Word to the (Un)Wise

Word to the (Un)Wise

    Religion pervades Flannery O’Connor’s stories; it may not be the central theme, but it still trickles into the details. In both “Good Country People” and “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, the idea of religion or at least a belief in something, or nothing at all, drives the stories. Through the theme of religion, which twists Christian characters into hypocritical and undedicated shells, O’Connor reveals the connection between faith and actions.
    The idea of a “good” person permeates both stories; characters search for a good country person and a good man, respectively. Neither of these types of people is found in the main characters. In “Good Country People”, Mrs. Hopewell is a self-proclaimed “ Chrustian” (O’Connor 278) and her daughter, Joy/Hulga is an atheist; she does not believe in anything science cannot prove. Mrs. Hopwell describes herself as having “no bad qualities of her own but she was able to use other people’s in such a constructive way that she never felt the lack” (O’Connor 272), which gives an insight into the so-called Christian woman’s mind. She elevates herself above others, and she strives to save others from themselves. Her goal sounds Christ-like and sacrificial, however, her aspirations are for personal gain instead of the betterment of others. She does not act or think as a “Chrustian” (O’Connor 278) should, instead she acts as one would think a non-believer would act, selfishly and undedicated.
    Hulga, on the other hand, believes in nothing, but she passionately believes in nothing. Unlike her mother, Hulga dedicates herself to her beliefs. She changes her name from Joy to Hulga so her mother could not “turn her dust into joy” (O’Connor 275). She takes a name that is beautiful and bursting with religious connotation and changes it to something like “ the ugly sweating Vulcan who stayed in the furnace” (O’Connor 275), and this name change demonstrates her convictions and passion or what she believes in. Even though Hulga does not believe in God, or any god, she still believes in something; she believes in science, which she thinks points to the idea of nothing. She desperately wants to believe in something good, but she cannot bring herself to believe. Her lack of belief in God does not constitute a lack of faith, instead, her belief in nothing, and her actions and negative attitude reflect her faith which is more real than her mother’s Christian appearance.
    In “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, the grandmother manipulates her son, Bailey, his wife, through their children, John Wesley, and June Star; she excites the children into believing there is a house that she visited when she was a young lady down a nearby dirt road. She tells the children, “‘There was a secret panel in this house’” (O’Connor 123) which thrills the children with the idea of seeing something they have never seen before, and the ensuing shouting irritates Bailey to the point of fulfilling his mother’s wishes. She succeeds in fulfilling her selfish desires to relive her glory days as a southern young lady. After finding the dirt road, the family has a car accident, which prompts a visit from The Misfit, a notorious serial killer. Upon meeting The Misfit, the family does not recognize the criminal, and The Misfit does not think about harming them. However, upon the grandmother exclaiming that she knows who he is, he decides to kill the family.
     The central confrontation between the family and The Misfit revolves around religion. The grandmother implores him not to hurt the family by saying, “‘I know you’re a good man at heart. I can just look at you and tell’” (O’Connor 128) which does nothing to change his mind. This instance is the first time the grandmother attempts to appeal to The Misfit’s humanity, but to no avail. After he kills her family, she mutters, ‘“Jesus, Jesus’” (O’Connor 131) and attempts to connect with whatever shred of human decency he has left, but instead of catching the bait, The Misfit says, ‘“Jesus thrown everything off balance” (O’Connor). His statement reveals the status of his faith or lack thereof; he knows about Jesus but does not believe because he was not there to witness the resurrection. Later, he says:

         If He did what He said, then it’s nothing for you to do but throw away everything and follow               Him, and if He didn’t, then it’s nothing for you to to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can — by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him. (O’Connor 133)

In his mind, his statement justifies his actions; if Jesus was not resurrected, then he can do whatever he wants. He desperately wants to believe, he says so, but he has to see something to believe in it, and he did not, and will never see Jesus’ resurrection. Therefore, he cannot believe in Jesus. The grandmother responds with, “‘Maybe He didn’t raise the dead’” (O’Connor 133), and this statement exposes her faith or rather lack of it. She uses Jesus when convenient and when it serves her best interest; she does not truly believe. In a way, The Misfit’s belief is better because he concretely follows his faith, unlike the grandmother. 

    In her short stories “Good Country People” and “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, Flannery O’Connor uses religion as a tool to reveal the connection between faith and action. True faith requires action, and one witnesses this in Hulga and The Misfit. The Christian characters fail to have true faith, their faith is based on convenience and empty words. In the end, Mrs. Hopwell and the grandmother only serve themselves instead of the God they claim to serve.