Irony In Good Country People

When Mrs. Hopewell is not in earshot, Mrs. Freeman addresses Joy as Hulga. Mrs. Freeman is intrigued by Joy-Hulga's wooden leg. It is one of the deformities with which she is so fascinated. Mitchell writes that "Mrs. Freeman is fascinated by the leg, but it is a 'secret infection,' spiritual and psychological in nature, of which the leg provides intimations" (2). 1 think Mrs. Freeman calls Joy by the name she chose because she derives secret pleasure in irritating her.

Hopewell’s character is restricted to the use of clichés such as “that is life” and “nothing is perfect” (O’Connor). Mrs. Hopewell’s use of clichés extends beyond dialogue. For Mrs. Hopewell, clichés represent her frame of mind. Mrs. Hopewell “implies that she has an optimistic nature and is always hoping for the best” (Kirk 73). Although harmless on the surface, this perspective makes Mrs. Hopewell blindly optimistic. Throughout the short story, Mrs. Hopewell correlates good country people to “the salt of the earth”. Mrs. Freeman and her two daughters, Glynese and Carramae, are her primary examples of “good country people.” Mrs. Hopewell does not miss an opportunity

As it begins we meet Ms. Freeman, she and her husband have been working for Mrs. Hopewell for four years. She kept them for so long because she didn’t think of them as trash but yet they were good country people. The First thing that we learn about Ms. Hopewell is that her previous worker says she was the nosiest woman on earth. But Ms.

The author of Good Country People, Flannery O’ Connor, has a vast amount of irony in his writing. He uses the character’s names, their characteristics, the overall theme of the story and comparisons of characters to show irony.

people who see through to nothing”. She says this just before Pointer convinces her to

In “Good Country People,” the description Flannery O’Conner gives of Joy/ Hulga allows the reader to create preconceptions about the character, that are later disproven as the character unfolds. In the passage, O’Conner describes Joy as, “A large blonde girl who had an artificial leg. Mrs. Hopewell thought of her as a child though she was thirty-two years old and highly educated” (271). From this description, the reader can interpret that Joy is a smart individual, as well as observing that her disability may play a part in her life. In Hulga’s eyes, she considers herself better than everyone else due to her college degree. Yet in her mother’s eyes, she perceives her as a child which could mean naïve, dependent, or simply immature. As the reader

​There are many different literary devices that are used in writing to enhance a theme or to carry those themes throughout a storyline. In The Hunger Games and The Road, irony is used in bringing attention to the theme of humanity and carrying it from beginning to the end of the novels. It is used in writing to contrast between “what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant” (Puchner i). In The Road, McCarthy uses irony to show the difference between what we would expect from a humane perspective and how those left have fallen so far from those expectations. One instance of this irony occurred when the father and son observed two men and a pregnant woman traveling on the road. Later, when these travelers were

Good Country People'; by Flannery O’Connor is an excellent example of irony in literature. From beginning to end it has a steady procession of irony, much of it based on the title of the story: “Good Country People.';

Situational irony creates emotions and different feeling from the readers. The authors O. Henry and Guy de Maupassant both use situational irony to make their short stories more interesting. For example, in the story “The Ransom of Redchief” O. Henry uses situational irony to add humor and excitement to his story. He also uses irony to surprise readers and catch them off guard. Guy de Maupassant used irony to make readers feel sympathetic for the main character Mathilde in “The Necklace”. Many authors such as these two use situational irony to affect readers emotions and surprise them.

O’Connor also uses irony to contribute to the story’s plot and convey its overall theme. The first and most obvious use of irony in this short story is the title, “Good Country People.” She uses this title to describe and express the way society was and how people during that period were perceived. If you were of a particular upbringing you were considered “good country people.” Another example of the author’s use of irony is through the character of Manley Pointer, a traveling bible salesman. His occupation alone gives the reader the impression he is a good honest country boy. The irony of this example is revealed through his encounter with Joy when he exhibits a personality totally opposite of a Christian bible salesman. The fact that Joy,

O’Connor uses irony to bring humor to her story. For example, Crater says “I wouldn't give her up for nothing on earth” (O’Connor). What she meant was she wouldn’t trade her daughter for anything on earth, but what she really says is she’d trade her daughter for nothing at all. The irony is further shown when Crater does, in fact, give her daughter up for nothing. Shiftlet scammed her of her car and money, and her daughter is left at a diner. She wanted a good man for a son-in-law, but now she doesn’t even have a son-in-law. Another example of irony is when Shiftlet prays for God to clean the world of filth, but he himself is the filth he was asking God to clean.

In comparison to, Mrs. Freeman who is the complete opposite of Mrs. Hopewell whom she has worked for, for four years. O’connor does not show her point of view in this short story only what Mrs. Hopewell and Hulga describe her to be. She is described as very outspoken on whatever he thoughts are. She is very familiar and used to the unexpected due to her daughter Carramaes early marriage and pregnancy at the age of fifteen.

Irony is the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite. Chaucer uses irony to describe his characters based on their physical appearance; the Nun and the Pardoner are just two examples. Based on her appearance, the Nun cares about her

Irony is a language device either in spoken or written form in which the real meaning is concealed or contradicted by the literal meanings of the words or in a situation in which there is an incongruity between what is expected and what occurs. Irony is a literary device used by many authors in developing characters, plot and theme. In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne the story establishes the point of view on moral beliefs in the Puritan society. As the characters develop, the use of irony is shown within Pearl, Reverend Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth.

Irony is a technique that is used (through a character or plot development) to convey an intention or attitude opposite to what is literally stated. In