ENGL 4310

I’ve noticed that in a few of O’Connor’s stories the child wants to “get back” at the parent for something that the parent has done. This event occurs in “Good Country People.” I’m not sure what Joy/Hulga thinks her mother did, but Joy/Hulga is a child who wants to punish the parent. If anyone has an idea, that would be of great help. Joy/Hulga hurts her mother in the way of being ugly. Just in two pages I found the word “ugly” four times. Joy/Hulga certainly purposely changes her name to Hulga “purely on the basis of its ugly sound and then the full genius of its fitness had struck her” (266). Joy/Hulga is described as “a large blond girl” and “the large hulking Joy.” Joy/Hulga recognizes herself that the name Hulga is a name that would fit a huge, ugly girl, which happens to be herself. Mrs. Hopewell was quite upset that her daughter would change such a beautiful name to such an ugly one. Joy/Hulga believes that “One of her major triumphs was that her mother had not been able to turn her dust into Joy, but the greater one was that she had been able to turn it herself into Hulga” (267). I know that this has to do with hurting her mother, but I still don’t really understand it. If someone could help enlighten me on this line that would be really great.
I just think that it is interesting that the way Joy/Hulga hurts her mother is not by "teaching her a lesson" or besting her in some way, it is by being ugly.