Everything That Rises Meets Good Country People

The characters and situations of Flannery OConnors stories give a unique glimpse into a grotesque world of the Southa world that OConnor used to draw meaning about the moment of grace that touches and changes characters lives forever (Fitzgerald). To do this, she often focused on the relationship between mystery and manners in everyday Southerners lives, but did so in a way that relied on exaggeration and usually some form of violence. This is true of her stories Good Country People and Everything That Rises Must Converge. In these two stories, OConnor visits the moment of grace, where some form of violence takes place and characters are faced with a realization of the consequences of their actions and the extent to which they are alone, i.e., disconnected from the higher power. OConnor does a great deal more, as well, and this paper will show how, through Good Country People and Everything That Rises Must Converge, she unravels intricate themes of relationships, uses names significance, environmental influences, religion, race, and family relations, to illuminate her characters internal and external struggles within their socio-cultural environments.

I. Good Country People

In "Good Country People," OConnor uses the dynamics of relationships, the significance of names, and the environment to establish the conflict within her main character Hulga. These elements move the narrative and also shed light on the nature of human interactions and beliefs on a larger scale.

Relationships Character Similarities and Differences

O'Connor's artistic power can be seen in the way she develops relationships among her characters. The interactions between Hulga, Mrs. Hopewell, Mrs. Freeman, and Manley Pointer are brimming with tension: Hulga despises them all, yet somehow ends up falling in love (an emotion she has never experienced before) with the conman salesman Manley Pointer. Her delusion stems from the fact that she thinks she is special. But they all they think themselves are special and unique: Mrs. Hopewell, Mrs. Freeman, Manley Pointerthey all think they are superior to others around them; they just express it differently. Mrs. Hopewell is slightly condescending about it, but in general patient and kind. Mrs. Freeman is blunt about it. Manley is deceitful about it. Hulga just negates all attempt at manners and throws it in everyones facethat is why she changed her name from Joy to Hulga. She is very proud of herself for being able to intellectually lord it over her mother and Mrs. Freemanbut with Pointer she is out of her depth. She thinks she is so special that she can actually seduce him and corrupt himbut she actually ends up being shocked by the revelation that he does not believe in a thing, and that he was actually out to steal her wooden leg the whole time. She and Manley are actually very much alike in the sense that they both despise good country peoplebut Hulga is different in the sense that she doesnt realize she is actually one of those same people. Her revelation, or moment of grace, is that she is not as independent as she thinks isand this comes once Manley steals her leg and literally leaves her in the loft, helpless. As Ciuba suggests, these relationships are a testament to O'Connor's ability to make...…form the core tension of the narrative. Shafiq's analysis of this generational conflict says that this conflict is what separates Julian from his mother, spiritually speaking. Furthermore, the story acts as a critique of the characters' inability to show empathetic qualities such as understanding, kindness, and respect. Julian and his mother's strained relationship represents the tension between expectation and bitterness. People like Julian often fail to see beyond their prejudices and biases. That is a common theme in OConnors fiction.

Conclusion

Through "Good Country People" and "Everything That Rises Must Converge," Flannery O'Connor gives a deeply spiritual commentary on the human condition, social changes, and the moral dilemmas that people face. Her character dynamics, symbolic use of names, and examination of themes like religion and race help bring her stories to life. The stories are distinct in their settings and character arcs, but they all share a common thread of exploring the internal and external struggles that individuals face in their moment of grace. It is this moment that everyonefrom Joy-Hulga to Julianmust ultimately face if they want to realize who they really are.

Works Cited

Ciuba, Gary M.Desire, Violence & Divinity in Modern Southern Fiction: Katherine Anne

Porter, Flannery O'Connor, Cormac McCarthy, Walker Percy. LSU Press, 2007.

Fitzgerald, Sally & Robert (ed.). Flannery OConner in Mystery and Manners. New York:

Noonday, 1970.

Giannone, Richard. Flannery OConner and the Mystery of Love. New York: Fordham UP,

1999.

Gooch, Bard. Flannery: A Life of Flannery OConnor. New York: Little,Brown, 2009.

Shafiq, Jinan Abdulla. "Dysfunctional Families: A Study in Flannery OConnors 'A Good Man

is hard to Find' and 'Good Country People'."

Sullivan, Walter. "Flannery O'Connor, Sin, and Grace: Everything That Rises Must Converge."

Hollins Critic…