Flannery O’Connor’s Good Country People intricately explores the themes of identity, self-deception, and manipulation. The story is based on a woman named Hulga who prides herself on intellectual superiority and doesn’t believe in any religion. Manley Pointer, was a Bible salesman that came into her life. Hulga’s physical disability and her belief of nothingness were used as ways to represent her detachment from others spiritually and emotionally. She had all the resources in life, had better opportunities as other “good country people” and had more control of her life, so she distanced herself from them. The plot twist of the story is Manley actually being a manipulative con artist. “And I’ll tell you another thing Hulga, you ain’t so smart. I been believing in nothing ever since I was born” (9).He took advantage of Hulga, he made her finally open up to him just to strip away her sense of control she had and making her vulnerable. O’Connor’s story highlights the dangers of self-deception, as Helga’s belief in her intellectual superiority blinds her to Manley’s true nature. After reading this, it made me think about the assumptions I might make about myself and others, and how anyone can be easily manipulated if you blind yourself with thinking you’re superior to anyone else.