Good country people character analysis t as she rejects her body. Pointer symbolizes how well he point things out to joyhulga. Manley pointer considers himself quite masculine creating a name for himself unabashedly based on the word manly 495. The pointer family name was found in the usa, the uk, canada, and scotland between 1840 and 1920. The manley family name was found in the usa, the uk, canada, and scotland between 1840 and 1920. His first name, manley, signifies that he will fill a void in hulga made by lack of any significant male presence. According to some researches that is related to meaning of manley, origin of manley and gender of manley,manley is fit name. The name pointer manly, not his real name, functions as a semiobscene pun on one level. He is manly, earthly, and not at all spiritual, despite being a bible salesman. Meaning of the name manley, analysis of the name manley and so much more what does manley mean and its numerology, definition, origin, popularity and very interesting information. Freeman and manley pointer are seen as good country. A bible salesman, who introduces himself as manley pointer, visits the family and is invited for dinner despite the hopewells lack of interest in. Hopewell, convinced that hulga would have been better without a useless phd. In a short story good country people, oconnor provides a plethora of reflections about the true attitude of people to religion and the nature of peoples relations with each other.
What she intends this statement to mean is that its the good, honest folks that make world a better place. The character of manley pointer s, name can break down into two parts. The bible salesman, who introduces himself as manley pointer. The character of the bible salesman in good country people from. Hulgas appearance, manley pointer s brief case and all of the characters names. Manley is a traveling bible salesman, which sounds great until were told that hes from out in the country around willohobie, not even from a place, just near. Joy changed her name to hulga, the ugliest name mrs. When was the first name pointer first recorded in the united states. Norfolk had the highest population of pointer families in 1891. Freeman is depicted as a fairly shrewd woman who is capable of using mrs. I think thats whats wrong with it you dont see any more real honest people unless you go way out in the country. Ultimately, this portrayal of manley pointer as a deceiver with ulterior motives can be seen to symbolize the devil, and the process by which he deceives is a reflection on how the devil operates.
As a last name pointer was the 4,752 nd most popular name in 2010. Good country people is a short story by flannery oconnor. Good country people flannery oconnor manley pointer characterization. As the story goes on, the wooden leg continues to accumulate meaning. Freeman, we discuss their names in their analyses over in the characters section. Flannery oconnors stories good country people summary. Good country people characters from litcharts the creators of. He is also kind and will do anything to make you happy. However, based on the characters of this story, its this type of people that give the world a little flavor or spice.
Critical analysis of good country people by oconnor 637. The irony revealed by the characters names in good country people. New york had the highest population of manley families in 1840. One day, a bible salesman called manley pointer appears and manages to win hulgas. Good country people literary analysis essay example.
Pointer definition of pointer by the free dictionary. Hasnt added the name of any famous person for manley. Manley pointer is our antagonist, or the character who opposes the protagonist. Pointer definition is the two stars in the big dipper a line through which points to the north star. Interpretation of good country people by flannery o. Flannery oconnors works dealt mostly on human characters that were opposite of her.
Finally, along comes manley pointer to create the most important pivotal moment in hulgas spiritual awareness. Manley boys name meaning, origin, and popularity babycenter. Then she had gone and had the beautiful name, joy, changed. As she states to manly pointer, she believes that good country people are the salt of the earth. While leaving the home, pointer invites joy for a picnic date the next evening, and she imagines seducing the innocent bible salesman. His last name, pointer, implies that he will reveal, or point out something in hulgas life. How many people with the first name manley have been born in the united states. In this way, oconnor constructs many intricate layers of meaning in good country people, and readers must actively look for the messages. One of the main characters is hulga hopewell, also known as joy hopewell. Significance of names in flannery oconners good country people the. Manley pointer turns out to be the villain of the piece.
The symbol of the artificial leg in good country people from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Good country people is a short story by flannery oconnor 1925 to 1964georgia, usa. Not only is manley handsome but he is also inteligent and loves to read. Irony in good country people by joseph corderi on prezi. We estimate that there are at least 5900 persons in the world having this name which is around 0. As a last name manley was the 1,4 th most popular name in 2010. His last name, pointer, is sexual but also symbolizes that he is. The symbol of the artificial leg in good country people from. You also encounter a character named manley pointer. She convinces herself that events of significance with profound.
A symbol of the devil essaysgood country people, by flannery oconner is not so much about good country people, but rather the extent to which country people can be good. In 1840 there were 48 manley families living in new york. His full name is a phallic pun, referring to how he is the. Irony in good country people connor candela and joseph corderi p. What does hulga lie to manley pointer about, despite saying she wanted to be totally honest with him. This was about 24% of all the recorded pointer s in the uk. Hopewell, her only daughter joyhulga, and a bible salesman named manley pointer. Manley is one of the many names that the normans brought with them when they conquered england in 1066. She took care of it as someone else would his soul, in private and almost with her own eyes turned away cs, 288.
