A Journey Through the Subconscious of Hulga Hopewell in “Good Country People”

A healthy mother-daughter relationship grows out of love, mutual respect, and quality time; but what causes a mother-daughter relationship to whither? In “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor, Hulga and her mother Mrs. Hopewell live together with Mrs. Freeman. Hulga, who earned her PhD in Philosophy, fails to see eye to eye with her uneducated mother. Hulga and her mother agree on almost nothing, putting strain on their relationship. Hulga pridefully believes she is intellectually superior to her mother and those around her. Both Hulga and her mother fail to see the world outside themselves; both characters cannot see past their own self- centered attitudes and do not even try to see life from one another’s perspectives. After a tragic hunting accident that causes Hulga to lose a leg, she attempts to navigate her altered life and heal from the psychological trauma. A study of the subconscious, psychological effects of Hulga’s chronic disability reveal an inability to adjust to reality and heal emotionally; Mrs. Hopewell enables her daughter’s cycle of self-sabotage.

One of the psychological effects of Hulga’s disability reveals itself in her struggle to understand and accept her new identity. Not only does Hulga loose her leg in the accident, but she also loses part of her sense of selfhood, changing her life in a drastic way. Evangelia Psarra and George Kleftaras, authors for The European Journal of Counselling Psychology, state, “More specifically, an individual with an acquired physical disability experiences the loss of many components of his/her identity: loss of independence, body integrity and mobility, loss of pre-existent roles, regarding his/her job and his/her social relationships resulting in a total functional discount” (79). Hulga’s former identity becomes a crippled imitation of her wounded body; Hulga must now rediscover and rebuilt her identity considering this challenge.

Hulga’s disability effects every aspect of her life, and she must come to terms with her new reality. Psarra and Kleftaras continue, “The onset of a chronic illness or disability typically triggers a chain of psychological reactions, which correspond to eight phases of responses to physical disability… Shock, Anxiety, Denial, Depression, Internalized anger, Externalized anger include the initial stages” (80). Psarra and Kleftaras describe an individual’s psychological reactions to a newly acquired physical disability; they will experience shock, anxiety, denial, depression, internalized anger, and externalized anger. Many of these responses can be seen in Hulga, such as internalized and externalized anger. Hulga exists in a state of “constant outrage” that “had obliterated every expression from her face” (O’Connor 273). Hulga suppresses her emotions in fear of weakness, which causes psychological distress released only through anger. Her uncontrollable anger represents frustration with her crippled identity. Harmony Hanson, author for Research Gate, states, “It is Hulga’s separation of spirit from self that is her tragic flaw… Hulga’s wooden leg operates as a symbolic replacement for her spirituality as well as the prop for her identity” (1175). Hulga defines her new sense of self by her disability; she allows her disability to steal her faith, purpose, and joy in life. Hulga fails to complete the final stages to adapt to her disability, “Acknowledgement” and “Adjustment” (Psarra and Kleftaras 80), sinking into the despair of denial. Instead of gaining new confidence and fulfillment in life by adapting to her disability, she allows her disability to stunt her psychological and spiritual growth.

There are multiple reasons why Hulga struggles to adapt to her disability; for example, she now faces marginalization within a society that views her as a “Other.” The “physical and social barriers” (Galer 20) she confronts seem overwhelming and insurmountable. What one does with his or her body can be described as a social, community affair. Dan Goodley and his colleagues, authors for the Culture – Theory – Disability: Encounters between Disability Studies and Cultural Studies journal, explain, “A ‘carnal sociology’ has emerged, theorizing the body as the place where self and society interact” (85). What one does with his or her body is a social affair because it is the place where a person interacts with his community; the body is open to public view and interpretation. Unfortunately, disabled people were often viewed as a burden during the early to mid-twentieth century. Goodley continues, “A key site of the oppression of disabled people pertains to those moments when they are judged to fail to match up to the ideal individual” (91). Hulga’s society labels her as a burden because her body does not match up to the ideal individual. Hulga lost her societal status because of her disability; her marginalization dethrones her from her formerly privileged position as white, educated, and the daughter of a landowner. However, Hulga embraces societal rejection. Hanson explains, “Hulga, self-isolated and morally empty, projects ugliness onto herself and out to the world in response to a society that has projected ugliness onto her because of her disability” (1174). Hulga chooses to define herself by the ugliness and worthlessness society has labeled her with, embracing the loss of her former life.

