— Anonymous
After reading “Good Country People” written by Flannery O’Connor, there were many things that I found to be interesting, appealing, and comparable to things we spoke about within the classroom. The protagonist of the story Hulga was an interesting character, who was more complex than the naked eye showed. She was a character that deserved to be evaluated and provoked me to keep reading, so that I can learn more about her. There were many other reasons why I enjoyed reading “Good Country People” so much. One of those reasons is because it talks about a character who has her walls up and is insecure about her physical features. Hulga has a wooden leg from a hunting accident she suffered when was younger. Any person that is reading this can relate in the sense that we all know someone who struggles with his or her appearance and fails to find their inner beauty. Through out the course of my reading I felt that O’Connor was able to build a strong foundation with the readers, grasping their interest to keep reading.
In other courses that I have previously taken I always found it difficult to get involved in the readings because they were not easy to connect with. In this reading I was able to put myself in the shoes of the characters, which made it easy for me to really get a feel for them. I was able to understand Mrs. Freeman who wanted to know all the gossip and enjoyed being in others business. At the same time I saw the perspective of Mrs. Hopewell who had a difficult time understanding her daughter, but as a mother she wanted the best for her. I like the way that the story was written, because things were not scrambled and all over the place. The structure was in a flowing format, which made the plot very easily understandable. I feel that it is very important for an author who writes stories such as this one to give their work structure. This ensures that the audience does not lose focus from the text.
I was very pleased with the fact that we read about a girl who wanted to be accepted. This ties back to the concepts that we discuss within the classroom. Often times when we finished reading something, we discussed it with the professor and were able to analyze and compare to our own lives. Every person has insecurities, even if they are minor. Hulga was a character that allowed her insecurities to shape the way she acted with others, and looked at her own self. I think that this story teaches us a lesson that we are all beautiful in our own ways, and should stop seeking constant validation from others. Before Hulga was able to find out Pointer’s true intentions she let her guard down and really opened up. We discovered a whole other side to Hulga, one where she was soft, loving, and accepting of herself. So much changed because she was able to put her insecurities to the side. Overall, reading “Good Country People” was a positive experience, that really taught me the importance of loving ourselves for exactly who we are.
