Flannery O'Connor

I liked the reading we had this week from Flannery O'Connor entitled Good Country People. The four main characters in the story are Mrs. Hopewell, her daughter Joy (who insists on being called Hulga), their tenant farmer's wife, Mrs. Freeman, and the young man impersonating a bible salesman. (I just realized how appropriate the characters names are, and applaud Ms. O'Connor for her wit and sense of irony.) We are first introduced to Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Hopewell during one of their morning talks.
Mrs. Hopewell is a widow and craves these talking sessions with Mrs. Freeman. If it weren't for Mrs. Freeman, she would be left alone with her surly daughter who insists on being called Hulga (the ugliest name Joy could come up with--perhaps just to incense her mother). Mrs. Hopewell continually attests to the importance of "good country people," and insists there is no better kind. When the seemingly modest, simple young man comes to the house disguised as a bible salesman, she is instantly convinced that he must be an upstanding individual because he seems to be a good country boy with good morals and manners. In the end though we find that he is a demented con who cares about no one, and covets the crutches of the physically disabled.
I think the moral of the story is twofold; Don't judge a book by its cover, and appearances can be deceiving. While the message of the story seems a little cliched, I think Ms. O'Connor found a  very creative way to get her point across. I really enjoyed this reading.
Flannery O'Connor accomplished much in her short 29 year life. Her writings were filled with ironic wit and stark realities. I saw a great deal of these traits in our reading by O'Connor this week.