A comparative analysis of Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find” and “Good Country People.”
Introduction.
Two of Flannery O’Connor’s masterpieces, A Good Man is Hard to Find” and “Good Country People,” not only reflect the life and sentiments of the South in the mid-20th century but also lend themselves to a number of similarities and differences, mainly on the subjects of pretense, violence, and religion. This paper seeks to critically compare the aspects of the two masterpieces of O’Connor that are similar and what is different. Furthermore, this paper seeks to explore what can be learned from such similarities and differences.
Similarities.
The similarities that abound in both works of O’Connor are, in fact, all negative. Yet, it is said that this main characteristic of O’Connor’s prose makes it “chaste, severe, and realistic in its working out of narrative” (Friedman).
The idea of pretense is present in both works. They share characters who are pretentious, selfish, and manipulative.
In A Good Man is Hard to Find,” almost all of the characters, who are presumably Christian, are actually evil deep inside. Among the characters, the grandmother seems to be the most deceitful. Aside from the fact that she criticizes African Americans (see “The Negative Reference to African Americans”), she tells two lies to her family. First, at the beginning of the story, she tries to convince her son Bailey not to go to Florida because she actually “wanted to visit some of her connections” (O’Connor, “A Good Man”) in Tennessee. However, she instead says that the criminal named Misfit is on the loose and is headed towards Florida. Another lie that the grandmother tells the family is about the old plantation house with a secret panel that contained the family treasure. This second lie eventually results in an accident, their unfortunate encounter with Misfit, and their consequent death.
Other people in the story who are actually not that good include the two kids, John Wesley and his sister June Star. John Wesley was ironically named after the founder of the Methodist Church. Both of them have shown their meanness throughout the story, especially when June Star looked at the half-naked Negro kid with ridicule and when John Wesley insulted his roots by saying, Tennessee is just a hillbilly dumping ground” and that “Georgia is a lousy state” (O’Connor, “A Good Man”). Bailey is not a perfectly good man either, what with his ill-tempered behavior. Neither is the pessimistic restaurant owner, Red Sam, nor his extremely cynical wife, who cannot even trust her own husband. The story is, in fact, full of characters who, despite being Christians, unconsciously do evil things.
On the other hand, in Good Country People,” where the title itself is actually irony, the character named Manley Pointer is a seller of Bibles. In other words, he is more like the messenger who brings the word of God to people. He is liked by Mrs. Hopewell herself, and he is even invited to dinner. Not only because he says, “I got this heart condition [and] I might not live long” (O’Connor, “Good Country”), but also because of his charm and politeness. Even at the end of the story, Mrs. Hopewell compliments Pointer by telling Mrs. Freeman that the world would be better if everyone were just as simple as Pointer. However, this façade of Pointer is unmasked towards the end of the story when he runs away with Hulga’s artificial leg after talking her into teaching him how to remove and reattach it. Pointer himself admits to unmasking himself in front of Hulga by saying, “I may sell Bibles, but I know which end is up, and I wasn’t born yesterday, and I know where I’m going!” (O’Connor, “Good Country”). Pointer also accuses Hulga of not being smart enough to spot his pretenses.
The negative reference to religion: O’Connor’s criticism of religion is based on her belief that the theological Puritanism in this country… continues to objectify evil through flesh and inanimate substance” (Carlson). She criticizes this rather pretentious form of Puritanism in both of her works. The Christian religion is portrayed as insignificant and negative as a whole in both works of O’Connor.
In A Good Man is Hard to Find,” the ex-convict Misfit admits that he himself was once a gospel singer. However, according to the story, he has ended up being a criminal. O’Connor then implies that being a gospel singer, which is the equivalent of being close to the Church, has not changed Misfit at all. Worse, it may have even helped him become what he is at present. Moreover, the incessant prayers of the grandmother saying “Jesus, Jesus” while Misfit was talking to her are perhaps a portrayal of the futility of religion when one is in trouble. When Christians mention the words “Jesus, Jesus,” they expect Jesus Christ to save them. However, it is obvious that Jesus did not save the grandmother, who was “shot [by Misfit] three times through the chest” (O’Connor, “A Good Man”) at the end of the story. Besides these, there are still numerous instances, especially towards the end of the story, where religion has not transformed Misfit into a good man. In fact, it has never saved the seemingly religious grandmother and her family from death.