During the date, he persuades her to go up into the barn loft where he persuades her to remove her prosthetic leg and takes her glasses. His first name indicates masculinity but also possibly refers to the fallen nature of mankind. Freeman had two others, forward and reverse, that she used for all her human. Good country people is meant to be flattering, but its a condescending phrase. In the story a young country boy, named mister pointer, comes to the.
Good country people is a short story by flannery oconnor in which hulga hopewell is duped by a con artist named manley pointer. In other words, it is a depiction of the fraud of misrepresenting yourself. If her leg was blasted off by accident, then the shot came from very close range, which suggests that the tenyearold joy, nervous and unfamiliar with weapons, tripped with a shotgun. Hopewells blindness to reality, just as manley pointer will later use hulgas blindness to reality for his own selfish advantage. She seems to barely perceive that evil exists in the world or that manley pointer is anything but. Good country people a classic american short story by flannery oconnor 19251964 besides the neutral expression that she wore when she was alone, mrs.
London had the highest population of manley families in 1891. See the popularity of the boys name manley over time, plus its meaning, origin, common sibling names, and more in babycenters baby names tool. The name pointer manly, not his real name, functions as a semiobscene pun on one level, and it comes to point out, on another level, the depths to which humanity might descend if it follows only its manly nature. The most pointer families were found in the usa in 1880. In flannery oconnors short story good country people, both manley pointer and joyhulga hopewell devise false identities. He is extremely good at figuring out he is extremely good at figuring out. Unlike hulga, he is a true nihilist and quite amoral. He is extremely good at figuring out other characters viewpoints, insecurities, and false senses of superiority and exploiting them to get what he wants. What is the meaning of the quote cast down your bucket where you are. Significance of names in flannery oconners good country people the story good country people, by flannery oconner is a work that uses characterization in a new and interesting way to help shape and present the characters of this story. Toward the end of her life, flannery oconnor was often asked to speak about being a southerner, as though this. It consists of 6 letters and 2 syllables and is pronounced manley. Good country people by flannery oconnor literary fictions. Additionally, well do a quick analysis to look for deeper meaning.
Manley is a traveling bible salesman, which sounds great until were told that hes from out in the country around willohobie, not even from a place. Manley pointer visits selling bibles and refuses to leave without stealing something, anything and being cruel and deceptive in the process. Symbolism plays a major role in the way that these characters are seen through out the story and how they perceive themselves. His last name, pointer, is sexual but also symbolizes that he is the one who points out to hulga her naivety. Then the theme of good versus evil, demonstrated by the belief that country people are good, also creates irony. Manley is a boys name of english origin meaning shared wood. Manley is the 6,442 nd most popular name of all time. You would be lucky to get in a relationship with him in account of he doesnt like relationships unless your really close to him. The bulk of the story takes place between these two characters, joy and manley, who begin their relationship in a simple and natural way, but ended up showing their true characters. Hopewell a bible, and gets himself invited to stay to eat. He then tells her that manley pointer is not his real name and leaves. Manley, manley, manleyit might take hulga a while to realize what a slippery trickster you are, but were onto you from almost the moment you arrive on the page.
In other words, it is a depiction of the fraud of misrepresenting. This was about 31% of all the recorded pointer s in the usa. The manley family lived in the places named manley in cheshire. Hopewell makes judgements on peoples characters, joyhulga suffers from an identity crisis as she changes her name and comes to a battle with her faith, manley pointer is a compulsive lier and concocts a false identity for himself, bible salesman proves the danger in making assumptions about someones character. As hes leaving the farm he encounters hulga, and using his you ever ate a chicken that was two days old.
Manley pointer is the protagonist because he opposes the antagonist. It is peculiar that hulgas assurance grows stronger when she learns that manley pointer is an atheist and, in fact, he is even more evil than people who seems less religious. This was about 22% of all the recorded manley s in the usa. In 1891 there were 301 pointer families living in norfolk. The good country people by flannery o connor 871 words. Although oconnor only provides pointers madeup name, she paints him as also living with two identities. Obviously, hulgas previous conviction that the universe is empty changes to the belief that the world is.
Hulga hopewell is a unique character who has faced more complications in her life than the average person. Both have detached from their own individual realities in. We do not know much for certain about the bible salesmans life, as it is impossible to separate fact from fiction in what he says, but it is clear that he is a liar who takes pride in his nihilism, moving through the country taking advantage of peoples trust. It turns out that this specimen of good country people reads people better than the highly educated hulga or the selfaggrandizing mrs. Specifically, the two characters, the misfit from the story a good man is hard to find and manley pointer of good country people, portrayed the evil personalities being victims of disbelief to the true god. The backbone of this selection relies on symbols such as. The bible salesman, who introduces himself as manley pointer, appears at first to be a devout and humble christian selling bibles out of a large valise. We do not know much for certain about the bible salesmans life, as it is.
