Character Clues

Character Analysis

Names

There are books and stories where names don't tell much, and then there are stories like "Good Country People" where they speak volumes about characters. Not sure what we're talking about? Check this out:

And you needn't to think you'll catch me because Manley Pointer ain't my really my name. I use a different name at every house I call at and don't stay nowhere long. (142)

Oh really, Manley? That's not your real name? We kind of guessed it was made up. It sounds too fictional for even a fictional character. But Manley's all about fictions—okay, lies, really—so it's only fitting that his name would be invented, too.

As for Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman, we discuss their names in their analyses over in the "Characters" section. And as for Hulga, read up on Hephaestus in "Symbols" for the lowdown on what her moniker tells us.

Clothing

Manley wears "a bright blue suit and yellow socks that were not pulled up far enough" (22). This clear, colorful language creates a vivid image in our minds. That Manley's colors are "bright" might suggest that he himself is bright, as in intelligent, and also that he's bold and audacious—both of these points are lost on Hulga until it's too late, though his clothing alludes to them instantly.

Hulga's outfits are the best though. She's a total fashion maniac in "six-year-old skirt and a yellow sweat shirt with a faded cowboy on a horse embossed in it" (18). And according to her mother, this outfit shows that Hulga is still a child. There are other indications that Hulga dresses the way she does to irritate her mother, and also just to go against the norm, and this paints her as rebellious, and also a little immature. Or perhaps it paints her as out of place and out of time.

As much as we like the cowboy sweatshirt, we just can't endorse her first date outfit of "slacks and a dirty white shirt" (91). It isn't clear whether Hulga dresses this way because she (1) doesn't want Manley to think she wants to impress him, (2) just doesn't know any better, or (3) because she wants to see if she can seduce him in spite of her outfit. But dress down for the occasion she most certainly does.

We get the idea that Mrs. Hopewell is very much the anti-Hulga in terms of fashion, even though the only piece of her clothing specifically described is the "red kimono" she wears at breakfast. Still, from her judgments on Hulga's clothing, we get the idea that she's significantly more pulled together than her daughter. A kimono is a traditional Japanese garment, and perhaps suggests that Mrs. Hopewell is interested in being a little unusual, or exotic, even at breakfast. Sounds like she and Hulga have that in common, even though they express it in very different ways.

We've talked about everyone but Mrs. Freeman. And guess what? We don't run across any descriptions of her clothing. Just like we don't ever see inside her home. Or hop into her perspective. Mrs. Freeman is an employee, and relegated to second-class status at every turn, even when it comes to describing her clothes.

Speech and Dialogue

The dialogue in "Good Country People" is rich and idiomatic, and reading it aloud is quite a treat. For our purposes here, though, what we're interested in is how it reveals character. So let's dig in.

Hulga is a tough talker, and rather rude—as she is, so she speaks. To this end, does things like tells her mother, "Get rid of the salt of the earth […] and let's eat" (42), and also busts out gems like "We are all damned […] but some of us have taken off our blindfolds and see that there's nothing to see" (117). Hulga's lines often reveal that she is selfish, rude, and not afraid to say what she thinks or feels at the time. She also sounds really annoying to hang out with, because she uses her negative vision of life to bring others down, while holding herself up as superior.

Mrs. Hopewell's platitudes are one thing most readers remember about this story, and it's totally fair to say that her sayings show how shallow she is. There is something to this, but aren't we all guilty of falling back on similar sayings in our own lives? We might do it when the cat catches our tongue, or when we're in over our heads in conversation, or during some other moment we could totally bust out a cliché about. Mrs. Hopewell's crowning moment comes after Manley tells her he's "good country people" (36):

"Why! good country people are the salt of the earth! Besides, we all have different ways of doing, it takes all kinds to make the world go 'round. That's life!" (37)

This is about five sayings rolled into one, reflecting the complexity of her emotions at this moment. She probably feels embarrassed because she was being rude to him by insinuating that he's a cheap salesman; it seems like she's trying to cover it over with her insistence that despite their differences, they're both important in the world. Her almost frantic stream of platitudes reveals at once that she is easily manipulated (if you know the magic words), and that she's a little softer and deeper than might at first be apparent.

While Mrs. Hopewell is the star of this kind of thing, the other characters are battling her for the title. They are all (including Hulga) prone to platitudes, just like real people. Consider this speech from Manley:

"I hope you don't think […] that I believe in that crap! I may sell Bibles but I know which end is up and I wasn't born yesterday and I know where I'm going" (140).

He almost meets Mrs. Hopewell's level, but not quite. Her quote has a polish, a finesse, that Manley might acquire with age and practice if he's fortunate. Still, the roughness of his speech makes it almost sound like he is saying something fresh and original, while summing up the way he thinks about the world, and why he does what he does for a living. It also reveals a certain amount of confusion: He implies that he's going to hell for being a bad man, which belies his claim that he believes in nothing.

Our favorite, though, is when Mrs. Freeman speaks. As with Manley, we are denied her inner thoughts, which lends to the mystery behinds statements like what she tells Mrs. Hopewell about Manley:

"I seen him walk up […] and then later—I seen him walk off." (69)

This, and other statements by Mrs. Freeman, suggests a reluctance to commit. With her employer, she knows it's better to walk along the fence rather than take a stand on either side. With this tactic she can keep up the role she imagines for herself as Hulga's conspirator without irking her boss—or, alternately, she could be trying to intentionally irk her boss by being vague, but does so in a way that can't be considered directly antagonistic or disrespectful. Either way, one point for Mrs. Freeman.