Interestingly, O'Connor's selection of names for her characters works to establish
their significance in the story. Joy Hopewell has changed her name to the ugly name of Hulga
because she perceives nothing of beauty that exists in the world. Unlike her mother, Hulga does
not believe in "good country people" and she feels herself intellectually superior to
others.
However, her experience with Manley Pointer forces Hulga, who thinks
that she can seduce him, to realize that her convictions about being able to control her life
are, indeed, faulty. She has planned on seducing Manley Pointer, the false bible salesman.
However, contrary to her expectations, it is Manley who reduces Helga to a begging woman after
he takes her artificial leg and descends the ladder from the hay loft.
Helga
tries to...
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