On the other hand, the negative portrayal of religion is more explicitly and ironically stated in Good Country People.” Manley Pointer, who turns out to be evil himself, has disguised himself as a Bible seller. The attack on religion in this story is more blatant and negative overall. This is particularly proven by the fact that Pointer himself admits to Hulga, “I hope you don’t think…that I believe in that crap!” (O’Connor, “Good Country”), after Hulga repeatedly accuses him to his face of being the perfect Christian. This polite and kind Bible seller turns out to be an insane, neurotic man who collects items from women he victimizes. Additionally, another negative reference to religion in the story is the fact that one of the Bibles Pointer brought with him was actually “hollow and contained a pocket flask of whiskey [and] a pack of cards…” (O’Connor, “Good Country”). This is purely symbolic of the evil that hides itself under the cloak of religion.
The negative reference to Negroes aside from religious pretenses, both works also give insignificant treatment to the subject of Negro slaves in the South. Thus, this gives readers the impression that the characters in both stories are indeed, just as we have previously mentioned, pretentious people who may appear kind, religious, and humane on the outside but who, in fact, keep slaves and regard them all as Negroes with evil contempt.
In A Good Man is Hard to Find,” the only reference to African Americans is negative. The grandmother cruelly remarks, “Oh look at the cute little pickaninny!…wouldn’t that make a picture, now?” (O’Connor, “A Good Man”) and she also criticizes the economic state of African Americans when she says, “Little riggers in the country don’t have things like we do” (O’Connor, “A Good Man”). She tells all of this to her equally critical granddaughter, June Star, who is the one who notices that the African American child does not have any underwear on.
This negative reference to Negroes in Good Country People” is, however, more subtle and implicit. Mrs. Hopewell seems to show kindness to Mrs. Freeman and her two girls, and she is said to introduce them to almost everyone. Nevertheless, Mrs. Hopewell’s “reason for her keeping them so long was that they were not trash [and that] they were good country people” (O’Connor, “Good Country”). The mention of this motive of Mrs. Hopewell for keeping the Negro tenants is not at all a positive one, for “good country people” may even connote a certain kind of ignorance particularly attributed to people who come from the country. Moreover, when Hulga calls Pointer “good country people” towards the end of the story, he himself feels that she is insulting him. Thus, the truth is that Mrs. Hopewell and Hulga do not consider Negroes wonderfully special.
Differences.
Aside from the fact that the characters in A Good Man is Hard to Find” are more mobile and that there is clearly explicit erotica in “Good Country People,” both of O’Connor’s literary masterpieces show other more subtle differences.
The Degree of Violence. O’Connor’s works are said to possess a mercilessly pleasurable tension” (Hawkes), and this tension may show itself through O’Connor’s portrayal of violence. It is believed that O’Connor “used violence to convey her vision [and that] man must reach God through…violence” (Shinn). This simply shows that whatever theme of violence is employed by O’Connor in her works must necessarily be a path to redemption.
Although it is not graphic, the violence in A Good Man is Hard to Find” is actually several degrees higher than in “Good Country People.”
In A Good Man is Hard to Find,” six people are murdered at the end of the story. First, Bailey and his son John Wesley are killed. Second, Bailey’s wife, the baby, and June Star are also murdered. Lastly, the grandmother herself is killed. The fact that three of the victims are children and three are females adds more to the theme of violence. This violence may have been fully justified with the older kids, the husband and wife, and the grandmother because they have been pretentious people (see The Idea of Pretense). However, the murder of the baby is obviously unjustified and can never be justified. Nevertheless, the simple fact that one may be evil in their ways does not exactly mean that they should be punished by murder. This means that Misfit, Hiram, and Bobby Lee may actually be already brutal men themselves who thirst for violence, even though they have to deal with women, children, or grandmothers.