Hulga’s marginalization comes from two different sides: her disability and her gender. Society’s gender roles and expectations for femininity hinder adaption to her new identity as disabled even further; she struggles to find meaning and purpose as both disabled and a woman. Before her accident, Hulga’s purpose in life was already spelled out for her by the strict gender roles in early twentieth century American society. Even though her vocational choices and rights as a woman were slim before her accident, her disability alienates her even further from a place in society. Hanson states, “Hulga Hopewell embodies a deformed femininity that sets her apart from the feminine ideal in overt fashion. She is described as ‘large,’ ‘hulking,’ ‘square, rigid-shouldered,’ ‘poor, stout,’ ‘bloated, rude, and squint-eyed,’ and ‘blank and solid and silent’” (1174). Hulga falls short of the feminine ideal of beauty and her role as a woman in American society. She never marries and never has children, considered a useless old spinster to many of her time, even though she is only thirty-two.

Hulga, in her anger towards a society that has alienated her, embraces the stereotypes of ugliness and uselessness; Hulga resists patriarchal control through nonconformance to gender norms. Monica Carol Miller, author for The Mississippi Quarterly, states, “Stories of women who choose ugliness highlight the ways in which the imperative for southern women to fit into narrow parameters of beauty results in a desire and drive to “be ugly”—both in appearance and in behavior…women who make themselves ugly… rebel against the rigid requirements of femininity, marriage, and motherhood” (453). By desiring to “be ugly,” Hulga disregards the strict standards for beauty and propriety within her society, refusing to fit the mold. Hulga chooses the ugly name Hulga for herself instead of her original feminine name “Joy”. “Good Country People” states, “Mrs. Hopewell was certain that she had thought and thought until she had hit upon the ugliest name in any language” (274). Hulga challenges the parameters for feminine beauty through the deliberate choice of an ugly name. She also chooses to act with ugly manners. “Good Country People” states, “When Hulga stomped into the kitchen in the morning (she could walk without making the awful noise but she made it- Mrs. Hopewell was certain -because it was ugly-sounding), she glanced at them and did not speak” (275). Hulga behaves rudely to her mother and Mrs. Freedom, stomping around purposely to disrupt their peace and quiet; her loud, disturbing entrance defies the ideal of the silent, submissive angel that women should aspire to achieve. Hulga embodies none of the feminine qualities valued in the ideal woman of her time, suppressing any tender emotion; in her stubborn, headstrong way, Hulga exacts revenge on the society that has estranged her for her disability.

Tension between Hulga and Mrs. Hopewell begin with Mrs. Hopewell’s lack of hope, ironically, for her daughter. Mrs. Hopewell believes her daughter cannot achieve the ideal lady with her artificial leg because she does not fit into the marriage economy. Hanson reveals, “Mrs. Hopewell… seems to hold hope in all things but her daughter: ‘It seemed to Mrs. Hopewell that every year [Hulga] grew less like other people and more like herself – bloated, rude, and squint-eyed.’ Mrs. Hopewell views her daughter as egotistical, self-important, and repulsive, with a narrow-minded understanding of the ‘good country people’ around her” (1175). Mrs. Hopewell mercilessly rejects her disabled daughter, viewing her as a hopeless, disgusting child who will never achieve anything of value in life. She has no respect for her daughter’s education, deeming her no more than an ignorant child. “Good Country People” states, “Here she went about all day in a six-year-old skirt and a yellow sweatshirt with a faded cowboy on a horse embossed on it. She thought this was funny; Mrs. Hopewell thought it was idiotic and showed simply that she was still a child. She was brilliant but she didn’t have a grain of sense” (276). Mrs. Hopewell studies her daughter with judgmental eyes, searching for flaws she wants to find. Mrs. Hopewell shows no hope for her daughter’s psychological healing, not even trying to help her daughter work through the trauma of watching her own leg get shot off.

