After being challenged in class to find out who the philosopher of Hulga's book was, I googled it and found it was Martin Heidegger. The particular book that Hulga is reading is Existance and Being. The particular passage that she was reading is taken from the essay "What is Metaphysics?" I guess from Heidegger's inaugural lecture at the U. of Freiburg in 1929. Looking online I can't find a translation that is the same that O'Connor uses. The closest one I found was http://evans-experientialism.freewebspace.com/heidegger5a.htm translated by David Farrell Krell. If anyone can find a closer translation please let me know.
I have to admit that I am having a really hard time wrapping my mind around just what Heidegger is talking about with the nothing being nothing. But I know that Aristole was an influence for Heidegger and if I remember correctly, Aristole's ideas include that earth has lost perfection. Hulga, who is greatly influenced by Heidegger takes it to be that nothing means that "perfection" has been lost and can't be recovered. That is why she says, "I don't have illusions. I'm one of those people who see through to nothing" (280). Nothing is perfect and so she doesn't put any "faith" in anything. Although ironically she does, she puts faith and trust in Mannly, only to have him destroy that trust by taking her leg and glasses. So in the end Hulga really goes against all that she says about having no illusions. She had the illusion that she would be the one doing the seducing, not the one being taken advantage of. Because she doesn't stick with what she believes, it makes me think that she didn't really believe all that she said or read. She only did it because it made her seem different and smarter than all of the "good country people." While in the end it is a "good country person" that was her undoing.
Tags: Good Country People, Rachel Simmons, reflective, treat
2 Comments:
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- Unknown said...
February 7, 2008 at 10:18 AMI think, although I haven't read the full text, that he may be speaking on reality. Like Rene Descartes, "I think therefore I am". Maybe there is an element of defining reality. There seems to be a bottomless pit when it comes to scientific investigations. How far down can they go? The more we find out, the less we know. Our realities are constantly shifting because of it. Like when I was in elementary school there were nine planets, now there are only eight... Poor Pluto. But what it comes back to is the idea of the more we know the less we know. And Hulga certainly proves that. She was so educated and bright, yet she follows this "bible salesman". She should have seen it coming, but she went right into it. What it boils down to is that at some point, we really know and understand nothing.- Neena said...
February 7, 2008 at 12:25 PMLove your insight! I think your right on. I love the irony in Hulga's statement. Check out Josie's blog and my comment on what Hulga sees and doesn't see. I like Josie's observations she's made about looking at the imperfections or gotesqueness of others. Added to what you say, we (or more comfortably, the "Hulgas") are seeing nothing of what might be there, perfection (or just something of worth) in others.