Student Question
What is the significance of the peculiar clouds and storm pursuing Mr. Shiftlet at the end of "The Life You Save May Be Your Own"?
Quick answer:
The peculiar clouds and storm pursuing Mr. Shiftlet symbolize the consequences of his deceitful actions. They forebode doom, reflecting the evil he committed by manipulating Mrs. Crater and abandoning her daughter after stealing their car. The storm suggests that his past misdeeds will catch up to him, and it also indicates that he carries trouble wherever he goes. This ominous weather contrasts with the sunny beginning of the story, highlighting Shiftlet's malevolent influence.
In most literature, storms and bad weather usually symbolise either some malevolent act or event or act as harbingers of doom. A storm provides the reader with a sense of foreboding.
In this story, it is significant that the storm follows Mr Shiftlet as he drives towards Mobile, since it symbolises two important issues: Firstly, Mr Shiftler is trying to get away from the pernicious evil he has done in the previous town when he deceived Mrs Crater into believing that he had honest intentions by marrying her handicapped daughter, Lucynell, when he had in fact, deviously manipulated her to steal their car. He had repaired and painted the vehicle and was now in the process of stealing it. He abandoned Lucynell at a diner when she fell asleep at a table when he had promised that he would take her to a hotel after they were married. His sole intention...
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was to get hold of the car and this was clearly obvious from the outset.
Tom T. Shiftlet, as his name appropriately suggests, is a shifty, untrustworthy character who abused Mrs Crater's naivete and her desperate need for someone to take care of her daughter, to commit a crime. The storm and dark clouds symbolise his malice. He obviously realises that he would be sought for his criminal deed and is escaping from it - leaving it behind as he attempts to outrun the approaching storm. It does not seem that his attempt will be very successful however, since the last few lines suggest that the trouble he created will catch up with him, as indicated by the following:
After a few minutes there was a guffawing peal of thunder from behind and fantastic raindrops, like tin‑can tops, crashed over the rear of Mr. Shiftlet's car.
In the second place, Mr Shiftlet is being followed by the storm towards Mobile. In this instance it foreshadows the fact that he is bringing trouble to Mobile and states, symbolically, that he takes trouble with him wherever he goes. This is also suggested earlier in the story when he so easily recalls the names of other characters from different parts of the country, suggesting that those were most probably pseudonyms he used there, to hide his true identity and avoid being traced.
How you know my name ain't Aaron Sparks, lady, and I come from Singleberry, Georgia, or how you know it's not George Speeds and I come from Lucy, Alabama, or how you know I ain't Thompson Bright from Toolafalls, Mississippi?"
Shiftlet, in all probability, may not be his real name. Rest assured, he will once again commit some or other unsavoury act wherever he may end up.
Furthermore, the storm is a perfect contrast to the sunny descriptions provided at the beginning of the story. When Shiftlet arrived at the Crater's plantation, the sun was setting and he relished its beauty, raising his arms in appraisal. Pleasant and sunny images were painted throughout the story until he committed this vile act - taking advantage and stealing the Crater's car. The implication is clear, Mr Shiftlet brings doom and gloom wherever he goes and leaves behind only disparagement and disappointment.