Mrs. Hopewell views her daughter as a means to an end; her daughter has not lived up to the feminine ideal that she can brag to her friends about. She feels ashamed of her daughter, thinking to herself that there is no point in sharing with friends her daughter’s education in philosophy because it is a ridiculous field of study that is dead in the past anyways (O’Connor 276). Mrs. Hopewell selfishly wishes her daughter would live up to societal expectations of womanhood so she could feel proud and show off her success as a mother. Mrs. Hopewell “would think that if she would only keep herself up a little, she wouldn’t be so bad looking. There was nothing wrong with her face that a pleasant expression wouldn’t help” (O’Connor 275). Mrs. Hopewell criticizes her daughter’s appearance, wishing that her daughter would try to be pretty. What Mrs. Hopewell really wants is for Hulga to behave normally, according to the gender roles and expectations of society; if she wanted what was best for her daughter, she would fulfill the symbol of her name by hoping for what her daughter could be instead of wishing for what she was not.

Both family and society abandon Hulga to adapt to her disability on her own; as a result, she experiences insecurity in her new identity. Psarra and Kleftaras describe the psychosocial crisis many individuals with physical disabilities experience. They state, “Therefore, individuals with physical disabilities are often confronted with a new, threatening and stressful reality, leading possibly to a psychosocial crisis in their lives, due to the great changes they experience in somatic, psychological, socio-economic, vocational and psychological level” (79). After her accident, Hulga must face a new, stressful reality where every aspect of her life becomes warped. She must discover a new place, role, and purpose within society; if she cannot adapt to her present reality and find a new purpose in life, she will experience the negative effects of psychosocial crisis. She begins to accept that her life is meaningless because she cannot fulfill a role in society, and the only way to escape her feelings of inadequacy is to believe in nothing at all. She questions reality around her, wondering what purpose there was in humanity anyways. Psarra and Kleftaras explain this phenomenon, stating, “Traumatic events–such as physical disabilities–precipitate meaning crisis, raising questions regarding the purpose and meaning of life. Experiencing a life with a physical disability provides the individual opportunities not only to consider his/her attitude towards life but also to find meaning in this experience” (80). Traumatic events never leave victims the same as they were before; Hulga is struggling to adjust to life after her accident. Her new identity does not make sense to her, and no one comes around her, especially not her mom, to support her emotional healing process. She must navigate this road on her own, and she gets lost along the way.

In response to her emotional abandonment and rejection, Hulga begins to feel bitterness towards her mother; her isolation within her bitter thoughts leads her to lash out. Carolyn E. Z. Pickering and her colleagues, author for the Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, discuss the root of conflict within mother-daughter relationships. They state, “Thus, currently hostile interactions were rooted in daughters’ perceptions of childhood events” (361). Hulga’s hostility towards her mother stems from feelings of rejection because of her disability and emotional abandonment after the traumatic accident. Pickering and her colleagues continue, “Daughters wanted their mothers to validate their feeling of anger and resentment. Daughters experienced additional anger when their mothers would not acknowledge the role they had in creating the injustices… Daughters continually searched for validation from their mothers despite failed attempts” (367). Hulga needed her mother to validate her feelings of sadness, anger, and resentment towards her new disability after her accident. However, she was forced to work through these emotions on her own, as her mother had no hope for her future anymore. Her lack of validation let to a suppression of vulnerability, outbursts of anger, and resistance to authority figures. Pickering and her colleagues also explain, “Daughters entered every interaction with their mother expecting there would be a confrontation” (364). Hulga has emotionally distanced herself from her mother, putting up walls of a tough, emotionless exterior. She does not want her mother to know how wounded she is from her traumatic experience and emotional neglect; she does not want to risk vulnerability that could be used against her.

