FIRST-YEAR WRITING JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH VOLUME 12 2014-2015 WRITTEN & EDITED BY DR. TOM PACE,Not So “Joy-ful” Life By Emily Mastroianni Editor's Note: In Emily's literary analysis essay, she looks at critical details from a short piece ‘of fiction in order to formulate her own interpretation of the work. Looking atthe symbolic fanction of a character's physical disabilities in Flannery O'Connor's “Good Country People,” Enily creates a strong and focused thesis, which sets up her well-organized, detal-rich essay. When reading Emily's essay, consider the following: Where is Emily's thesis, and how does it set up the rest of her argument (ie. organization)? How does Emily use critical sources to support shor argument? How does Emily use the short story to support her argument? Does Emily include a naysayer? What might a naysayer write about Emily's argument? How might Emily address these naysayers in order to strengthen her argument? Kate Oliver, a literary eritic from the University of Central Florida, describes in her criticism of “Good Country People,” “Joy-Hulga’s physical afflictions —her heart condition, her poor eyesight and her artificial leg—symbolize her emotional, intellectual and spiritual impairments” (Oliver). In Flannery O'Connor's “Good Country People,” we meet thirty-two ‘year old Joy-Hulga Hopewell whose physical disabilities seem to shape her life mentally and socially. Although Joy seems to not realize these impairments in her life, the people around her do, and they all respond differently, which affects her as a person. In the end, these personal relationships and physical impairments both add to Joy’s reasons for innocence. Although she is ‘a middle-aged woman, she still lives at home with her mother and is treated as if she is a child. Joy's artificial leg, heart condition and poor eyesight symbolize her internal naivety toward the ‘world around her and seem to hinder her vision of reality each in their own way. Kate Oliver believed that, “Although Joy’s heart condition ensures that she will die an carly death, she emotionally died at age ten when she lost her leg in a hunting accident” (Oliver). Like the quote suggests, much more than a limb was lost when Joy experienced the tragic hunting accident at such a young age. With this accident, Joy has encountered setbacks in many ‘areas of her life. Going through such a tragic experience as a kid, in some ways, has forced Joy to become stuck at age ten even though she outwardly has grown up. This immaturity in Joy is very much enhanced by her mother because not only does Joy feel bad for herself, but her mother does too and in return, treats her like a child. As stated in the story, “She [Mrs. Hopewell] thought of her still asa child because it tore her heart to think instead of the poor, 3stout girl in her thirties who had never danced a step or had any normal good times” (O°Connor 1214). The irony in Joy’s artificial leg is that even though there is nothing visibly there, Joy _makes its presence significantly aware to everyone. When it comes to any disability, especially ‘one as visible as an artificial leg, people do their best to cover them up in hope that it does not bring much attention to their difference. But in Joy’s case, she does the complete opposite. Instead of hiding the leg with trousers, socks or some sort of covering, Joy refuses to disguise it at all and instead of controlling the way she walks around the house, Joy seems to “relish stumping around on her artificial leg” to make her difference even more profound (Behling 90). Literary critic Sheldon Currie reacts to Joy’s treatment of her leg by stating that Joy has “willingly abandoned what makes her human,” thus showing that there is something “profoundly ‘wrong” with her (Behling 90). Naivety is one of the main things that is “profoundly wrong” with Joy. Her leg symbolizes a wall that she can hide behind and it acts as an excuse for Joy to get the attention and treatment that a young child gets. The reality ofthe situation is, without her artificial leg, Joy has to face the world herself like everyone else. For example, near the endof the story, when Joy is alone with Manly Pointer, he takes advantage of her innocence by flirting and eventually removing her leg. Joy responds with defense, but is overall unable to do much about it because she is forced to face reality. Manly Pointer takes from her all that made her comfortable and secure in life (the artificial leg) and as a result, her naivety is enhanced. ‘Along with her artificial leg, Joy unfortunately was born with a serious heart condition. ‘As stated in “Good Country People,” “The doctors had told Mrs. Hopewell