In this response, I want to talk about independence in Flannery O’Connor’s Good Country People. Hulga is portrayed as independent in her own right but also as reliant on the kindness of others. (Note: I think it is worth referring to Hulga by her chosen name, although she resents Mrs. Freeman for using it, viewing the act as an intrusion on her privacy.) I will analyze independence through the eyes of Mrs. Hopewell, the Bible salesman, and Hulga herself.
Much of Hulga’s perceived dependence (and inability to live on her own) is cast upon her by her mother, Mrs. Hopewell. Mrs. Hopewell routinely infantilizes Hulga, forgetting – or refusing to remember – that the latter is “thirty-two years old and highly educated.” Mrs. Hopewell takes Hulga’s bitterness at having to live at home as being evidence of this childishness; likewise, Hulga’s impressive accomplishment of receiving her PhD in philosophy is seen as both unbecoming of a woman (girl) and economically and socially inefficient, a “flaw” that frequently comes up in our discussion of disability studies and society’s negative perception towards disabled people. The narrator of Good Country People repeatedly reminds us of this infantilization by referring to Hulga, who is well into adulthood, as “the girl” throughout the story. Somewhat ironically, Mrs. Freeman seems to perceive Hulga’s abilities and personhood more than Mrs. Hopewell – however, Mrs. Freeman nonetheless views Hulga as an object of intrigue rather than her own person.
On the other hand, “Manley Pointer,” the Bible salesman, appears to view Hulga not in conjunction with her mother or as a child, but as someone whom he is attracted to. Of course, to the reader he appears guilty of disability porn, calling Hulga “brave” despite having no reason to believe that is the case. Of course, ultimately we learn this is all an act, and that he’s fully aware of Hulga’s strengths and weaknesses and exploits them to his advantage. From Hulga’s perspective, she is smarter than he is, but she is also intrigued by the prospect of romantic attraction – her first, as far as the reader knows. Pointer also goads her into climbing the ladder in the barn by calling into question her independence and physical abilities. She seeks to prove him wrong, and in doing so winds up in an extremely vulnerable position where Pointer is able to escape and to leave her trapped.
Hulga views herself as more scholarly and more insightful than anyone in her life – she seems to be right, but that fact goes unnoticed and unappreciated by everyone else. She resents that her physical disabilities have prevented her from moving away from her country home. In her day to day life, however, she’s perfectly confident and comfortable with her wooden leg and navigating her physical environment. At the end of the story, when Pointer reveals his con and steals her leg – seen here not as a mobility assist but as part of her, much like how some disabled people view their wheelchairs as an extension of their physical body – I worry for how her life will be after the incident. When Pointer removes the leg, she realizes she feels totally dependent on him without it, and she’s right. She’s functionally under his control. I worry that that experience will shape how she views her own self and her ability to survive independently.
Word count: 564
I pledge
