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Irony
Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Mood
Explanation and Analysis:
The mood of “Good Country People” is primarily funny and lighthearted, with a shift at the end of the story to a darker register. The playful and humorous mood of the story comes across in the following passage, as Hulga kisses the Bible Salesman in the barn:
Even before he released her, her mind, clear and detached and ironic anyway, was regarding him from a great distance, with amusement but with pity. She had never been kissed before and she was pleased to discover that it was an unexceptional experience and all a matter of the mind’s control. Some people might enjoy drain water if they were told it was vodka.
While readers might expect this moment to be emotional for Hulga—she is 32 and having her first kiss—O’Connor decides to keep the mood lighthearted by having Hulga remain in a “detached and ironic” state while discovering that kissing “was an unexceptional experience.” O’Connor furthers the humor of the scene by having the narrator—channeling Hulga—compare kissing to drinking drain water.
While much of the story features this sort of lighthearted mood, it is only a few pages after this moment that it enters a different register. First, Hulga has an experience of vulnerability and earnest emotion after the Bible Salesman tells her that she “ain’t like anybody else. Then, very quickly, the romantic mood switches into a dark and unsettling one, as the Bible Salesman reveals that he’s been lying to Hulga this whole time—he is not a Bible salesman, but a con artist who hides whiskey, condoms, and pornographic playing cards inside a hollowed-out Bible. The story ends in this darkly ironic mood as the Salesman escapes with Hulga’s artificial leg and Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman watch him go, thinking about how “simple” he is compared to them.
Related Themes:
