Hierarchy is Subjective /// Emily Thullesen

Flannery O’Conner’s “Good Country People” is a whirlwind of a short story, but it actually includes some very significant themes that are relevant to the real world. For example, one particular takeaway from this book was the impact of people’s social status in the context of appearance versus reality. The Hopewell family members exemplify how the supposed “caste system” of the town was far from the truth. 

The two categories of “trash” and “good country people,” hence the title of the novel, are mentioned throughout the story. People who are less educated and poor are considered trash, and the good country people are slightly better off because their status brings them more respect. In the story, three women in the story are ultimately fooled by the Bible salesman who takes advantage of his situation because they believed they were better off in life than him, proving that social status means nothing about a person’s intelligence or wisdom. 

People often assume that just because a person is rich or popular than they are already better off than the average Joe. However, one’s value does not stem from class or define a person’s attributes. This theme reveals the normality of stereotypes and false reality that has become so evident in culture today. People deep down would admit to agree that status has nothing, yet we are all striving to become the next best. 

I commented on Emily Otts and Abigale Bell’s posts. 

Comments

  1. Emma LandryMarch 28, 2022 at 10:13 PM

    Great post, Emily! This story is a wonderful illustration of how haughtiness often leads to one's downfall. Not only is it far from Christlike as we are called to care for those who are marginalized in society, but it can also lead to negative consequences if one underestimates another person. While Hulga's fate of being abandoned without a foreseeable way to escape is horrific, her contemptuous spirit does not make me feel too sorry for her. While this short story was published nearly 70 years ago, its messages are admittedly timeless. Sadly, hierarchical thinking is still prevalent in our world.
    -Emma Landry

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  2. Raygan BosterMarch 29, 2022 at 12:04 AM

    This is really good insight to this story. I think another aspect is people in higher social statuses tend to rely on that to get them through life, expecting it to carry them through without a hitch, while people in the lower class have to find unconventional ways to get by, like manipulating and cheating others. It makes them more observant of the things around them and they use that to their advantage.

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