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Analysis Of O ' Connor 's Writing

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Courtney Blackmon Horn English 11- seventh period 29 January 2015 Corruption Within Christ Religion is a big influence in Flannery O 'Connor 's writing. “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” stresses the idea of good and evil. This can also be viewed at the evil in Christ. The story is set in the early 1900s. “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” begins with a woman and her disabled daughter sitting on their porch and she notices a man walking towards their home. The man, Mr. Shiftlet, sees an old car that he wants. The old woman, Lucynell, is also craving something and takes the opportunity to achieve it. By her use of symbols, imagery, and irony, she reveals that there is corruption within Christ. O’Connor incorporates symbols to reveal Christ like figures, further emphasizing the theme. One example is young Lucynell. As Mr. Shiftlet is walking toward them, young Lucynell is wearing a blue organdy dress, which represents the Virgin Mary. Also, her blue eyes show her innocence and heavenly appearance (The Sitting Bee). Another symbol is the rusted car. The car represents something that Mr. Shiftlet has always wanted. It is painted green, which can represent redemption, and has a yellow band, which may be seen as betrayal. The last example is the character’s names. Crater means emptiness or that something, religion or Christ, is missing. Also Shiftlet is taken from the word shift to represent change or the difference between good and evil. With these Christ like symbols,

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