There are two ways to see life, “the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death” or “the existence of an individual human being or animal”. These definitions give the coldest and most cynical view of life, but overlook the emotions of human life. The drive and need that pumps through human blood. The seven deadly sins that taunt the human mind to do as it pleases not as it should. Flannery O’Connor, the author of “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”, knew the idea of human life beyond just existing. Three of her characters; Tom Shiftlet, Mrs. Lucynell Crater, and the daughter also named Lucynell Crater, show the true meaning of human life.
Tom Shiftlet, the traveler, exposes the meaning of life by his turning back to get Lucynell after he leaves her at the restaurant. It is obvious that Shiflet’s name is symbolic by portraying a shifty person. This portrayal is understandable because he shows up in the story with an ominous air about him. He shows up in front of the old country house, he is described as a twenty-eight year old man who has lost a part of his arm. His description in itself begins to tell the story of a life, however that life is obviously not one that anyone would wish to live. Shiftlet then says he will work for food, not money, and proceeds to impress Lucynell and she eventually offers her daughter to Shiftlet. He proceeds to win over both women and ends up marrying Lucynell. Then we realize the only reason that he was there was to get the automobile for himself, he then proceeds to dump off Lucynell with a creepy man who is petting her hair while she sleeps(I like to call him Lenn...
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...ything she does once she is out from behind her mothers skirt will be new and vibrant to her, for example when Shiftlet teaches her to say a new word, “bird”. When Shiftlet succeeds in resurrecting the car, much to the delight of Lucynell, who, sitting on a crate, stamps her feet and screams, "Burrdttt! bddurrddtttt!". Lucynell symbolizes life through her child like state.
Three of Flannery O’Connor’s characters; Tom Shiftlet, Mrs. Lucynell Crater, and the daughter also named Lucynell Crater, show the true meaning of human life. Tom Shiftlet, the traveler, exposes the meaning of life by his turning back to get Lucynell after he leaves her at the restaurant. Mrs. Lucynell Crater, the mother, shows her life through her ambition to fill the void in her life. Lucynell Crater, the daughter, portrays life by showing the most basic human qualities due to her disabilities.
Throughout all of Flannery O’Connor’s work, there are three dominant themes that show themselves: Christianity, irony, and grotesqueness. In nearly every story of hers, O’Connor is able to make a tragic story very grotesque in the way that she describes the events and characters of her story. [add more to introduction]
Burke, William. "Protagonists and antagonists in the fiction of Flannery O'Connor." The Southern Literary Journal 20 (1988): 99.
In the text “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” by Flannery O’Connor, a common mood emerges from the somewhat humorous yet unfortunate work. A mood of grotesqueness among the characters and overall story as it presents itself, generally, making the audience feel quite uneasy and uncomfortable while reading it. Grotesque is a literary style, which comically and somewhat repulsively represents a distorted character or a series of twisted actions or thoughts that embody a character. The text creates a grotesque mood simply because the actions carried out by the characters resemble an extreme sense of despair and uneasiness, yet the way in which it is executed is somewhat funny and jocular to the reader, therefore creating an awkward overall mood
Flannery O’Connor teaches a lot of lessons in Good Country People that can be applied to anyone’s everyday life. O’Connor gives perfect examples and reasoning on why people should have faith and believe in some type of religion. She also teaches the lessons that people should have an open heart and see beyond themselves and their beliefs, instead of being so arrogant and thinking they know it all. Identity, symbolism, and reality was communicate in this story’s theme, which revolves around man’s arrogance in thinking that he knows it
Tom Shiflet’s sinful nature is highlighted by both the Christian symbols present in the story and in the changing weather that accompanies his immoral act. A quiet life with Lucynell was not meant to be for Tom Shiflet, much to the dismay of Mrs. Crater. While Tom’s actions are by no means justified, one cannot overlook the fact that both these women were forcing Tom to change into something he was not. Tom was never meant to live the quiet married life, he was a drifter, a backcountry traveler who stopped to admire the sunset, and left under a cloud.
We are born into this world with the realization that life is hard and that life is like a box of chocolates and it is hard to take it at face value. The majority of our time is spent trying to answer an endless stream of questions only to find the answers to be a complex path of even more questions. This film tells the story of Harold, a twenty year old lost in life and haunted by answerless questions. Harold is infatuated with death until he meets a good role model in Maude, an eighty year old woman that is obsessed with life and its avails. However, Maude does not answer all of Harold’s questions but she leads him to realize that there is a light at the end of everyone’s tunnel if you pursue it to utmost extremes by being whatever you want to be. Nevertheless, they are a highly unlikely match but they obviously help each other in many ways in the film.