In the short story good country people, how do the names. She is proud to have turned her old self, joy, into hulga, but clearly this name brings her no real joy. The main character of this story, joy, is a woman with physical challenge. Manley pointer character analysis by mary griffin on prezi. Multiple objects presented in the story initially may be props. Manley pointer personifies hulgas belief system and how it affects life. Hopewell tells manley, i think there arent enough good country people in the world. It was published in 1955 in her short story collection a good man is hard to find. Of course, this judgment of manley is incorrect, since he is a liar and swindler. The introduction of the bible salesman, manley pointer, is in and of itself another play on the use of names as symbolic meaning. In this lesson, we will summarize flannery oconnors exceptional short story good country people by looking at its characters and themes. In 1840 there were 28 pointer families living in kentucky.
The name manley is ranked on the 31,902nd position of the most used names. The oldest recorded birth by the social security administration for the name pointer is tuesday, may 4th, 1886. Critical analysis of good country people by oconnor. Many considered this to be one of her greatest stories. Manley s presence is the first and only physical arrival of the outside community in the hopewell home and the only active male presence in the story. Like her other stories and her novels, good country people is set in the rural south. In this story, manley pointer begins seducing a woman with a doctorate in philosophy who legally changed her name to hulga at the age of twentyone. Manley pointers name has special significance because it is not his real name. The 7 creepiest outfits in flannery oconnor the sparknotes. The phrase to walk over the fields subtly suggests bird hunting, as does the name of hulgas later seducer, manley pointer. However this is a false name and therefore the male. Sep 30, 2009 manley pointers name has special significance because it is not his real name. In the short story good country people, how do the names of the.
Hulga and manley pointer bill gates and steve jobs manley pointer. What are some good 1800s names for book characters answers. Too late hulga meets the real manley pointer or whatever his name really is, with his liquor and lewd cards hiding under the bibles in his suitcase. Kentucky had the highest population of pointer families in 1840. Manley name meaning, origin of manley name, popularity, analysis. Good country people summary good country people is a short story by flannery oconnor in which hulga hopewell is duped by a con artist named manley pointer. Flannery oconnors stories good country people summary and. Good country people is a short story about a thirtytwoyearold woman with a wooden leg who learns a harsh lesson about herself at the hands of a man posing as a. Manley pointer, in fact, is a con man, liar, and predator. In 1891 there were 638 manley families living in london. Manley pointer is the antagonist because he lies to mrs. Additionally, well do a quick analysis to look for. But manleys all about fictionsokay, lies, reallyso its only fitting that his name would be invented, too.
Such is after all the strictly scientific approach to nothing. This was about 17% of all the recorded manley s in the uk. One day, a bible salesman called manley pointer appears and manages to win hulgas trust, however he soon proves to be even a greater cynic than hulga herself, and an utterly cruel creature who does not hesitate to steal the disabled womans artificial limb. She lost her leg in childhood and, probably, at the same time. Bible salesman, manley pointer, as he calls himself. Oconnor presents manley pointer as nothing in good country people heart condition speech.
Hopewells last name represents her optimism, christian beliefs, and good faith in people. The character of the bible salesman in good country people. At least thats the story hes telling people to feel sympathy for him. From these four characters, joy hulga and manley pointer are the deepest and the ones with the most obvious facades. Like the nietzchian passage outlined in blue, he enters the story wearing a blue suit. Jul 23, 2012 manley pointer visits selling bibles and refuses to leave without stealing something, anything and being cruel and deceptive in the process. Analysis of good country people by flannery oconnor. Significance of names in flannery oconners good country. The most manley families were found in the usa in 1880. Manley sounds the same as manly, which means having the qualities generally regarded as those that a man should have.
Although manley pointer is a totally vicious role here, oes him connor still enrichwith a special name. In flannery oconnors short story good country people, how. From 1880 to 2018, the social security administration has recorded 2,233 babies born with the first name manley in. Looking back, we see the clever meticulousness of pointer s conthe feigned heaviness of his satchel, his feigned simplicity as in mistaking the name of the house for its owner, the rube suit.
Symbols of good country people by flannery o connor. Manley pointer, functions as a semi obscene pun one level, and it comes to point out on another level, the depths to which humanity might descend if it follows only its manly nature. She even changes her positivesounding name to a really horrible onehulga. One of manleys attempts at conversation is to ask hulga if she has ever eaten a chicken that was two days old. In the short story good country people, how do the names of. Who puts on a facade of being a good country boy, and a christian who sells bibles. The place name was originally derived from the old english word moene, which means common or shared, and leah, which means wood or clearing. His name implies that he is going to point something out to her, and he teaches her a grotesque lesson.
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