In an act to completely break from her mother, Hulga renames herself; however, her new name does not just symbolize a break from feminine ideals, but it also symbolizes a break from her mother’s traditional Christian “beliefs.” Hulga has determined her new identity as a rebel against her mother, society, and spirituality. Gavin Wride, author for Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism, explains, “Edmondson, in his book Return to Good & Evil, said of Hulga’s name that it was ‘the proud symbol of her own nihilistic creativity’” (32). Hulga’s new name symbolizes pride in her new nihilistic beliefs: the belief in a meaningless world. Wride continues, “If nothing mattered, she might as well have that ugliness reflected in her name” (32). Hulga perceives only ugliness in the world because she has yet to come to terms with her disability, creating resentment towards her present reality. Hulga wishes to reclaim power over her own life, and undermining her mother seemed like the best way to subvert the power-dynamic. Hanson explains, “Melita Schaum refers to this as ‘Hulga’s hubristic belief that she can remake and thereby ‘own’ herself in an originary way. By renaming and so ‘claiming’ herself as property, she executes a heretical parody of divine Creation’” (1175). She knew an effective way to undermine and enact revenge upon her mother would be the rejection of Christianity.

Hulga reclaims power over her life by symbolically creating herself through her new name, becoming her own God. Thomas F Haddox, author for the Women's Studies journal, states, “Even as she enjoys being able to wound her mother with the name, however, she ‘consider[s it] her personal affair’ and ‘would scowl and redden as if her privacy had been intruded upon’ when Mrs. Freeman begins calling her Hulga” ("Lingering” and “Incurable”). Hulga chooses to accept a nihilistic worldview and a rebirth of individuality all to wound her mother. Hulga, either consciously or subconsciously, seeks revenge for the emotional neglect she faced from her mother. She does not even care for the name Hulga; she only chooses to act out in response to her mother’s rejection. Perhaps she still hopes to receive the validation she desperately needed after her accident.

Nihilism gives Hulga a safe space to question the meaning and purpose of life that her mother was unable to provide after her accident. Nihilism also gives her a safe space to wrestle with the overwhelming feelings of loss that came with her disability. Psarra and Kleftaras state, “If an individual cannot integrate a negative event in the way of his/her life and eventually search for a new meaning in his/her life, it is possible that s/he will experience psychological distress or even worse existential vacuum, as his/her innate will for meaning has been frustrated” (81). Psarra and Kleftaras stress an individual’s need to integrate the negative event into his life, accepting the traumatic experience instead of living in denial or refusing to cope in healthy ways. Finding closure despite the traumatic experience and working out their process of emotions will lead to the end goal: acknowledgement and adaption. Psarra and Kleftaras continue, “Existential vacuum refers to a sense of meaninglessness or void in the individual’s existence, manifested primarily as boredom, frustration, distress or anxiety” (81). Emotional distress and existential vacuum are two psychological effects of an inability to heal after a traumatic experience. The existential vacuum refers to feelings of meaninglessness when the individual fails to discover new meaning in his or her life; Hulga reflects a perfect representation of existential crisis, and her unresolved, subconscious trauma influences her thoughts of nihilism.

