In all of Flannery O'Connor's short stories, the theme of alienation is portrayed at different levels.

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Sarah Khalil

Alienation

   In all of Flannery O’Connor’s short stories, the theme of alienation is portrayed at different levels. Most of the characters suffer from moral corruption, mental illness and grotesque appearances. This instantly suggests to us that these characters may be alienated from the rest of their society, as they may be viewed as strangers.

   The story “The Life You Save Maybe Your Own” opens with Mrs Crater and her daughter Lucynell watching Mr Shiftlett moving towards them. The names of these characters give us a glimpse of their personality as their names are packed with symbolism. Mr Shiftlett’s name conjures up the word “shifty” implying an evasive and deceptive personality. Mrs Crater’s name “Crater” suggests a giant hole, which is the moral gap in her personality. Everyone in this story has a physical or mental abnormality; Mr Shiftlett with his arm, Lucynell with her mental limitations and Mrs Crater with her moral bankruptcy. This alienates these characters from the supernatural world.

   Despite of Mr Shiftlett’s appearance as a “crooked cross” and his physical deformity, the look of “composed dissatisfaction” on his face “as if he understood life thoroughly” implies to us that he is a man who has been travelling around and knows how to get along the world in spite of his physical disability. It is also very clear to us that he appreciates his freedom as the first word he teaches Lucynell to say the word “bird”. As a drifter, it is clear to us that more than anything Mr Shiftlett values his freedom. He compares himself with a bird that can go anywhere it wishes. He sets himself as an outsider, possibly implying that he is a survivor. Yet he is morally corrupt along with most of Flannery O Connor’s characters.

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   We sympathise with Mr Shiftlett, as he seems alienated from the supernatural world. Mrs Crater calls him a “poor disabled friendless drifting man”. He is abandoned from the friendliness of people as many my look at his as a disabled drifter. All his life he had felt and probably been treated inadequate. By marrying Lucynell he will make up for his inadequacies at the expense of others.

   After the marriage, Mr Shiftlett looked “morose and bitter as if he had been insulted while someone held him”. This is because he has been broken of his ...

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