On the other hand, in Good Country People,” violence is a little less intense since there is no murder in the story. Nevertheless, anyone who views from afar an outraged and screaming Hulga and a perhaps half-naked Pointer holding her artificial leg would not hesitate to call the police and point out their location. Pointer lends his violence to the story by “[grabbing] the [artificial] leg [and putting it inside a valise that] he swung…down the hole” (O’Connor, “Good Country People”). This act, though less violent compared to what the Misfit did to the family in “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” is actually also violent in itself since Hulga is a helpless, handicapped woman who has had only one leg since she was ten, and Pointer takes away the very thing that has given her the ability to walk for 22 years. This story may, in fact, contain less violence than the first one, but it is simply just as cruel.
The personal nature of the antagonist is important. When it comes to honesty, the Misfit of A Good Man is Hard to Find” fares much better than Manley Pointer of “Good Country People”. The two characters may even be incomparable.
First, Misfit, no matter how violently he deals with the family in A Good Man is Hard to Find,” is, in fact, a person who is honest and truthful in front of others. Firstly, Misfit does not deny his identity after the grandmother bursts out shouting his name. He even openly admits to her, “I ain’t a good man…but I ain’t the worst in the world neither” (O’Connor, “A Good Man”). This honesty is rare and cannot even be found in the seemingly religious but manipulative grandmother who tells lies to her family while they are on the way to Florida. However, Misfit may have chosen to be honest with the grandmother, knowing that she would die in the end anyway. Thus, Misfit’s honesty may only happen under certain circumstances that warrant his favor.
Manley Pointer, on the other hand, is the perfect impostor. He is unlike Misfit, who does not hide his identity in front of the grandmother. Pointer enters the story as a polite, humorous young gentleman who sells Bibles but effectively manipulates Mrs. Hopewell by saying, “I know that you’re a good woman [because] friends have told me” (O’Connor, “Good Country”). In order to further win her admiration, he also mentions, “I have this heart condition [and] I may not live long” (O’Connor, “Good Country People”). Whether or not Pointer actually meant these two things he mentioned to Mrs. Hopewell and whether or not he got them from the nosy Mrs. Freedman, it is clear that his goal is manipulation and eventually to set Hulga into his trap. Pointer is a very good impostor and with his voice and kind words, he even projected pure innocence in front of the most incredulous and cynical Hulga. The only moment Pointer is honest is when he admits to Hulga that he actually does not believe in Christianity and that it is not his real name that he is using. Even before leaving Hulga, Pointer does not leave any clue as to who he really is. This is how deceitful Pointer is compared to Misfit. The difference may perhaps lie in their ages, as Pointer may have been typical of the teenager who perennially lies, while Misfit is a middle-aged man who has already come to terms with reality.
Conclusion.
Both of Flannery O’Connor’s works are similar and different in a number of ways. The similarities lie in the idea of pretense and the negative treatment of both African Americans and religion. On the other hand, the two works differ in matters of violence and the personal nature of the characters. However, more important than the similarities and differences is that both stories somehow reveal one simple thing about human nature – that most good” people, especially those who say they are good, are actually not good and may, in fact, hide under the cloak of religion.
Works cited.
- Carlson, Thomas M. “Flannery O’Connor: The Manichaean Dilemma.” The Sewanee Review, 77 (Spring 1969), 254-276. Retrieved 10 May 2010 from http://www.jstor.org/pss/27541719.
- Friedman, Melvin J. “Flannery O’Connor: Another Legend in Southern Fiction.” The English Journal, 51 (April 1962), 233-243. Retrieved 10 May 2010 from http://www.jstor.org/pss/810724.
- Hawkes, John. “Flannery O’Connor’s Devil.” The Sewanee Review, 70 (Summer 1962), 395-407. Retrieved 10 May 2010 from http://www.jstor.org/pss/27540793.
- O’Connor, Flannery. “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” n.d. University of Central Florida. Retrieved 10 May 2010 from http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/surette/goodman.html.
- O’Connor, Flannery. “Good Country People.” 2010. Yuku. Retrieved 10 May 2010 from http://voodoopoets.yuku.com/forum/viewtopic/id/688.
- Shinn, Thelma J. “Flannery O’Connor and the Violence of Grace.” The Sewanee Review, 9 (Winter 1968), 58-73. Retrieved 9 May 2010 from http://www.jstor.org/pss/1207391.
