Read the excerpt from flannery o’connor’s “the life you save may be your own.”

he held the pose for almost fifty seconds and then he picked up his box and came on to the porch and dropped down on the bottom step. “lady,” he said in a firm nasal voice, “i’d give a fortune to live where i could see me a sun do that every evening.”

keeping in mind the ending of the story, which best describes the irony of mr. shiftlet’s statement?

a. mr. shiftlet does not need a fortune, as he places no value on financial wealth or the security of having a permanent home.

b. instead of staying at the plantation, where he can see sunsets like these for the rest of his life, he runs away with mrs. crater’s car and money.

c. according to mrs. crater, the sun sets like this every evening, and if he stays at the plantation, mr. shiftlet will see this regularly.

d. no amount of money can ensure that an individual will witness a sunset to equal this one and will see it every single day.

answer is b!

The answer is:

B. Instead of staying at the plantation, where he can see sunsets like these for the rest of his life, he runs away with Mrs. Crater’s car and money.

Irony occurs when the speaker means the opposite of what he or she says. In  the excerpt from Flannery O’Connor’s "The Life You Save May Be Your Own," Mr. Shiftlet is offered money to marry deaf and mute Lucynell. Nevertheless, he leaves her while she is asleep at a diner on the road after their wedding.

B. Instead of staying at the plantation, where he can see sunsets like these for the rest of his life, he runs away with Mrs. Crater’s car and money. This is the correct option.

Mr. Shiftlet gets into Mrs. Crater's life because he wants the car the woman keeps  on her farm. Mr. Shiftlet cheates on her and her deaf-mute daughter. To get the car and the money, he stays on the farm. He decides to marry the daughter and in that way, he can get the money for the honeymoon. Mrs. Crater is desperate; she wants to marry her daughter at any cost.

These options are not correct:

A. Mr. Shiftlet does not need a fortune, as he places no value on financial wealth or the security of having a permanent home. Mr .Shiftlet is interested in money. He has not got any well -meant value.

C. According to Mrs. Crater, the sun sets like this every evening, and if he stays at the plantation, Mr. Shiftlet will see this regularly. In fact, the quotation is from Mr. Shiftlet. He says so to seduce the woman.

D. No amount of money can ensure that an individual will witness a sunset to equal this one and will see it every single day.  There is not any reflection . Mr. Shiftlet wants the car and the money and when  he gets them he just runs away.

faith or loyalty when pledged in a solemn agreement or undertaking.