Please respond to the following prompt by attaching a comment signed with your name. Responses received before 4:00 on Friday afternoon will be considered for extra credit on a previous assignment of either one, two, or three points.
As discussed during the reading of the story, Flannery O'Connor is an expert when it comes to creating and using irony within her stories. In your opinion, which element is the most ironic in the body of the story? What is this element's greater purpose in the context of the story? How does irony help Flannery O'Connor to communicate her greater message?
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In my personal opinion, Flannery O’Connor’s most ironic part of her story is the naming of Joy/Hulga. I find this the most ironic as it clearly seems most ironic to Joy herself. She sees the irony in it so much so that she is willing to change her name to something ugly-sounding and less-appealing so that she won’t feel guilty about having a pretty name but an out-of-the-ordinary body (having one missing leg) as she believes that she doesn’t deserve to be called Joy when she only has one real leg and is constantly beat down by her mother for her path in life. This element’s greater purpose in the context of the story is that it shows how Joy’s beliefs of herself changed after going to school. Despite getting a degree and being successful/independent on the outside, the fact that that she pretends to be younger and so easily falls for “Manley Porter” show that she is in need of someone to be dependent off of (seen in the way she talks once in the barn). After she went through school and attained her degree, she changed her name—she went from a young, innocent, happy child who had not yet been tormented by her physical handicap to a smarter and mean woman who had only been constantly been put at a disadvantage for being handicapped. Thus, when she gets to the barn with “Manley Pointer” she is without confidence so much that she falls into a trap of letting herself depend on him, as if she were a child again. Without the leg on her and him wooing her, she acts like a child again as she feels like she has someone who can be there for her.
Overall, Flannery O’Connor’s irony helps to communicate her greater message as without her constant irony, her characters wouldn’t be able to be developed in an effective way. Without great characterization, the whole ordeal with Joy and Hulga and what ultimately happens to her would not have had a lasting impact on the reader. The fact that her ironic name and her name change conceals her true self contributes to the true message in this particular short story: what lays underneath one’s outer shell is that person’s true intentions/identity—just like the idea of Invisible Man, where he witnesses that the fake truth conceals the true truth (people’s true identity). For example, Hulga changed her name to set lower expectations and justify her handicap when in reality she just wanted someone to make her feel full of the joy she never could be on her own. The name wasn’t to fill her with joy, she needed someone to do that for her. In addition, “Manley Pointer” appeared one way, a religious man, but in actuality had completely different “goals” in life—taking fake body parts from women.
All of the names in general are the most ironic part of the story because they all cover up ugly realities making names a mask. Names are supposed to fit someone. One is characterized by he or she's name. When a name is said, memories and flashbacks play through the head. So it is ironic that names in Flannery O'Connor's short story do not portray the truth. This mask-like characteristic is seen with Joy's name, and Mrs. Hopewell's name. Both are extrememely unhappy yet their names have positive connotations; how unfitting. The irony used shows the reader that one can not believe everything he or she hears or sees. Nice names and sweet actions are not always truly good intentions. We see this with "Manly Pointer." His actions towards Joy showed that he cared about her at first but his intention to take her leg and leaved her stranded could not be any more opposite. The irony of name usage and someones true identity represents actions and a person's true intentions.
The most ironic part of this story is the naming of all the characters. Carramae, who Joy/Hulga called Caramel, is a sweet name. It is expected of Carramae to be a sweet and innocent person, but in reality she is fifteen and pregnant. Glynese also known as Glycerin is not an attractive name, yet she has many admirers unlike Joy who has a pretty name, but no admirers. When Joy changes her name to Hulga she is no longer deceiving anyone with her name because she is ugly just like her name. Her name is no longer ironic because it fits her. Mrs. Hopewell pretends to have hope for Joy/ Hulga, but she actually doesn’t. She is surprised when Manly Pointer takes interest in her daughter and doesn’t actually believe it. Manly Pointer’s name is also ironic. It is expected that he would be “manly” and be truthful and keep his word. Also with the last name Pointer, it makes it seem as if he steady and going in only one direction, since he is a Christian. He was using his name as a disguise for his true self. Mrs. Freeman is obsessed with people’s deformities, flaws, and suffering. Her name is ironic because it makes her seem as if she was a caring person who is willing to help people through their pain and suffering. In reality she just likes to see the negative parts of their character. The purpose of the irony of the characters names goes back to the Yam Man in The Invisible Man. The Yam Man said, “Everything that looks good, ain’t good.” This shows us hoe society can be deceiving by making things appear to look good when they really aren’t. The irony of the characters’ names helps Flannery O’Connor convey her message that people are not who they may seem to be, by showing us that all of the characters names did not match their true personality and identity.
In this short story, O'Connor uses irony to makes things appear the opposite of what they actually are. A perfect example of this is Manley Pointer who is seen by other characters as "a good country man." In reality, he is a symbol of evil in the story. In his Bible, he stores whiskey and cards for his own pleasure. A Bible is a holy and symbolic object in itself, and these inanimate objects make this particular Bible appear different than what it actually is. Manley Pointer seems like a man who can be trusted, but it's made obvious that this is false when he takes Joy/Hulga into the barn and runs off with her leg. Joy/Hulga also seems to be accepting of her appearance, but she's actually ashamed of her wooden leg and the fact that it makes her different from everyone else. Joy/Hulga and Manley Pointer wear masks that cover their true natures and make them appear the opposite of how they actually are. This element's greater purpose in the context of the story is to strengthen the ending. The audience realizes that Joy/Hulga is extremely insecure about her wooden leg and that Manley Pointer is actually rather creepy and not a godly man. It also makes the scene in the barn much more dramatic because the audience knows that something bad might happen to Joy/Hulga while she's under Manley Pointer's control. Irony helps O'Connor to communicate her greater message by emphasizing the point that you have to get to know someone before you judge them.
In Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People”, the most ironic element of the story is the title itself. It weaves an emotional setting of the South, putting the reader in a place expecting hospitality and kindness. However, the title has multiple elements, just like the multifaceted characters. Underneath the surface, there is a lurking evil and it goes contrary to what the reader expects from the title. The title sets the stage for weaving irony throughout the text. Joy’s true identity is Hulga. Manley Pointer is considered a “good country person” but in fact he is shady and a thief. All of these “titles” demonstrate her greater message; preconceived notions are deceptive and that initial perceptions are usually incorrect. Names and titles in nature work to blind people make them ignorant to signs of imperfection. However, if people will see clearly, remaining ignorant of titles rather than flaws, they will find truth. Maybe if Joy was not fooled by “Manley Pointer’s” name and label as “good country people”, she would not have gotten in so much trouble.
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