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Contributions from: Kirsten, Katie, Bailey Ê

Kirsten >>> Names are an important part of the symbolism in the story. With Mrs. Freeman, she is free from all judgements/opinions of others as nothing seems to penetrate her, while Mrs. Hopewell naively hopes that things "turn out well". Even her trademark expressions lend to her name: "Nothing is perfect", "that is life!", or "other people have their opinions too" (428). Joy/Hulga -- "Joy" the initial hope that Mrs. Hopewell had for her daughter to be a bright, happy, normal girl, and Hulga -- the ugly name Joy chooses in order to separate herself from the "good country people".

Katie >>> I agree that the characters' names play an important role in their personalities. More than in other short stories, the characters' names add to their persona. Hulga's name fits her due to her dull personalitiy and her seemingly "ugly" appearance. Also, Hulga studies philosophy but she becomes complacent and naive while she fails to see the Bible salesman's true character.

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(430) "Joy had made it plain that if it had not been for this condition, she would be far from these red hills and good country people. She would be in a university lecturing to people who knew what she was talking about...she was brilliant but she didn't have a grain of sense."

(433) "'I know I'm real simple. I don't know how to say a thing but to say it. I'm just a country boy.'"

(440) "She didn't realize he had taken her glasses...'I don't have illusions. I'm one of those people who see through to nothing...some of us have taken off our blind folds and see that there's nothing to see. It's a kind of salvation.'"

(442-443) "'Aren't you,' she murmured, 'aren't you just good country people?'...'I hope you don't think,' he said in a lofty indignant tone, 'that I believe in that crap! I may sell Bibles but I know which end is up and I wasn't born yester day and I know where I'm going!...you ain't so smart. I been believing in nothing ever since I was born!'"

Kirsten >>> Joy believes that she is not one of these "good country people"; while she is intelligent and educated, this is like a mask for her true, somewhat inexperienced self. She holds onto lofty-sounding claims about seeing through to nothing and understanding what she believes the simpletons around her can't comprehend. Her experience with the Bible salesman, however, creates a transition for her, described by her "churning face" (443). She realizes that she too has fallen for the naive stereotypes that her mother also believes. The Bible salesman, like Joy, also wears a mask -- while he pretends to be a simple, religious country boy, he is actually an intelligent atheist, whereas Joy's naivety is exposed beneath her cover of nihilistic philosophy.

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(442) "Without the leg she felt entirely dependent on him. Her brain seemed to have stopped thinking altogether and to be about some other function that it was not very good at."

Kirsten >>> Joy's leg is a central aspect of her personality and self: she calls attention to it by walking loudly and by wearing ugly clothing. Because of her leg, she retreats into her studies and her philosophy -- a core element of how she defines herself. But when the Bible salesman removes the leg, the key thing she had depended on to maintain her persona is missing. In a sense, surrendering her leg is like surrendering her entire self.

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(443) "'He was so simple,' she said, 'but I guess the world would be better off if we were all that simple.'...'Some can't be that simple,' she said. 'I know I never could'"

Kirsten >>> This is just ironic.

Bailey >>> The Bible seller seems to be just a good person, but I guess this story shows that many people can be deceiving and one never truly knows what is behind a person's actions.

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