Hypocritical Christians—Lily Caswell

Ok, so something that struck a chord within me was “Manley Pointer” within Good Country People. I think we can all agree about the fact that he, on a scale of Joffrey from Game of Thrones to Dolores from Harry Potter, Manley is Jack the Ripper. He is so good at saying all the right things, but at the end of the day, he’s just a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He says when he is introduced that “for a Chrustrian, the word of God ought to be in every room in the house besides in his heart. I know you’re a Chrustian because I can see it in every line of your face.” (p 278) Then, after being invited to supper, he is described as “so sincere, so genuine and earnest that Mrs. Hopewell would not for the world have smiled.” (p 280) But then we all know what happens shortly after that; a very icky situation in the loft of a barn that results in Joy’s (Hulga) artificial leg being taken from her. Before he leaves, he tells her that “One time I got a woman’s glass eye this way. And you needn’t to think you’ll catch me because Pointer ain’t really my name. I use a different name at every house I call at and don’t stay nowhere long… I been believing in nothing ever since I was born!” (p 291)

I am sure that we have known at least one person like this in our lives; they say they’re one thing then turn out to be the exact opposite. I’m currently dealing with a situation that I think that I just was in denial about because I didn’t want to admit that it was not good for me to be involved. And a lot of times, when things like this happen, it seems that more often than not, it’s a “Christian” that we realize is being either hypocritical or just a plain hypocrite. 


I commented on Emory’s and Emma Landry’s posts.

Comments

  1. Emory CooperMarch 29, 2022 at 9:18 AM

    Good insight, Lily; I see your meaning. One reason Joy--Hulga didn't see through the hypocrisy may have been the emotional bond she felt between her and Pointer. Otherwise, it should have been apparent that Pointer was acting "out of character" when he did what he did with her; Christians as a rule do not act like that. As the saying goes, "love blinds." Good post!

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  2. Braylan StringfellowMarch 29, 2022 at 9:20 AM

    The way he acts is spot on to how a lot of fake Christians act. They act so genuine on the surface and they know all the right things to say. But once you get them alone, then their true self shines through. When someone sees what a fake Christian truly is, it can and will turn them away from ever wanting to be a Christian.

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