Promises and agreements are made while words twist and develop into a paradox of vast proportions. When people speak, others listen, and they hope with sincere faith that the words given to them ring true. It is the hope for honesty that creates a bond between individuals. Not one person is always honest and with lack of honesty can come a claim of hypocrisy. Being hypocritical is a part of humanity’s nature, because imperfection is as well. The past gives indisputable evidence of that, but so do the present failings of humans. Two authors, Flannery O’Connor who writes “Good Country People” and Gabriel Garcia Marquez who writes “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings: A Tale for Children,” write about the reality of hypocrisy in their short stories. Literature is often used to present themes that are universal and hold weight to those taking in every word. The hypocrisy presented in the stories “Good Country People” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings: A Tale for Children” illustrates the inevitable imperfection of fallen humanity through O’Connor’s use of deceiving characters and Marquez’s creation of insincerity in one of his: Father Gonzaga.
Set in the 1960s, the short story “Good Country People” follows the interaction of characters living in rural land. One of those characters, Mrs. Hopewell, interacts with others in a way that proves humanity’s hypocrisy. O’Connor uses both narration and dialogue to reveal this reality. At the beginning of the story, when the reader is getting to know the characters, O’Connor writes that Mrs. Hopewell is without bad qualities, but “she never felt the lack” (510). Mrs. Hopewell goes on to disprove her belief about herself when it is revealed that “She realized that nothing is perfect” (510). Her realization is in direct contradiction to what she truly believes about herself. O’Connor writes this contradiction in a way that portrays extreme irony, but it also illustrates hypocrisy. Mrs. Hopewell believes she is perfect but goes on to pretend that she believes no one is.
Later on in the story, Mrs. Hopewell tells a Bible Salesman that a part of life includes many different kinds of people (514), while she also notes to herself that her daughter, Joy, is growing “less like other people and more like herself” (512). Throughout the story, Mrs. Hopewell criticizes Joy and deep down wishes she were different, but at the same time she tells both her servant, Mrs. Freeman, and the Bible Salesman that she believes in the importance of the world being full of unique individuals. Not only is it hypocritical, because of its contradiction, but it is also deceiving. The Bible Salesman is just as deceiving, but the readers do not see that until the end of the story.
When the Bible Salesman comes to the door, he tries to convince Mrs. Hopewell to buy a Bible. He points out that she lacks one in her parlor and that “‘the word of God ought to be in the parlor’” (514). Based on the Bible Salesman’s title and words, it is safe to assume that Mrs. Hopewell and Joy believe he is a Christian. At the end of “Good Country People,” the Bible Salesman turns out to be a con artist and manipulates Joy to steal from her (522). O’Connor uses the surprising plot twist to demonstrate the Bible Salesman’s hypocrisy –he says he is a Christian and then acts in contradiction to that claim. Something to note about the Bible Salesman and Mrs. Hopewell’s hypocrisy is the deception embedded within it.
Deception is like an assassin trying to hide his face away. He wears a mask and dances in the shadows both the sun and moon create. No one sees or hears deception coming. Like an illusion, people are tricked into seeing something else. O’Connor’s two hypocritical characters use the shadows of words to deceive others into seeing them in a light that is different than who they are. The Bible Salesman is purposeful in his deception, but maybe Mrs. Hopewell does not realize her hypocrisy. Either way, both characters portray hypocrisy in “Good Country People” and in turn show the imperfection of humanity.
An author, John F. McCarthy, who writes an article titled “Human Intelligence Versus Divine Truth: The Intellectual in Flannery O’Connor’s Works” discusses the reality of imperfection amongst humanity. McCarthy writes specifically about the characters in O’Connor’s literature that do not believe in God. These characters are named “Intellectuals” and O’Connor “Shows each of them failing…and [having] committed the most heinous of sins –intellectual pride” (McCarthy 1144). Although McCarthy is only discussing the characters that do not believe in God, he draws on a point that applies to all of O’Connor’s characters: humans are not perfect on their own. Even a character like Mrs. Hopewell, who supposedly believes in God, is hypocritical throughout “Good Country People.” The Lord states this reality of humanity when He says, “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not” (Eccl. 7.20). It is ignorant to assume any human is perfect. Flannery O’Connor recognizes the imperfection of humanity and decides to display it by creating hypocritical characters. The author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, does the same in his short story.
One character in “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings: A Tale for Children” is hypocritical in not his actions, but rather the lack thereof. The character is a priest called Father Gonzaga. Marquez writes in the story that a strange man with wings shows up on the lawn of a family’s courtyard (428). Throughout the story, many characters try to figure out who this strange creature is or what it is. At one point, the man with wings is put in a hen house that acts like a cage. People from all over the neighborhood come to see him (429). Father Gonzaga is one of those individuals who is eager to observe and assess, but hypocrisy comes into play when Father Gonzaga does nothing to help the creature who is being tortured by the owners of the house (429). As a Christian priest, one would expect Father Gonzaga to be sincere in his faith and take action to stop the torturing. Afterall, the Bible says, “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6.31). Father Gonzaga, being a Christian, would hold true to that verse. Since he is human though, he cannot help but make mistakes. Failures and mistakes are a part of life, but they do not have to leave humanity in despair. It is the reality of imperfection like hypocrisy that reveal to humans their need for a savior; their need for the only One who can wipe all imperfection away: Jesus Christ.
Readers may look at characters like Mrs. Hopewell, the Bible Salesman, and Father Gonzaga, with a critical perspective, but even that would be a form of hypocrisy. The importance of identifying and acknowledging hypocrisy cannot be overstated. Flannery O’Connor and Gabriel Garcia Marquez write intricate stories on human failings by demonstrating the universal theme of hypocrisy in their characters. Imperfect characters exist in almost all stories because readers can relate to them and reading literature is to experience universal themes that allows anyone to connect. If truth is the one who tries to hide in the darkness, then writers are the sun to dispel the shadows.
Works Cited
The Holy Bible. Edited by Thomas Nelson. King James Version, 2018.
Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings: A Tale for Children.” 1968. The Norton Introduction to Literature, edited by Kelly J. Mays, shorter 14th ed., Norton, 2022, pp. 428-32.
McCarthy, John F. “Human Intelligence Versus Divine Truth: The Intellectual in Flannery O’Connor’s Works.” The English Journal, vol. 55, no. 3, Dec. 1966, pp. 1143-48. JSTOR, doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/812300.
O’Connor, Flannery. “Good Country People.” 1955. The Norton Introduction to Literature, edited by Kelly J. Mays, shorter 14th ed., Norton, 2022, pp. 509-22.
Emma Richie is a freshman from Goshen, Kentucky. Currently, she is pursuing a BA in Secondary English Education with a certification in Middle School English. She also has a passion for creative writing but has a goal of getting a master’s in library media science to become a school librarian. Her winning essay titled, “Truth that Hides in the Darkness,” analyzes hypocrisy in short stores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Flannery O’Connor.
Pensworth 