How Does Flannery O Connor Present The Theme Of Ignorance In Good Country People

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In Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People”, O’Connor utilizes the analogy of good country people as a representation and critique of the ignorance of society. To do so, O’Connor presents the sense of superiority certain characters possess, resulting in them becoming ignorant to the truth of the world that is around them. In doing so, O’Connor challenges common perceptions of society in never questioning those who appear inferior to one, yet are still capable of unimaginable things. Through the examination of the characters of Mrs. Hopewell and Joy, or Hulga, and their interactions with good country people in Mrs. Freeman and Manley Pointer, superiority will be shown to cause one to become ignorant of the true nature of others; hence, leading …show more content…

Hopewell displays great ignorance. Adhering to her last name, Mrs. Hopewell sees the world through an optimistic lens, believing the world around her to be uncomplicated. In other words, Mrs. Hopewell hires Mrs. Freeman with the intent to allow her to be “into everything” after the warning from Mrs. Freeman’s previous employer (O’Connor 3). Therefore, Mrs. Hopewell decides to give Mrs. Freeman full responsibility; in turn, Mrs. Hopewell is able to use Mrs. Freeman “in… a constructive way” (O’Connor 3). Nevertheless, the point that Mrs. Hopewell does not appreciate is the necessity of Mrs. Freeman to be in others “business”, or life, as well, not just in regards to the job (O’Connor 3). In other words, Mrs. Hopewell does not recognize the fact that Mrs. Freeman desires to know everything about Mrs. Hopewell’s life, instead Mrs. Hopewell perceives the lower class Mrs. Freeman as just desiring to work hard; hence, Mrs. Hopewell’s sense of superiority causes her to become ignorant of Mrs. Freeman’s true intentions, alike to …show more content…

Throughout the work, O’Connor entices one to question others and to refrain from coming to regard such others through faulty stereotypical images that come from a place of superiority and ignorance. While the work does indeed illustrate an example that is quite hyperbolic in its representation, the truths in the representation; however, are not without importance. At last, society can take hints from O’Connor due to the fact that as individuals, it is habit to view matters from distance as Mrs. Hopewell does when she sees Manley from the mountains, when a closer inspection reveal all that had been hidden from

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