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The short story “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor was published in 1955. It is considered one of the best literary examples of a short story and is commonly studied in English-speaking literature courses. However, as time progresses, the relevance of the story may become outdated, beginning a discussion on its presence in the Americana literary canon. “Good Country People” deserves continuous recognition in the canon due to its brilliant prose, stylistic approach to the genre, and deep analysis of the human and social condition.
At first, it is apt to analyze the prose and stylistic approach utilized by O’Connor to drive forward the plot. One of the reasons the story is so successful and popular in literary circles is due to the author’s brilliant utilization of literary devices. Symbolism, allegory, irony, and imagery are perfectly balanced in the story, each with a purpose and meaning that allows readers to consider aspects beyond the story’s plot, but much greater philosophical ideologies of Christianity, nihilism, human wickedness, and others discussed below (Peiu 57). Thus, the narrative is so compelling that it helps the reader to respond and relate to the meaningful storytelling, perpetuating challenging moral self-analysis of whether one is as cynical or naïve as some of the characters.
The story “Good Country People” unfolds on a two-dimensional plane, with little insight into the minds of the characters, telling the narrative of pervasive and gloomy isolation and meaninglessness. O’Connor is direct in dialogue and descriptions, taking advantage of clichés and stereotypes as the driving point of the plot. The story is highly descriptive, but it remains simple and conversational, allowing the reader to build their own perceptions while forcing them to consider the meaning of each character interaction. Such literary mastery is rare in short-story writing, and therefore the study of O’Connor’s work became prevalent and widely recognized for its elements and sophistication to relay a complex idea. Other classical short story writers in the American canon, such as Twain or O’Henry, and Poe, from whom O’Connor drew inspiration, possessed a similar level of brilliant storytelling through the use of literary elements and stylistic devices.
One of the evident recognitions of an author in the canon is being established so by experts in the field. O’Connor has always been a controversial figure, starting in the post-war period and into recent years. Some saw her as a genius, while others saw a “certain narrowness of emphasis and predictability of technique” in her writing (Kelly). Nevertheless, her anthology of short stories, including the leading “Good Country People” as published by the Library of America, is “the closest thing to a formal canonization that our dispersed and eclectic culture can now bestow” (Kelly). O’Connor’s approach to short fiction is highly eccentric, and the essence of the debate centers around the worldview that her stories present. At the time of publication of “Good Country People,” O’Connor was faithful to church teachings while living in a conservative society. However, her stories were groundbreaking and dazzling, highlighting aspects of existentialism and social analysis unconventional for the time.
The title of the story, “Good Country People,” is inherently a reflection of the social condition. It is a reference to the perspective that the country people living a good, hardworking life are good and honest. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hopewell in the story refers to lazy people as “trash.” O’Connor was able to so accurately capture the sense of hierarchy and superiority that each of the characters holds over others. Mrs. Hopewell bases her perspective on origin and wealth, Hulga on self-appointed intelligence, and the salesman on manipulation and control. However, in each interaction and as the story progresses, the characters are challenged in their worldviews but continue to behave immorally and hypocritically. Mrs. Hopewell’s notion of religion and good country people are taken advantage of, while Hulga, thinking that others are naïve, allows herself to be naively fooled. In a manner, the salesman is symbolic of the Biblical concept of sin and temptation. Therefore, Mrs. Freeman, Mrs. Hopewell, and Hulga demonstrate themselves to be completely ignorant of the world, showing pervasive hypocrisy in their condescension.
This simple story has complex themes and motifs that underline the aspects of the human and social conditions: judgment, stereotypes, pretenses, and conflict. These are the unfortunate realities of human interaction, even in contexts of Christianity, class, or intelligence. No matter whether one is “good country people” or a highly cynical intelligent property-owning upper class, the story highlights the flaws in the worldviews of both. O’Connor inherently presents Southerners as victims of classic neurosis. The characters are obsessed with observing and judging others while at the same time drawn together by their deep-rooted issues and shared neurosis (Jones 53). This social and psychoanalysis is the reason for the brilliance and popularity of the short story. O’Connor is able to so simply emphasize these aspects of human nature without ever deeply delving into philosophical banters. Through juxtaposition and interaction of typical everyday characters, there emerges a much greater overlapping theme.
“Good Country People” can be considered a critical part of the American Southern literary canon. O’Connor, in this short story and her other writings, has always been considered by critics as a “keen analyst of the decadent South” (Jones 52). Using the gothic traditions of Edgar Allan Poe and engaging in the analysis of the perverse, abnormal psychology, the story broke traditional barriers of conservative evangelical Christian Southern culture. Christian critics attempt to explain O’Connor’s focus on the grotesque as a depiction of humanity in need of redemption. Nevertheless, the story is considered an iconic example of the Southern Gothic genre. Set in the fictive countryside of Georgia in the American Old South, where nothing ever happens, this grotesque story occurs based on the failure of people to understand each other, and the overwhelming presence of clichés, prejudices, and platitudes becomes the penultimate cause to the perverse ending of the encounter. O’Connor combines the many stylistic, cultural, and religious components of the American South to create her famous, groundbreaking, and eccentric narrative that serves as the epitome of Southern Gothic fiction to this day (Friedman 233).
In conclusion, O’Connor’s “Good Country People” is a classic example of a short story Southern American literature canon due to its stylistic writing, psychosocial analysis, and cultural value. The narrative’s brilliance is universally acclaimed in its genre, and with time, the short story has gained a solid place in the canon. It is important to study the story in literature classes as it helps students to understand aspects of genre writing, indirect development of characters, and implementation of philosophical discussions and social values into plot elements. The excellence with which O’Connor is able to achieve this supports the presence of “Good Country People” in canon.
Works Cited
Friedman, Melvin J. “Flannery O’Connor: Another Legend in Southern Fiction.” The English Journal, vol. 51, no. 4, 1962, pp. 233-243.
Jones, Bartlett C. “Depth Psychology and Literary Study.” Midcontinent American Studies Journal, vol. 5, no. 2, 1964, pp. 50-56.
Kelly, David. “Good Country People.”The New York Times. 2009, Web.
Peiu, Anca. “Three Sophisticated Ladies and Their Turns of Discourse: Edith Wharton, Flannery O’Connor, Alice Munro.” Philologica, vol. 8, no. 1, 2016, pp. 49-66.
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