FREE ESSAY ON GOOD COUNTRY PEOPLE: ILLUSION OR TRUTH?

GOOD COUNTRY PEOPLE: ILLUSION OR TRUTH?

Never let your schooling get in the way of your education
-Mark Twain
Good Country People, by Flannery O'Connor, presents us with a look into the monotonous
lives of three women living together on a rural farm. All three women are set in their
old-fashioned ways, having experienced very little of life, out on the farm. A bible
salesman named Manley Pointer, appearing like nothing more than simple, good country
people(1), pays them a visit one day. It turns out that this simple countryboy is
actually a brilliant con artist who scams the pretentious daughter, Hulga (also known as
Joy) into removing her wooden leg, which he proceeds to steal. A great change in Hulga is
triggered by her experience with Manley Pointer. Although it was a cruel scam, the bible
salesman helps her to see the truth about her education and human nature. Hulga realizes
that in addition to book smarts, people skills are also crucial in navigating the real
world.
Hulga has been to college for many years, earning a Ph.D. in Philosophy. Coming from such
a rural background, she feels that her education raises her status in the intellectual
world, and therefore life in general, above anyone not as educated as she is. You poor
baby...it's just as well you don't understand(404). The young woman fails to see that
there is much more to life than what you can learn in a book. Due to a heart condition,
however, Hulga is forced to remain home on the farm, instead of being in an academic
setting where her education would be recognized and encouraged. This attitude that she is
above most other people isolates Hulga from everyone around her. Even her mother comments
that she didn't like dogs or cats or birds or flowers or nature or nice men. She looked
at nice men as if she could smell their stupidity(396). Hulga has very little interaction
with anyone at all, besides her mother and their tenant Mrs. Freeman. Hulga failed to see
the idea shown in the above Mark Twain quote.
Hulga, throughout her life has been starved for affection and loving attention. Pointer
is able to get her to succumb to his wishes so easily because she is amazed that someone
sincerely wants to be with her, or so it seems. Ever since she was ten, she has had her
wooden stump leg, and her heart problem to live with. More recently, Hulga's weight
problem is another obstacle that adds to her isolation. Combined with her condescending
attitude, these encumbrances have succeeded to separate her from mainstream society.
Pointer realizes this and is able to use it to his advantage; he knows all the right
things to say to her. In the hayloft, Hulga hears fond admiration for what is quite
possibly one of the first times in her life. As a result, the customarily very
independent, strong-willed Hulga is completely under the control of an uneducated man
half her age. It's what makes you different. You ain't like anybody else....She decided
that for the first time in her life, she was face to face with real innocence. This boy,
with an instinct that came beyond wisdom, had touched the truth about her(404). Pointer
is one of the few people in her life who was able to see the real Hulga; he saw through
the cold fa?ade.
Thanks to Mr. Pointer, Hulga was able to see the truth about her situation in the
world-book smarts won't help you at all without people skills and common sense. Up till
the very end, however, she was unable to come to grips with the fact that smart, educated
Hulga had been deceived by someone who appeared to be nothing more than a simple country
boy. Being stranded in the loft, however, forced Hulga to realize that people sometimes
need to depend on each other. Something else she realized is that in life, book smarts
mean very little compared with experience and knowledge of the real world
This issue of having real world smarts as well as book smarts is especially relevant to
the modern day higher education student. With all the pressure surrounding schoolwork, it
is easy to get caught up in academics and lose sight of the world around you. Achieving a
balance between school work and real world education is key to success in this world.
College students these days must try to find their own personal Manley Pointer, in order
to remind themselves of the balance necessary in life.
Bibliography
O'connor, Flannery. Good Country People The Bedford Introduction To Literature, 5th ed.
Ed, Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's,1999. 393-406