrast to this view of the old south, O'Connor presents the reader
"with a world haunted by the sacred--a sacred with two faces now distinct and opposed,
now enigmatically confused: the divine and the demonic", and "in her fables the
battleground where these two antagonistic powers confront each other and fight for
possession of each man's soul"(Bleikasten 139). The grandmother represents the active and
faithful Christian servant, and the Misfit is symbolic of the devil or an Anti-Christ
figure. Despite all of the good deeds that the grandmother has accomplished, God is not
there to help her in her time of need. The old southern and traditional secular view was
that good deeds would lead to a good life, but O'Connor recognizes that there is also an
active force of Evil and presence of the Devil in this world.
O'Connor's antisecular and antiindividualistic views are also present in her short story
"Good Country People". Within this short story, the reader is presented with two
differing views of religion: the devout Christian and the atheist. The devout Christians,
Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman, represents the old south as does the grandmother in "A
Good Man Is Hard To Find". O'Connor criticizes the old southern Christian for being
faithful and trustful in "A Good Man Is Hard To Find", yet the reader the does not quite
know what to make of the ending in "Good Country People". The story ends with the atheist
being decieved by one who pretends to be a Christian. O'Connor could be presenting the
reader with the view that one is not able to really tell the difference between "good
country people" and Christian or liars and cheats. "Good Country People" can be read as
exploiting the idea that one is not able to tell the difference between Christians and
non-Christians based on their appearance and actions. The old south puts their trust and
hopes into appearances, while the new south is more reluctant and cautious. This is not
to say that they cannot be decieved because the reader sees what happens to Joy/Hulga in
the end. 
Joy/Hulga is an atheist who dismisses all Christian beliefs by saying "in my economy ...
I'm saved and you are damned but I told you I didn't believe in God"(O'Connor 286). She
compares her realization to the Christian salvation by saying "we are all damned ... but
some of us have taken off our blindfolds and see that there's nothing to see. It's a kind
of salvation"(O'Connor 288). Joy/Hulga believes that she is saved from the hypocrisies of
the Christian faith, and she represents the new south because she is open to different
interpretations. She feels that she has been saved from Christianity, but O'Connor raises
the question: is she really saved at all? 
Joy/Hulga sets off to seduce Pointer, the Bible salesman, and "she imagined that she took
his remorse in hand and changes it into a deeper understanding of life"(O'Connor 284).
Ironically, it is Pointer that teaches Joy/Hulga the lesson that needs to be learned. He
turns on her and steals her wooden leg. In a fit of rage Joy/Hulga bursts out "'You're a
Christian!' ... 'You're a fine Christian! You're just like them all--say one thing and do
another.'"(O'Connor 290). Joy/Hulga is not able to tell the difference between him and
Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman. She feels that by setting herself apart from Christianity
she is saved from its pitfalls and hypocrisies. In reality, she is not saved from it at
all. Pointer returns her comment saying "'I hope you don't think ... that I believe in
that crap! I may sell Bibles but I know which end is up and I wasn't born yesterday and I
know where I am going!'"(O'Connor 290). O'Connor presents the reader with a critique of
religion and Christianity in both of her stories. Joy/Hulga beleives that all Christians
are the same, but O'Connor points out that there are all types. Pointer pretends to be a
Christian in order to prey off of their needs and insecurities. Joy/Hulga is taken in by
his charming and trustworthy persona, but she is unable to see his false motives. "Good
Country People" points out that people do not always prove to be who they portray. The
reader is left doubtful and questions the idea of naturally "good" people and questions
value of the Christian faith.
While critizing the Christian faith and practices, O'Connor also raises the issue of
fallen human nature. The Misfit in "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" and Pointer in "Good
Country People" both represent a character of fallen human nature. O'Connor explores the
idea of fallen human nature. The Misfit comes from a good family, and he states "God
never made a finer woman than my mother and my daddy's heart was pure gold"(O'Connor
127). O'Connor questions how someone from such a "good family" can turn out to be so
evil? Fallen human nature is one explanation posited. The Misfit retorts the
grandmother's argument that he is a good man saying, "Nome, I ain't a good man ... but I
ain't the worst in the world neither"(O'Connor 128). He has the self-realization that he
is not a good person. He does not know where it is that he went wrong, but he states, "I
never was a bad boy that I remember of ... but somewhere along the line I done something
wrong and got sent to the penitentiary. I was buried alive"(O'Connor 130). The Misfit
admits that he was once good, but he is unable to determine the source of his fallen
human nature.
O'Connor presents us with another character in "Good Country People" of fallen human
nature. Pointer does not argue that he was once good; instead, he tells Hulga, "you ain't
so smart. I been believing in nothing ever since I was born!"(O'Connor 291). Pointer's
character illustrates that one can be born with a fallen human nature, or he is made that
way by society from the time he is born. In contrast to the Misfit's fallen human nature
that comes about when he is older, Pointer began falling the day he was born. 
The idea of fallen human nature is contrasting to the ideas of the old south. "Good
country people" were assumed to always be "good", and the old south also thought "bad"
people were born that way. O'Connor posited the idea that the society in which one lives
can influence a person to change. The Misfit was raised by "nice folks", and the old
south would have assumed that he would be nice. The grandmother repeatedly argues that "I
know you came from nice people!"(O'Connor 132). Bailey, the grandmother's son, realizes
the situation that they are in, and he knows that the Misfit is not a nice person. In
"Good Country People", Pointer portrays himself as a "good country person", and he
states, "I'm as good as you any day in the week"(O'Connor 290). Pointer dismisses the old
south's view that there are good people in this world, and he argues that he is not a bad
person. 
O'Connor explicitly explores the themes of Christian theology through Pointer and the
Misfit in "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" and "Good Country People". In addition, she
presents the reader with the differing generations of the old and new south, and she
illustrates the contrasting views between the two. O'Connor is not afraid to question
Christian theology or the Southern culture. Her irony and satire add depth to ther
stories, and her deep cultural analysis of the South brings a higher level to her
writings. O'Connor also explores the concept of fallen human nature and how it is brought
about. Overall, O'Connor's works prove to be very in depth in both her social and
cultural analysis of the South. She is not afraid to critique the society in which she
grew up and lived.
Bibliography
Asals, Frederick. Flannery O'Connor: The Imagination of Extremity. Athens, Georgia: The
University of Georgia Press, 1982.
Bleikstan, Andre. "The Heresy of Flannery O'Connor". Critical Essays on Flannery
O'Connor. Ed. Melvin J. Friedman and Beverly Lyon Clark. Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1985.

Friedman, Melvin J. Introduction. Critical Essays on Flannery O'Connor. Ed. Melvin J.
Friedman and Beverly Lyon Clark. Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1985.
O'Connor, Flannery. The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor. New York: The Noonday
Press, 1971.