"Good Country People" is a story about a young woman and her family and the things in life that define them. Though her family is not very traditional with just her mother and an old maid, that's exactly what they represent: tradition and the old way of life. They are the "good country people" in the title. The daughter, however, represents the new and upcoming ways of the world and is a true killjoy (yes, it's true, the fact that she changed her name from Joy to Hulga is no coincidence). The unappealing Hulga claims to have faith in absolutely nothing. The idea of nothingness is hard for anyone to accept, but that is how she is defining herself. Being that nothingness is so hard to accept as a person and as a reader, we are forced to realize that maybe there is a deeper meaning behind Hulga that we are not quite understanding. Hulga has a fake leg, which she also defines herself by. It is what some may call her "prized possession." Instead of letting herself be judged negatively by her shortcoming, she puts all her pride and... faith into it. She believes in something. Though by her standard, she puts forth that her disability is "nothing." Interesting? I'd say so. Therefore, I'd like to dive into some more symbolism in Good Country People and some of the common meanings of the symbols recurring in literature.
- White - Before Hulga goes off into the barn with Manley Pointer, she's wearing white. When she finally runs off with him, she's wearing white again, but this time O'Connor makes a point to say that her shirt is stained. White is the most common color referred to when talking of purity and innocence, both of which she is prepared to lose as she crosses the gate with Mr. Pointer. Even if she tries to play off that she doesn't care too much about these things, she still partly possesses them.
- The Gate - The gate, in conjunction, represents the fencing in of the good country people from the outside world -- a world where the deceptive Mr. Pointer came from and lures Hulga into. When she decides to cross the gate with him is when she truly lost herself before she lost the physical part of her that she recognized. In literature, gates often symbolize "entrances into new worlds, a new life, or a protecting/guarding aspect."
- Mrs. Hopewell - She is just as her name suggests: she hopes in a well manner, a positive manner. She is the source of "willful blindness" to the imperfections of life. In the story, on more than one occasion, when forced to acknowledge the unpleasantness of her daughter, she responds: "nothing is perfect," and continues on her cheerful way. She is the literal meaning of "ignorance is bliss," especially in the way of her daughter, who she accepts is going through a phase with this outside world nonsense and says is "still a child."
(From Big Sur) Chapter 12, 13, and 14 - Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac lived in the time of train hopping, poetry, extraordinary things, sexual revolution, and most importantly, the "Beat" movement. It was a time of free souls seeking to stop being degraded by the "Man" and finding a deeper meaning to life. It's quite liberating to read just how... well, free, these kids lived, in my opinion. There have been many times in my life where I have wished to have no priorities, no needs, and no obligations. What I wouldn't have given to be able to pick up and move to the coast and start all over some times. Still, I see where there would be problems to come with that. To be a train-hopper included the loneliness of a constant drifter and the worry and fear of not knowing if you will have a job in the morning when you wake up. Still, to think that teenagers (and many others) lived in a time where this rebellion and free-spiritedness was rather commonplace, I can say that I am a bit jealous. With this inconsistent lifestyle that was a continuous gamble of on-the-move and alcohol, it is easy to see how the movement of "problems" came about. When I say problems, I mean conditions such as a rise of outcasts, depressed people, and PTSD from the homecoming soldiers. As a Psychology major, this is something I am particularly interested in.
The culture was based around accepting that not everyone was equal and not all was well, so people began to realize the things that made them different, especially the things that qualified as not the same as everyone else or necessarily good. They recognized the oppression of being lower class and of the personal consequences of choosing to be a drifter and sometimes unemployed. They dealt with very real things like depression, something people weren't used to being prevalent because they never recognized personal problems, especially mental, as being a real possibility. Now, depression is a problem that is very prevalent in today's society. Here are some statistics:
- An estimated 1 in 10 U.S. adults report having depression.
- Persons with less than a high school education are more likely to be depressed.
- Persons aged 18-24 are among the highest affected.
- Americans share 30-36% of the estimated 121 million people who suffer.
- States with higher depression rates have these common health factors: Obesity, heart disease, stroke, sleep disorders, lack of education, and lack of medical insurance.
All of the above can definitely point to many supporters and participators of the Beat movement. Interesting? Again, I'd say so.
The Starry Night, Sylvia's Death, and Little Girl, My String Bean, My Lovely Woman - Anne Sexton
In Anne Sexton's poetry, it is easy to see inside a mind that suffers from mental pain, such as the depression mentioned above. Sexton tends toward traditional love elements of poetry but takes a dark turn on the sorrowful endings of it. Her poems most spoke to me because of this unconventional stance on life. She was willing to delve deep into the things many people want to turn a cheek to. Like my previous blog where I stated the macabre often lures people in, the same is true here. Many people like/are attracted to Sexton's work because of her brash and truthful representation of sadness and grief, even in her undertones. I think I am more attracted to it because it is something I understand. It is what I want to study more of in my lifetime. People who have this kind of pain are most often the deepest, most beautifully expressive minds of the world. It's my hope to work with people like Anne Sexton, who committed suicide after suffering from severe depression almost her entire life. It is my view that if someone could have picked up on the issues with her mental health in the time period, they might have been able to save her. Below, I will add some signs of depression so maybe you can help your loved ones or anyone in your life that may be enduring this kind of pain. Don't let people suffer in silence.
