The Bible Salesman’s valise is not what it seems. Like the Bible Salesman, it presents an image of faith and morality, as it appears to be full of Bibles. But once he tricks Hulga up into the loft of the barn, Hulga sees that now there are only two Bibles in it. Not only that, but one of the Bibles is hollowed out and filled with a flask of whiskey, a box of condoms, and a set of pornographic playing cards. Instead of objects representing faith, the valise contains objects representing sin. It is the opposite of what it pretends to be. In this story, the valise functions as a symbol of hypocrisy. In the world O’Connor creates, it is the seemingly faithful who are the worst sinners, and the valise captures the idea that external appearances can be deceiving.
The Bible Salesman’s Valise Quotes in Good Country People
It was hollow and contained a pocket flask of whiskey, a pack of cards, and a small blue box with printing on it. He laid these out in front of her one at a time in an evenly-spaced row, like one presenting offerings at the shrine of a goddess. He put the blue box in her hand. THIS PRODUCT TO BE USED ONLY FOR THE PREVENTION OF DISEASE, she read, and dropped it . . . It was not an ordinary deck but one with an obscene picture on the back of each card.