Good Country People

Good Country People: Short story by Flannery O'Connor In this story by Flannery O’Connor a condescending, highly educated woman who lost a leg in a childhood accident learns a potentially life-changing lesson when she tries to seduce a young bible salesman claiming to have come from a good country family. A message of the story is the danger of judging people by superficial factors such as where they come from, education level and socioeconomic status. Ironically, despite considering themselves “Good Country People”, none of the main characters match the implied qualities of that description. Themes include identity, faith, stereotyping, hypocrisy, disability, appearance vs. reality, naivety, deception.

Good Country People Text / PDF (8,150 words)

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Tags: O'Connor (Flannery)

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Quick Read: under 5 minutes
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Novella: 1.5 to 2.5 hours

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