Good Country People by Flannery OConnor Characterization...

Good Country People by Flannery OConnor Characterization as Theme The Depth of Hulga?s Despair Characterization is the most prevalent component used for the development of themes in Flannery O?Connor?s satirical short story ?Good Country People.? O?Connor artistically cultivates character development throughout her story as a means of creating multi-level themes that culminate in allegory. Although the themes are independent of each other, the characters are not; the development of one character is dependent upon the development of another. Each character?s feelings and behavior are influenced by the behavior of the others. Joy/Hulga, as the story?s main character, is the singly most significant character to the themes†¦show more content†¦The omniscient narrator allows the reader to see that Hulga?s stereotyping of the other characters is flawed; she never bothers trying to get to know the others as real people. If she had, she would have realized that there was more to them than meets the eye. Hulga?s lack of interest in the other characters effectively isolate s her character from any meaningful relationships with other people. Her superior attitude towards the other characters is manifested in her disrespect for all of them. It never occurs to her to do unto others, as she would have others do unto her. Another theme emerges from her contemptuous behavior: Treat others with disrespect and eventually you too will be treated that way. This might also be stated through two well-known clichà ©s: ?you reap what you sow? or ?what goes around comes around.? Hulga uses her handicap, a leg partially shot off during a hunting accident, as an excuse for stomping loudly around the house in the hope of irritating her mother. Although Hulga sees herself as intellectually superior, her self-esteem and self-image are low due to her handicap, as evidenced by her complete disregard for her appearance. Further evidence of her low self-esteem is her changing her name from Joy to Hulga, a name that her mother, Mrs. Hopewell, felt was ?the ugliest name in any language.? Unbeknownst to Hulga, Mrs. Hopewell grieved for her daughter?s tragic life and excuses much of her behavior ?because of