The Life You Save May Be Your Own (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Flannery O’Connor
- First Published: 1953
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: The mid-twentieth century
- Setting: Rural southern United States
- Principal Characters: Mrs. Lucynell Crater, Lucynell Crater, Tom Shiftlet
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
- Subjects: United States or Americans, South or Southerners, Twentieth century, Rural or country life, Farms, farmers, or farming, Disabilities or physically challenged persons, Mental retardation, Deafness or hearing-impaired persons
- Locales: South (U.S.)
The Story
Tom Shiftlet, a drifter, wanders onto the farm of Lucynell Crater and her deaf, retarded daughter, also named Lucynell. Mesmerized by the beauty of the sunset, Shiftlet raises his arms to the sky, forming a crooked cross with his body, and holds this saviorlike pose for nearly a minute before introducing himself. Mrs. Crater can see from a distance that Shiftlet is a tramp and is not afraid of him. While the daughter looks on innocently, Shiftlet and Mrs. Crater converse seriously. He asks her many deep questions that she does not answer, such as “What is a man?”...
[The entire page is 1322 words long]
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