Tuesday, September 23, 2008

I honestly do not know how to respond to this story. I am so appalled by "Pointer". I guess I should have expected a twist to the story, but this ending was just too much. I agree with the previous post in that my attention was drawn to the names, however, I am more involved in the idea of blindness and ignorance. Mrs. Hopewell seems as though she can read every person that walks into her life. She explains that she likes good country people, and despises white trash. It seems that she is so confident in understanding other people, explaining that she has no faults, and she finds faults in everyone else. However, she is completely blind to the evil side of the boy she invites to dinner. As her daughter is left alone, helpless, she looks after the boy, wishing everyone could be "good country people," more like him. I found the story to be extremely upsetting, and I was not expecting such a turn.

1 comment:

Jessica Schenk said...

Out of all of the O’Connor stories this is the one I wish had a more definite ending. I want to know what happens once Hulga is discovered and Manley’s true nature is revealed. Will Mrs. Hopewell, a woman so confident in her ability to read others, change her outlook on life? I believe that she will find it hard to come to terms with what her daughter tells her about Manley but she will eventually cave in, accepting what Hulga is saying. But, will she finally see that there are deceitful people out there and that she was deceived? How will she react to this? I can only imagine what will happen to Hulga. I see her becoming so angered by her vulnerability that she becomes immensely bitter and resents the world even more than before. Perhaps, Hulga will change her name yet again in order to reflect this new feeling of anger and bitterness. I just wish there was an ending; I would like to see the reactions of some of these characters.