that wth the best of| care, Joy might see forty-five. She had a weak heart” (O’Connor 1216). The only way Joy could receive the “best care” was to stay at home with her mother, and had this condition not ‘been so serious, Joy would be “far from these red hills and good country people” (*Connor 1216). So, at thirty-two years of age, Joy is stuck in the same position she had been growing up ‘asa child, The level of care that Joy needs forces her to be reliant on het mother much more than someone else the same age, which overall adds to her innocent personality. Flannery ‘0’Connor even illustrates her as wearing “a six-year-old skirt and yellow sweat shirt with a faded cowboy on a horse embossed on it” (O’Connor 1216). Joy's “weak heart” also symbolizes her emotional detachment in life and her inability to love anyone or anything. Constantly in a depressing mood, Joy shows no compassion for anything and lives her life as quite the pessimist. She has no friends (and has no desire to make 34them) and she “didn’t like dogs or cats or birds or flowers" ("Connor 1216). Even though her mother cares for her greatly, Joy is ungrateful for her as well. Joy disregards her mother's optimism, and feels that she is above her because she has an education. The bitterness Joy feels toward her mother is often shown in random outbursts at the dinner table and just an overall ‘mean aura around the house. Mrs. Hopewell never fights back, but discretely describes her daughter as “bloated, rude, and squinty-eyed,” and favors Mrs. Freeman's daughters over Joy. We also leam about Joy’s lack of love when, again, she is left alone with Manly Pointer and he kisses her. Flannery 0’Connor writes, “She had never been kissed before and she was pleased to discover that it was an unexceptional experience and all a matter of the mind’s control” (©’Connor 1222). Having her first kiss as a middle-aged woman reemphasizes Joy's innocence. Again, Joy’s heart disability strongly adds to her nave nature forcing her to stay home under her mother’s control and also inhibiting her ability to use her heart in order to love herself and others. Joy's third disability is her poor vision. Although she wears glasses, Joy is very much blind to most of what life has to offer. She contradicts herself when she states, “I'm one of those people who see through to nothing” (O*Connor 1224). Joy believes that because of her philosophy degree she can figure out everything in life, but the truth is, she cannot see through much of anything. As described in the story, “She was brilliant but she didn’t have a grain of sense” (O’Connor 1216). When it comes to Manly Pointer, Joy is completely blind to his intentions. Because she is only full of philosophical reasoning, she does not realize that she is being taken advantage of. When Manly Pointer brings out the alcohol, condoms and inappropriate cards, Joy does not know how to react. After Joy exclaims to him “You're a Christian,” he makes her look dumb by responding, “I hope you don't think that I believe in that crap! I may sell bibles but I know which end is up...” (O° Connor 1226). Had Joy not been so innocent and naive, she could have seen through Manly Pointer’s games and saved herself from the embarrassment. In the end, Manly Pointer teaches Joy more than she has ever leamed in school by direetly telling her, “you ain’t so smart” (O'Connor 1226). No one has ever told Joy this, and she has always been under the impression that she had all the answers, when really, her PhD taught her “nothing.” Joy's poor vision symbolizes her inability to see and understand reality. Although she wears glasses, they are only used as an inhibition, shielding her from the rit of life, 55Kate Oliver explains living life handicapped as symbol the intellect, the heart or the soul” (Oliver). The physical disabilities that Joy is afflicted with seem to play a bigger role in her mental and social life rather than just being physiedl setbacks, Joy uses these disabilities, although not deliberately, as excuses from prospering and acting her age and because of that, Joy lives a life of immaturity. Trusting only her philosophy degree to 1g “...the greater handicaps of guide her, she is completely and utterly lost when Manly Pointer takes away each of her disabilities which she has hidden behind all of her life. In short, Kate Oliver presents how Manly Pointer made Joy realize her immaturity by saying, “Thus, when he angrily leaves her in the loft of the bam, taking away with him her leg, her glasses, and a small piece of her heart, she finds herself confronted with the emptiness of her emotional, intellectual, and the spiritual life, all built ‘on a foundation of ‘nothing’” (liver). 56