Every time the family comes to a confrontation someone retreats to the past and reflects on life as it was back then, not dealing with life as it is for them today. Tom, assuming the macho role of the man of the house, babies and shelters Laura from the outside world. His mother reminds him that he is to feel a responsibility for his sister. He carries this burden throughout the play. His mother knows if it were not for his sisters needs he would have been long gone. Laura must pickup on some of this, she is so sensitive she must sense Toms feeling of being trapped. Tom dreams of going away to learn of the world, Laura is aware of this and she is frightened of what may become of them if he were to leave.
An extreme act is almost necessary to bring about the true reflection on one’s life and really question whether or not they are worthy of salvation. The most influential person in determining your after life could have not the slightest meaning to you now. Flannery O’Connor’s writing reflects in her own beliefs. Kaplan creates a case that “The Grandmother’s ability to accept such a death is therefore the supreme test of her faith,” (Kaplan 905). This associates to the story well; Flannery O’Connor is also in her own life suffering from a disease that, in some aspects, should take her faith into inquiry.
Everybody wants to be accepted, yet society is not so forgiving. It bends you and changes you until you are like everyone else. Society depends on conformity and it forces it upon people. In Emerson's Self Reliance, he says "Society is a joint stock company, in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater." People are willing to sacrifice their own hopes and freedoms just to get the bread to survive. Although the society that we are living in is different than the one the Emerson's essay, the idea of fitting in still exists today. Although society and our minds make us think a certain way, we should always trust our better judgment instead of just conforming to society.
The pointedness of the play is created through a distinct plot path. The observer is lead through the story, seeing first how greatly Amanda Wingfield influences her children. Secondly, the play-goer notes how Tom Wingfield desperately struggles and writhes emotionally in his role of provider- he wants more than just to be at home, taking care of his all-too-reminiscent mother and emotionally stunted sister. Tom wants to get out from under his mother’s wing; his distinct ambitions prevent him from being comfortable with his station in life. Lastly, Laura struggles inside herself; doing battle against her shyness, Laura begins to unfurl a bit with Jim, but collapses once again after Jim announces his engagement and leaves her, again. Each character struggles and thrashes against their places in life, but none of them achieve true freedom. This plot attests to the fact that true change and freedom can only come through the saving power of God Almighty and Jesus Christ, and by letting go of the past.
Lack of intelligence is a major issue in society. People sometimes don't know how to act in many situations and make the wrong decision that can affect them badly. In ¨Good Country People,¨ Hulga was a very smart woman but when dealing with people she lacked intelligence. In “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” Lucynell, who is a mother to a disabled blind girl named Lucynell, has lack of intelligence by forcing a stranger who calls himself Mr. Shiftlet, to marry her daughter, Lucynell and take her away to live with him. In “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” the grandmother has lack of intelligence because when they ran into the misfit she didn't keep her mouth shut and blurted out that she knew who he was which got them into a very bad situation.
Flannery O’ Connor was educated at the Georgia State Women’s College, and she also attended Iowa State. O’Connor wrote her first piece of literature when she was twenty-seven years old, and she expresses her personal convictions and views in her writings. O’Connor often has characters in her literature that are disabled in some way, and most of the time, she portrays sympathy for these characters. O’Connor died from an uncommon disease called lupus, and she lived with this disease most of her life (“Flannery” 1050). “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” is a story about a traveler, Mr. Shiftlet, who marries a mentally challenged girl to get an automobile and money from the mother of the girl. In the end, Mr. Shiftlet ends up abandoning the girl. In “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” O’Connor uses duality to show that people and things can have two sides.
Throughout the short story, O’Connor uses color imagery to allude to innocence and corruption. Lucynell is described as a beautiful woman, multiple times.
Jack, thinking he might have been that very baby, retrieves the bag he was found in as an infant in which Ms. Prism identifies by some distinguishing marks to have been her own. Jack realized the woman that had been teaching his niece was his mother. But then Lady Bracknell explained that she was not, but Lady Bracknell’s poor sister Mrs. Moncrieff was. The irony continues to explain how Jack and Algernon were biological brothers. They were pretending to be earlier to play out their game of Bunburyism.
Despite centuries of Man`s continued existence on this planet, he has failed to conclusively solve the riddle posed by two indelible facts of human existence—Life and Death. What is Life? Religions have preached about it, philosophers have pondered over it and ordinary mortals have lived through it. But the mystery of Life still eludes us. In