The Life You Save May Be Your Own (O’Connor)
Peopled by con men, criminals, the maimed, deformed, and the insane, O’Connor’s stories have been called “dark,” “grotesque,” “bizarre,” and even “comic.” The central concern in this story and in much of O’Connor’s fiction is the abstract idea of good and evil. A devout Roman Catholic throughout her life, the author believed in a spiritual center and an acceptance of divine grace in people’s lives.
Southern Gothic. Southern Gothic is writing containing elements of horror, suspense, mystery, or magic, produced in or set in the southern United States. In “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” the element of Southern Gothic horror is partially found in the deformities of the characters and setting.
1. As you read, make a cluster chart in which you list these deformities. One example has been done for you. YOU MUST HAVE AT LEAST SIX EXAMPLES:
Analyze
2. What prayer does Shiflet offer at the end of the story, and what is ironic about the way in which his prayer is answered?
Evaluate: Making Judgments
3. If the characters in "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" are on a continuum from innocence to evil, where would you place each character on the “line” below? Explain your choices:
Most Evil Least Evil
Discussion Questions (write 2-4 complete sentence responses)
4. Mr. Shiftlet performs a series of “resurrections” at the farm, patching the front and back steps, building a new hog pen, restoring a fence, and teaching Lucynell to speak. How does her repetition of the one word he has taught her as she follows him around the farm contribute to the story’s imagery?
5. Does Mr. Shiftlet live up to the Christian symbols that surround him early in the story? Explain, citing examples from the text.
4. O’Connor was a devout Catholic, who described her theme as “moments of Grace…prepared for by the intensity of evil circumstances.” Do you see such moments of grace in this story? Where?
5. O’Connor’s original title for this story was “The World Is Almost Rotten.” How does her decision to change the title alter your understanding of the story’s meaning? What does the road sign Shiftlet passes near the end suggest about the possibility of grace in the story?