Hulga’s existential crisis manifests itself in her nihilistic view and emotional detachment. Hulga’s emotional detachment can be most evidently observed during her kiss with the Manley Pointer, the Bible salesmen. “Good Country People” states, “Even before he released her, her mind, clear and detached and ironic anyway, was regarding him from a great distance, with amusement but with pity. She had never been kissed before and she was pleased to discover that it was an unexceptional experience” (286). Her mind, “clear” and “detached,” remains unaffected by the kiss. In this moment she refuses to show vulnerability, which would be normal in an intimate encounter. Even though she does allow a moment of vulnerability later, which Manley takes advantage of, she attempts to steal herself from any tender feelings of emotion. Wride explains, “Her nihilistic behavior and physical disabilities represent ‘her emotional detachment—an inability to love anyone or anything’ Because of these inhibitions, she keeps herself steeled against emotions and therefore free of the emotional manipulation” (30). Hulga’s fear of vulnerability, a psychological effect of her mother’s emotional abandonment and rejection, leads her to emotionally detach; this detachment acts as a defense mechanism, preventing her from facing her subconscious, unresolved trauma. Her subconscious has drawn a parallel between vulnerability and emotional distress; her inability to resolve and work through these negative emotions leads to self-sabotage in all her relationships and isolation.

Hopelessness is another psychological effect of her existential crisis. Hulga’s hopelessness, stemming from her nihilistic beliefs, can be seen when she states, “I’m one of those people who see through to nothing… We are all damned . . . but some of us have taken off our blindfolds and see that there is nothing to see. It’s a kind of salvation” (O’Connor 287-288). Her statement to Manley, an open expression of her nihilism, reveals hopeless feelings towards the world around her. She believes there is nothing behind the veil of reality, no spiritual significance, and life is therefore meaningless. Everyone is “damned” to a worthless life and nonexistence in death. She believes others, especially Christians, are blindfolded by their faith in God and life after death. Frederick Nietzsche, the famous philosopher associated with Nihilism, describes the freedom in abandoning faith and spirituality. Mattia Riccardi, author for the Journal of Nietzsche Studies, explains, “Though the ‘belief in the Christian God has become unbelievable’, Nietzsche claims that most of his contemporaries are still ruled by an ‘impetuous demand for certainty’ that makes them look for new articles of faith. It is against this foil that he characterizes the ‘free spirit’ as someone who ‘takes leave of all faith’” (267-268). Hulga believes she is a “free spirit” that has taken off the blindfold of spirituality and faith. While everyone else searches for certainty and meaning through faith, Hulga has freed herself from the need for meaning. She ultimately becomes her own God, achieving her own kind of salvation through hopelessness.

Hulga succeeds in her effort to resist the traditional Christian beliefs of her mom through nihilism; their power struggle causes a clash of cliches. Both mother and daughter compartmentalized others into societal boxes by speaking a dead language of cliches. Mrs. Hopewell cannot think apart from the folk expressions she constantly reiterates, grouping people into two categories: “good country people” or “white trash” (O’Connor). These platitudes and idle speech reduce complex characters into nothing more than a meaningless cliché; both mother and daughter believe they have discovered an absolute form of truth. Hulga, on the other hand, cannot think apart from the philosophical abstractions of nihilism. Wride explains, “The Hopewell family’s reliance on dialogical cliché derives from their desire to manipulate the world in which they live” (27). Both mother and daughter become rulers in their own minds, attempting to control the people around them and each other.

Hulga fights to usurp her mother, attempting to gain the upper hand in their power struggle to feel a sense of control over her own life; although she believes she has freedom within her nihilistic beliefs, her utilization of the same cliches as Mrs. Hopewell leave her entrapped within her mother’s simplistic values. For example, Mrs. Hopewell repeats the same conversations with Mrs. Freeman; every morning they would first discuss the weather report, then Mrs. Freedman’s daughters, and moving on to how many times her pregnant daughter had vomited since the last report (O’Connor 272). Wride discusses Mrs. Hopewell’s repeated conversations, stating, “She spews platitudes and clichés like ‘nothing is perfect,’ ‘that is life!’ ‘everybody is different,’ and ‘well other people have their opinions too’” (Wride 29). Her mindless cliches, simple language, and shallow thoughts manifest themselves in daily repetition; Mrs. Freeman gives her the freedom, ironically, to continue this stagnant cycle of dead language. Hulga was “used to this kind of dialogue for breakfast and more of it for dinner” (O’Connor 273). Hulga has been subjected to her mother’s ignorant fantasies, subconsciously internalizing the values she sought to break free from. Haddox illuminates this phenomenon, stating, “Joy-Hulga seeks to triumph over her mother while usually remaining within the boundaries (and trying to exploit the potential) of their repeated conversations” (“’Lingering’ and ‘Incurable’”). Hulga acquiesces to the daily routines and conversation between Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman, unable to break free completely from her mother’s boundaries of control.

