Flannery O'Connor's short story "The Good Country People" mocks modern philosophy and those who follow it by suggesting that those who turn away from God will be taught, in one way or another, that God is real. The story, set in the South, follows a girl who favors modern philosophy and how she is brought down by what appears to be the divinity of God through the characters presented in the story. O'Connor's beliefs on Christianity and modern philosophy are revealed.Say No to PlagiarismGet a Custom Essay on 'Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned'?Get the Original EssayAt the Beginning of the Story , Hulga is introduced as a character. arrogant girl who believes in nothingness. She has a doctorate in philosophy and considers herself better than the people around her. The narrator describes her through the eyes of her mother, Mrs. Hopewell: “She was brilliant but she didn't have any. a grain of common sense. It seemed to Mrs. Hopewell that every year she was becoming less like the others and more like herself – bloated, crude, and sleazy” (1343). Hulga believes in existentialism and philosophy, which is an exercise in denying God, and she is proud and arrogant to believe that she knows more than her mother or any other peasant, because she does not follow God. Flannery O'Connor, having a traditional conception of God, represents all those who believe in modern philosophy through Hulga, and she makes Hulga appear to be a horrible person. Hulga's birth name is Joy, but she chooses not to use it. The narrator says, “Her name was actually Joy, but as soon as she was twenty-one and away from home, she had it legally changed. Mrs. Hopewell was sure she had thought and thought until she came up with the ugliest name in any language…. Her legal name was Hulga” (1342). This is significant because Hulga was given a beautiful name by her mother, who is of the Christian faith. But when Hulga gets involved and becomes interested in philosophy and the nothingness of the world, she changes her name to something ugly. Her name was chosen by herself, representing denial of God and acceptance of something ugly. Hulga, a philosopher who believes in nothingness, represents how Flannery O'Connor viewed those who turned away from God. Over the course of the story, a Bible salesman, Manley Pointer, finds his way into Hulga's life. Hulga, arrogant and full of pride, believes she can show Manley the absolute truth, or at least the one she believes in. When Manly invites her to a picnic, she accepts because she believes she can turn him away from God. Hulga keeps making it very clear that she doesn't believe in God throughout their relationship. Hulga, when asked if she was not saved by God, replies: "'I am saved and you are damned but I told you that I do not believe in God'" (1350). Nothing seemed to destroy Hulga's confidence in her rejection of God. Eventually, near the end of the story, it is revealed that Manley is not a Bible salesman but a fraudster who steals from people. When he takes Hulga's fake leg, she shouts at him that perfect Christians like him don't do such things. He responds by telling her that he was never a Christian; “Since I was born, I don’t believe in anything! » (1353). Manley was God's deliverer. He was there to slap Hulga, to show her that only people who arrogantly deny God like her end up suffering. When Manley leaves after stealing Hulga's leg, she looks from where it is stuck; "When she turned her tormented face toward the opening, she saw his blue figure struggling with.