"Good Country People" - Review

"Good Country People"

Author: Flannery O'Conner

Main Characters:

* Mrs. Freeman - Mrs. Hopewell's housekeeper. Mrs. Freeman has two daughters, Glynese who is 18 and Carramae who is 15, married and pregnant. Her daughters are mentioned numerous times in the story, but, they are never actually present at all.

* Mrs Hopewell - A somewhat wealthy divorced woman. She has one daughter, 30 year old Joy.

* Joy - Mrs. Hopewell's 30 year old daughter. Joy has an artificial leg that is the result of a hunting accident when she was just 10 years old. Joy is highly educated, possessing a PhD. Joy legally had her named changed to Hulga, but, her mother still calls her Joy.

* Boy selling Bibles, named Pointer - A seemingly ignorant boy who is a bit of a con. He is a door to door salesman who is also very oportunistic. He is 19 years old.

What do I know about the story/topic I am reading?
This story is completely new to me, but, I am somewhat familiar with Flannery O'Connor before reading the story.

What do I want to learn more about?
I would like to have known what happened to Joy after this happened. Was she provided another prosthetic devise, or did the family not have the money. Was the incident reported to the police and if so, what transpired? I think O'Conner ended the story a bit to early

Summary:

This is a great little story that actually took a while to get going, but, once it did, it took off and was very interesting. We are taken into the Hopewell household where Mrs. Freeman works as a housekeeper for Mrs. Hopewell and her daughter Joy. Joy and her mother have breakfast every morning in the kitchen unless they have a guest. Mrs. Freeman stands next to the refrigerator waiting to clear the dishes. Mrs. Freeman has worked for Mrs. Hopewell for four years and they had a mutual respect for each other, in spite of each one always needing to have the last word in every conversation. Both women are opinionated and are not ashamed to show it.

We hear some conversation between the two ladies in regard to Carramae, Mrs. Freeman's daughter who is experiencing a great deal of morning sickness with her pregnancy. Then, out of the blue, a tall young man comes calling on Mrs. Hopewell selling Bibles. Not having a rude bone in her body, Mrs. Hopewell allows the young man inside, but, tells him firmly she is not interested in purchasing anything from him. He remains very persistant, speaking of God, and how he wants to save his money in order to become a missionary and a servant of the Lord. She is taken with him and invites him to stay for dinner to which he much obliges.

The boy, whose name we don't learn until the very end of the story says he is 19 years old and has been selling Bibles for the past 4 months. During dinner the boy and Mrs. Hopewell engage in a nice conversation. He seems vrey interested in what Mrs. Hopewell has to say and she tells him he would be a welcome guest for dinner anytime. Joy doesn't really say much during dinner, so Mrs. Hopewell has to show extra hospitality due to Joy's somewhat backward behavior.

When the boy was leaving, he walked out the front door down to the gate where Joy was standing. Mrs. Hopewell watched the two engaging in conversation and she was astounded. Joy? Is this Joy outside laughing and speaking with a boy? Joy and the boy walked together for a bit until they were out of sight. Mrs. Hopewell was very curious as to what they talked about, but, knew not to ask, as it was none of her business.

The next day Joy had eggs for breakfast and Mrs. Freeman said of the boy, "I seen him walk up, and then later, I seen him walk off." Mrs. Freeman then looked at Joy as if she knew they had gone off together. Joy abruptly left the table, retreating to her room.

What Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman did not know was Joy had a date planned that very morning with the boy. She was to meet him at 10:00 at the gate. Joy was looking forward to meeting with him again. She had romanticised about him all the night before and found it very hard to sleep due to the anticipation. She went over and over in her mind the conversations she would see them having together.

Joy was at the gate, looking around did not see anyone. She felt a twinge in her stomach as if she had been the subject of a cruel joke. Then she saw him, almost out of no where came th e boy. They walked for a while, talking, and Joy began to realize that he really was not very intelligent. One minute she would be irritated with him, then the next she would feel affection for him.

The two decided to sit and talk and what better place than a barn? They found an old barn and Joy sat by the window, when he kissed her. He proceeded to tell her how brave she was to live her life with a wooden leg. He asked if he could see it, which she indignantly replied a resounding, "NO!" She couldn't believe it. She was so mad her face turned bright red. He said he didn't mean to insult her, but, he just thought she was so brave. He asked again so sweetly to see it. This time she let him. He asked her if she would take it off and show him how she puts it back on. Joy was trusting the boy now and showed him something she had never shown anyone else before. She was really letting him into a very private part of her world now. If she had only known what she was in for. He took her leg off and pushed it to the side. He then began kissing her and she felt helpless without her prosthetic leg. She became very anxious and told him she wanted it back on to which he just pushed it even further away. The boy then opened up a small flask of whiskey and took a swig.

Joy continued to scream for her leg to which the boy replied, "What's the matter with you all the sudden?" Joy said, "Aren't you just good country people?" Then she started screaming about him being a hypocrite and not really a Christian. The boy jumped up, opened his briefcase, put her leg inside it and proceeded to leave Joy in the barn. As he was leaving her, he said, "I've gotten a lot of interesting things. One time I got a woman's glass eye this way. And you needn't to think you'll catch me because Pointer ain't really my name. I use a different name at every house I call at and don't stay nowhere long." That was the last time Joy saw the boy. Joy was stuck in the barn without her artificial leg, not knowing quite what to do while her mother and Mrs. Freeman saw the boy coming from the back and commented, "He must have been selling back in there." They did not have a clue as to what had just transpired. The two women continued their gardening.

Reaction:

What do I think about what I've read?

I really liked this story. I thought it was wonderfully written and I thought the ending was something I never expected. I could just feel how badly Joy felt when she realized she had been completely fooled by the boys originally sweet demeanor. He seduced her to do something she would have never done otherwise, and he completely took advantage of her trust. It was really a dirty trick, but, incredible writing. I never would have thought of that ending.

O'Connor may have been inspired to create Joy's character due to the fact that she infact could not walk without crutches due to lupus. I think she identified with Joy's sense of vulnerability concerning her leg.

What can I imagine that is not specifically outlined?
I really liked both Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman. I could just see the two women bantering back and forth like good friends. I imagined that Mrs. Freeman felt like such a part of the family, that her work really didn't feel so much like work anymore.

What is my favorite part of the story or favorite passage?
I liked the interaction with Joy and the boy at the end of the story the best. I was very anxious to see what unfolded there, even though I kind of suspected something like that would happen to Joy. I could sense that the situation was not going to be a good one for her.

Would I recommend this story?
I loved this story and would highly recommend everyone read it. I thought the end was brilliant and very unexpected. Great story by Flannery O'Connor!

About the author:
Flannery O'Connor lived from 1925 - 1964, a short life even in those days. She was born in Savannah and lived her life with her mother in Milledgeville, Georgia. She suffered from lupus which is the cause of her untimely death. She never wallowed in self pity in regard to her afflicition, and was highly dedicated to her writing. In her early life she disired to be a cartoon artist, which I am happy she didn't do. Personally, I am pleased that she pursued her writing instead.