Essay, Research Paper

Use of Symbolism in The Life You Save May Be Your Own The symbolism that Flannery O Connor uses in The Life You Save May Be Your Own, illustrates the religious battles between good and evil that we as human s face. The chief character, Mr. Shiftlet, embarks on a journey of religious agencies by walking on both the waies of redemption and damnation. Mr. Shiftlet is given infinite chances to turn himself about and to continue in the right way, on the way of redemption. As in the narrative, these minutes that give us a opportunity for redemption encompass our ain lives. Unfortunately, Mr. Shiftlet does non remain on the right way for really long. He finds himself, clip and clip once more, heading towards his ain damnation. There are symbols throughout The Life You Save May Be Your Own, that lead one to believe that Mr. Shiftlet is badly fated. Mr. Shiftlet s acquired features represent this, & # 8220 ; His left coat arm was folded up to demo there was merely half an arm in it & # 8221 ; ( 910 ) . Mr. Shiftlet & # 8217 ; s arm, or instead stump, is a physical malformation that represents a manifestation of his psyche. Mr. Shiftlet proves to be flawed by doing hapless picks and merely desiring to accomplish his ain satisfaction. & # 8220 ; He [ Mr. Shiftlet ] swung both his whole and his short arm up easy so that they indicated an sweep of sky and his figure formed a crooked cross & # 8221 ; ( 910 ) . This & # 8220 ; crooked cross & # 8221 ; is a perversion of faith that is a hint to the hereafter damnation that Mr. Shiftlet will shortly confront. Mrs. Crater straight advises Mr. Shiftlet that & # 8220 ; there ain & # 8217 ; t any topographic point in the universe for a hapless, handicapped, outcast floating adult male & # 8221 ; ( 915 ) . This symbolizes the destiny of Mr. Shiftlet and he does recognize the truth behind the cruel words. & # 8220 ; The ugly words settled in Mr. Shiftlet & # 8217 ; s caput like a group of turkey vultures in the top of a tree & # 8221 ; ( 916 ) . Those turkey vultures are ready to assail their quarry. Mr. Shiftlet is cognizant that he must confront his terminal. Mr. Shiftlet subsequently states that & # 8220 ; the monastics of old slept in their caskets! & # 8221 ; ( 913 ) . So the symbol in this is the auto being Mr. Shiftlet & # 8217 ; s casket and portion of his religious battle. There are symbols in this narrative that represent general moral battles between good and bad and besides Mr. Shiftlet makes efforts to make good as he & # 8221 ; taught Lucynell, who was wholly deaf and had ne’er said a word in her life, to state the word bird & # 8221 ; ( 913 ) . Mrs. Crater & # 8217 ; s name happens to be a symbol in itself. She & # 8217 ; s an old adult female who has this emptiness and it straight states that & # 8220 ; She was famished for a son-in-all & # 8221 ; ( 913 ) . Merely as the word crater means a hollow, empty, part of the Earth. Mr. Shiftl

et s name is also a symbol, meaning shifty, or not trustworthy. Young Lucynell Crater is an innocent girl brought in the story as a reminder of all that is good in the world. The waiter at the restaurant, in which Mr. Shiftlet left her, said, She looks like an angel of Gawd (917). There are symbols in this story that represent the damnation that Mr. Shiftlet is faced as a consequence to his actions. The first symbol is when he manages to get the car to work. “He had an expression of serious modesty on his face as if he had just raised the dead” (915). Even as he s taking sweet Lucynell, the Angel of Gawd to her final resting place he s given human aspects as He became depressed in spite of the car (917). And he continues experiencing this depression until he comes across a hitchhiker. Mr. Shiftlet ignores his warning when occasionally he saw a sing that warned: Drive carefully. The life you save may be your own (918). At last, there is hope for him yet. He picks up a hitchhiker on the road, in an attempt to release the guilt that he feels over leaving Lucynell and a saving opportunity to redeem himself. The two converse and Mr. Shiftlet is remembering his own mother, an angel of Gawd he took her from heaven and giver to me, and I left her. (919). Mr. Shiftlet has so much guilt built up over Lucynell but he will not turn around. The boy replies, You go to the devil my old woman is a fleabag and yours is a skinking polecat! (919). The storm approaches and Mr. Shiftlet exclaims Oh Lord break forth and wash the slime from the earth. (919). And with his stump sticking out of the window, the rain beats down on his car, cleansing the earth of the evil. Attempting to wash Mr. Shiftlet off of the earth. One last symbol is the setting, which seems to be rather unimportant and desolate, but there is this amazing sun set that makes this place special. It really doesn t matter where you go, if you re in a large city or out in the country, there is still a sun set, symbolizing an opportunity to do good that will be found. We are faced with these decisions and opportunities to do well, and we can choose to leave them or take them. We can choose to ignore the things that may symbolize an opportunity. ” He [Mr. Shiftlet] wished he lived in a desolate place like this where he could see the sun go down every evening like God made it to do.” (912-3). Basically there s a thin line between the roads to damnation and salvation. Each and everyone one of us has crossed that line at one time or another, the question is however, how long you remain on one side and are you doomed to your own destiny?