Period 6/English A2/12 Selfishness Is Punished The short story by Flannery OConnor named The Life You Save

May Be Your Own shows how selfish a human being can be. It concerns the way Mr. Shiftlet, the storys main character, treats Lucynell, a girl with mental retardation, and also how Lucynells mother wants so much to have her daughter married that she does not even care about whether the potential son-in-law actually loves her daughter. The passage under consideration describes following the one where Mr. Shiftlet, shortly after marrying Lucynell, abandons her at a roadside eating establishment. He proceeds on his journey alone and encounters a young runaway. In this excerpt, imagery, colloquial diction, figurative language and symbolism all show the selfishness of Mr. Shiftlet and how he does not care about anyone but himself and what he can acquire. The passages imagery demonstrates that people only care about themselves. In the passage, visual imagery is found, and this occurs when Mr. Shiftlet leaves Lucynell the daughter at The Hot Spot. The narrow road dropped off on either side into dry fields and here and there a shack or a filling station stood in a clearing. This description portrays the automobile as the only focus on the road, giving a sense of importance and egotism to Mr. Shiftlets character as the driver of the car. Another visual image that shows human selfishness is when he is riding down the road. The weather begins to change giving a dark atmosphere. The sun began to set directly in front of the automobile. This shows the end of a day, which could represent doom, which is what Mr. Shiftlet hypothetically receives by the end of the story. Also, when the boy gets into the car with Mr. Shiftlet, he completely ignores him and does not answer his questions. The boy gave him a quick dark glance and then turned his face back out the window. The dark glance suggests resentment and negativity. This is because Mr. Shiftlet forms assumptions about the boys story for which he has no basis. This causes the boy to be irritated as he notices Mr. Shiftlets falseness. Once again, the visual imagery of the weather gives the atmosphere of doom around the man in the automobile. The turnip continued slowly to descend. The day is ending and becoming darker, and thats why Mr. Shiftlet is being led to something dark. Furthermore, OConnor uses auditory imagery in the description, after a few minutes there was a guffawing peal of thunder from behind and fantastic raindrops. The guffawing peal is a sharp, laughter-like, loud sound, which creates an atmosphere of condemnation. The excerpts imagery contributes to a sense of mans selfishness. Also representing the selfishness and self-centered, egocentric personalities of the characters is the colloquial diction. Mr. Shiftlet is an egocentric person, and this is reflected in his colloquial diction, such as the words son, old mother, Gawd and Oh Lord. The word son is repeated several times when Mr. Shiftlet is referring to the boy.

This colloquial diction represents the self-centered personality of Mr. Shiftlet, who thinks of himself as a father or a responsible and respectable person in relation to the young hitchhiker. Shiftlet uses the word old mother when referring to his mother. This familiar language is an example of egocentric behavior because, when using this phrase, the character says that his mother is the best of the world without thinking of all the other possible mothers that could be better than his. The colloquial mispronunciation of the word demonstrates that the character feels important enough to change Gods name and use a special accent when pronouncing it. In the phrase in which the word Gawd is used, Mr. Shiftlet says My mother was an angel of Gawd, referring again to his mother as perfect. Mr. Shiftlet uses the words Oh lord, referring to God and demonstrating egocentric behavior because he is complaining about this boy that had been mistreated by his mother. Mr. Shiftlet considers himself worthy of addressing God in this colloquial way. In addition, figurative language is used in this passage in order to demonstrate the selfishness of people. The previously mentioned quotation where Mr. Shiftlet compares his mother to an angel of god is a metaphor. It demonstrates how Mr. Shifttet is talking to the boy; however, he is talking about himself and his own superiority. Nevertheless peoples selfishness of people will strike them eventually, like karma, and this is so for Mr. Shiftlet. Towards the end of the passage several similes are used in order to compare the consequences of Mr. Shiftlets actions and the weather. A cloud, the exact color of the boys hat and shaped like a turnip, had descended over the sun, and another, worse looking, crouched behind the car. Mr. Shiftlet felt that the rottenness of the world was about to engulf him. In this quotation, the simile of the clouds attacking and coming up towards Mr. Shiftlet demonstrates the anger of God, as if the storm were revenge for his selfishness. OConnors statement that the rottenness of the world was about to engulf him is more or less as if the clouds are coming up behind him in order to take him as another part of the rottenness of the world. Later on, however, Mr.Shiftlet says ironically, Break forth and wash the slime from this earth! As Mr. Shiftlet says this, it seems as if he is threatening or competing against the evil that is coming up behind him, more or less demanding it to be quicker or that he will run. Nevertheless, his reference to the slime from this earth suggests the cleansing and purifying power of rain. The metaphor stands for the rain cleaning all the dirt and the slime, which Mr. Shiftlet is. The turnip continued slowly to descend. After a few minutes there was guffawing peal of thunder from behind and fantastic raindrops, like tin-can tops, crashed over the rear of Mr.Shiftlets car. Very quickly he stepped on the gas and with his stump sticking out the window he raced the galloping shower into Mobile. This final quotation has a mixture of similes and metaphors. In this quotation, the personified rain and the storm accept Mr. Shiftlets offer and begin to race against him. Nevertheless it also demonstrates the threat against Mr.Shiftlet when it describes his urge as he steps on the gas and how the shower gallops into Mobile. This of course is

also a metaphor as a storm cannot gallop, yet it helps demonstrate how this storm has a lot more meaning than just the ordinary storm and how it is a way of punishing Mr.Shifltet. The passages grotesque figurative language demonstrates selfishness and the consequences of selfishness. Finally, symbolism in this excerpt is an important element in conveying the selfishness of humanity. The narrow road on which Mr. Shiftlet drives symbolizes his selfish journey. The car, stolen from the Crater family, represents betrayal and evil actions, which he implicitly invites the young boy to share. The greyness of the hat and the clouds suggest punishment and doom, like the storm. Mr. Shiftlets stump, which he rests on the car window as he drives towards Mobile, symbolizes his disgusting, selfish, egotistical character, as Flannery OConnors handicaps often do. The storm cloud shaped like a turnip, an ugly vegetable disliked by many, also symbolizes the judgment of God, ironically directed towards Mr. Shiftlet, who prays against himself when he asks God to wash the slime from the earth. In this concluding excerpt from The Life You Save May Be Your Own has a simple story plot, main Mr. Shiftlets real intentions are shown. Flannery OConnor gives grotesque characteristics to the character in order to show the defects of his character. The passages imagery, colloquial diction, figurative language and symbolism all reveal the storys gistthe selfishness of the human character.