SYMBOLISM IN "GOOD COUNTRY PEOPLE"
Symbolism plays a major role in Flannery O'Connor's story, Good Country People.
Multiple objects that are presented in the story appear initially to be merely props, but
the reader later discovers these 'props' to actually be extremely important and
necessary to the dynamics of the story. These props, or objects, symbolically
represent the personalities of the characters who possess and/or use them.
One such object in the story is the wooden leg of Hulga. When the wooden leg is
introduced into the story, the reader is compelled to feel sympathy and pity for Hulga
due to the circumstances necessitating the wooden leg. It is mentioned briefly, with
little description, that the leg was "literally blown off" in a hunting accident. This
sounds terrible, and is tragic, but what is even more tragic is the way Hulga uses the
wooden leg as a tool for manipulating situations to suit her. An example of this is
when she stomps through the house, deliberately making a loud "ugly-sounding"
noise. Hulga's physical disability, and use of the wooden leg, symbolizes her as a
whole. More specifically, the leg is strong yet weak at the same time, as Hulga
appears strong to others, but in reality is vulnerable. The leg is strong, not only
because of the obvious fact- it is made from wood, but because it provides Hulga with
support, or in other words, a crutch. At the same time, however, it is weak because if
removed, it would simply be nothing more than a piece of wood. And, in fact, the
wooden leg does eventually prove its weakness in the story. In one second, the
wooden leg goes from being a leg, a fundamental means of support, to nothing except
a piece of wood. At the same moment the leg is removed, Hulga herself goes from
being a strong personality, to a cripple begging for mercy....