Everything Hulga did to break free from her mother’s dominating force was a reaction; Hulga’s motivation to drastically oppose expectations placed on her was inspired by her mother. Her entire identity formulation occurred because of her mother’s influence. Haddox explains, “Hulga is ‘directed and affected’ by her mother, in that her efforts to become Hulga are wholly reactive” (“’Lingering’ and ‘Incurable’”). Hulga feels the need to change her name in reaction to her mother’s domination over her life. Although Hulga feels she has gained power over her mother by changing her name and rejecting Christianity, her sense of control is simply an illusion. Haddock says, “Yet, so long as there is some illusion of human ‘pliableness’ in the content of the exchanges, so too is there the illusion of the characters’ freedom – and, therefore, of the possibility of the repetition becoming slightly different” (“’Lingering’ and ‘Incurable’”). Hulga may incorporate changes within the everyday conversations, but she is only creating a slight difference in their repeated structure. Hulga’s control and independence is nothing more than an illusion, and she never achieves the freedom of thought she worked towards. Hulga, unwittingly, has become the blind, ignorant fool she projects onto others.

Hulga’s illusion of control and independence disappears, revealing a revelation of truth when Manley tricks her. Hulga tries to dominate Manley by seducing him, stealing his innocence, and converting him to her nihilist beliefs; she feels the need to dominate and control Manley because she subconsciously feels trapped in her disabled body. Wride states, “In an attempt at rebellion against her mother and Christianity, Hulga endeavors to seduce a Bible salesman who ends up subverting the Hopewell family’s judgments by expressing his own nihilistic beliefs, thus flipping Hulga’s worldview upside down” (28). Manley fools Hulga by behaving like “good country people,” and she takes the bait by believing he is the innocent, morally grounded Bible salesman he claims to be. However, when she shows a moment of vulnerability during their intimate encounter, he reveals his ulterior motives. He steals her glasses and artificial leg, leaving her helpless. The subconscious, internalized values of her mother are revealed to her; Manley forces her to look into the mirror, recognizing she was never free from her mother’s influence. She has been ruled all along by the same senseless cliches as her mother, believing in “good country people” and “white trash.” Manley proves to be a nihilist himself, and Hulga’s underlying mental framework of cliches topples to the ground.

This journey through Hulga’s subconscious and the psychological effects of her chronic disability reveal her failure to adapt to reality and heal emotionally; Mrs. Hopewell fuels her daughter’s cycle of self-sabotage. Mrs. Hopewell prevents her daughter from gaining confidence in her new identity by rejecting her because of her flawed form. Hulga will never live up to her mom’s ideal image of a proper lady because of her disability. Mrs. Hopewell has entrapped Hulga in a state of childhood where she can never live up to the socially acceptable woman; Hulga will never receive the validation she needs from her mother to heal her emotional trauma because her mother has lost all hope in her. Hulga attempts to enact revenge upon her mother by changing her name and rejecting Christianity for Nihilism. She attempts to relive her tragic accident through Manley by stealing a part of him by taking his innocence. In converting Manley to Nihilism, she is reenacting her own emotional trauma in an attempt at closure. Perhaps if Manley understands her pain of loss and rejection, she will gain the validation she desperately needs. Manley thwarts her psychopathological desire by subverting the basic structure of her worldview: her mother’s dead language of cliches. However, Hulga’s revelation through Manley gives her the opportunity for grace, redemption, and hope that her mother never receives.

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