O'Connor's Good Country People

In “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor the main character is a thirty two year old woman named Joy or Hulga. She still lives at home with her mom and has a wooden leg. She considers herself to be well educated and seems to feel smarter than any other person. Her mother thinks of her as a child and treats her as one as well. One day a young man came to their house and tried to sell bibles. The mother is impressed with this man and feels as if he is a good country person, and that he might be interested in her daughter Joy. The question comes to mind what a “good country person is? To me it is someone who is trustworthy, levelheaded, and does the right thing, which is what Manley Pointer, the bible salesman, seems to be. He and Joy talk for a little bit when she tells him she’s only 17, they also plan to meet the next day. When Joy tells Manley Pointer she is only 17 I think this speaks to what age she acted like. Anyone in their right mind would know the difference between and 30 year old and a 17 year old. Joy thinks she will be able to seduce him, showing that she thinks she is far smarter than this country man. As they are walking along Joy tells Manley that she does not believe in God. Manley leads Joy out to a field where they go to the top floor of a barn. Manley convinces Joy to take off her leg, but then he doesn’t return it. Instead he opens one of his bibles which has a cutout that holds liquor, a condom, and sexual playing cards. Manley then leaves Joy in the barn and takes her leg with him. As he is leaving he reveals that she was not the first woman that he had stolen something from, and tells Joy “you ain’t so smart. I been believing in nothing ever since I was born”. I believe what O’Connor was trying to evoke is to not get the feeling that you are high and might or God will send something your way to show you are not. I enjoyed reading this story and found it quite comical but also think it has good moral values included.