The stealing of Hulga’s leg by the Bible salesman at first glance looks to be a purely
capitalistic and selfish treachery. But upon further scrutiny of the story written by O’Connor
there are much larger issues at play. Hulga, originally named Joy, comes across as a very angry,
hostile, and distant. She lost her leg at the age of ten in a hunting accident and has been wearing
a prosthetic for the past twenty years. She uses her disability as a front to keep people away and
avoid her vulnerability. She has also studied and earned a PhD in philosophy as another way to
feel superior and removed from those around her. She especially feels superior and resentful to
her mother and does everything she can to make herself the antithesis of her. She even changes
her name from Joy to Hulga, in an attempt to make herself seem displeasing and thus pushing
people away. All of these things are used as a crutch in an attempt to avoid her own
vulnerability. Hulga uses her intellect to rationalize that of which cannot be seen. By
intellectualizing she avoids spirituality and vulnerability. At first glance she appears to be an
atheist. But during a dinner table discussion Hulga references a French philosopher,
Malebranche, who suggests that there is an active role of God in every aspect of the world.
“Woman! Do you ever look inside? Do you ever look inside and see what you are
not? God!” she had cried sinking down again and staring at her plate,
“Malebranche was right: we are not our own light. We are not our own light!”
By agreeing with him, she in a sense agrees with spirituality. Although she is spiritually void.
One would think having lived through a traumatic event, such as losing a limb, one would be
more inclined to turn to the Lord. Instead Hulga turns away. She in a sense is spiritually and
physically crippled. Hulga does her best to mask how she is crippled through a multiple of
defenses. Yet despite her best effort to keep people away she is drawn to the Bible salesman. He
represents that which is good, pure, and simple. Something that Hulga wishes she secretly could
return to. Despite being inexplicably drawn to him, she chooses to try to deceive him. Her
intent was to use his simplicity against him and seduce him. Thinking he was “good country