In Anne Sexton's poetry, it is easy to see inside a mind that suffers from mental pain, such as the depression mentioned above. Sexton tends toward traditional love elements of poetry but takes a dark turn on the sorrowful endings of it. Her poems most spoke to me because of this unconventional stance on life. She was willing to delve deep into the things many people want to turn a cheek to. Like my previous blog where I stated the macabre often lures people in, the same is true here. Many people like/are attracted to Sexton's work because of her brash and truthful representation of sadness and grief, even in her undertones. I think I am more attracted to it because it is something I understand. It is what I want to study more of in my lifetime. People who have this kind of pain are most often the deepest, most beautifully expressive minds of the world. It's my hope to work with people like Anne Sexton, who committed suicide after suffering from severe depression almost her entire life. It is my view that if someone could have picked up on the issues with her mental health in the time period, they might have been able to save her. Below, I will add some signs of depression so maybe you can help your loved ones or anyone in your life that may be enduring this kind of pain. Don't let people suffer in silence.
- I feel sad.
- I feel like crying a lot.
- I'm bored.
- I feel alone.
- I don't really feel sad, just "empty."
- I don't have confidence in myself.
- I don't like myself.
- I feel guilty.
- I can't concentrate.
- I'm so tired, no matter how much I sleep.
- I feel life isn't worth living.
- I feel ugly.
- I feel self-conscious.
- I feel my life has no direction.
- I don't have fun anymore.
- My appetite has increased - I could eat all the time.
- I'm clumsy.
- I don't want to go out with friends anymore.
- I feel "different" from everyone else.
Note from the website: It's normal to feel some of the following symptoms from time to time, but experiencing several or more for more than two or three weeks may indicate the presence of depression or another depressive illness. Remember, you must seek a professional for an accurate diagnosis of depression. This checklist is provided only as a tool to help you talk with your doctor or treatment provider about your concerns and develop an action plan for successful recovery.
Rip Rap, August on Sourdough, A Visit from Dick Brewer, Beneath my Hand and Eye the Distant Hills. Your Body - Gary Snyder
Gary Snyder had a much more optimistic view on life than many of the authors we've studied in American Literature thus far. He had a connection to nature that seemed to bring him peace and a simplistic outlook on the way he lived and in his day to day events. This definitely flowed through to his writing and poetry. He was romantic in a "man's man" kind of way. He was a transcendentalist - someone whose core beliefs was the inherent goodness of both people and nature, of which he was very connected to. He was about getting back to God and noticing His touch in the little things - a view to be admired. He embodied something in each of these poems, be it love, His great love, peace, or even friendship. He tended to take intangible things, feelings, relationships, and personify them in nature, in people, and in events. Though he would be called something like a "hardworking hippie" today, he was really just a different kind of person back in the time period that he wrote most of his works. He is still alive and would probably best describe himself as a kindred spirit to nature.
With a little research, I found that Gary Snyder's work is commonly being put into art of today's time. In fact, he is heading most of the reconstruction. With the movement toward a more "GREEN" society, something that we desperately need in this world, a touch of one of nature's biggest advocates could definitely promote this cleaner and more in-touch environment we so desperately need. The Gary Snyder Gallery contains many artists that are quite abstract in the way they try to pull Snyder's poetic vision through paint and even more 3D art. On the website, they state: "Co-founded by Gary Snyder and Garth Greenan in September 2011, Gary Snyder Gallery focuses on mid-twentieth-century American art, with a particular emphasis on artists who emerged during the 1960s. Snyder opened his first gallery in New York City in 1991. Gary Snyder Gallery is an evolution of Gary Snyder Project Space, located at 250 West 26th Street." If you have time, definitely check out some of the work presented there so you can get a better feel of what Gary Snyder is all about --- The Gary Snyder Gallery.
Gary Snyder had a much more optimistic view on life than many of the authors we've studied in American Literature thus far. He had a connection to nature that seemed to bring him peace and a simplistic outlook on the way he lived and in his day to day events. This definitely flowed through to his writing and poetry. He was romantic in a "man's man" kind of way. He was a transcendentalist - someone whose core beliefs was the inherent goodness of both people and nature, of which he was very connected to. He was about getting back to God and noticing His touch in the little things - a view to be admired. He embodied something in each of these poems, be it love, His great love, peace, or even friendship. He tended to take intangible things, feelings, relationships, and personify them in nature, in people, and in events. Though he would be called something like a "hardworking hippie" today, he was really just a different kind of person back in the time period that he wrote most of his works. He is still alive and would probably best describe himself as a kindred spirit to nature.
With a little research, I found that Gary Snyder's work is commonly being put into art of today's time. In fact, he is heading most of the reconstruction. With the movement toward a more "GREEN" society, something that we desperately need in this world, a touch of one of nature's biggest advocates could definitely promote this cleaner and more in-touch environment we so desperately need. The Gary Snyder Gallery contains many artists that are quite abstract in the way they try to pull Snyder's poetic vision through paint and even more 3D art. On the website, they state: "Co-founded by Gary Snyder and Garth Greenan in September 2011, Gary Snyder Gallery focuses on mid-twentieth-century American art, with a particular emphasis on artists who emerged during the 1960s. Snyder opened his first gallery in New York City in 1991. Gary Snyder Gallery is an evolution of Gary Snyder Project Space, located at 250 West 26th Street." If you have time, definitely check out some of the work presented there so you can get a better feel of what Gary Snyder is all about --- The Gary Snyder Gallery.
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