The Life You Save May Be Your Own by Flannery O'Connor

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In “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” Flannery O’Connor uses Mr. Shiftlet to discuss moral intelligence in her story. Mr. Shiftlet the main character thinks of himself as a real man who has no flaws. Mr. Shiftlet displays elements of humanism and moral issues of good and evil. Humanism is the belief that human beings stress there needs and thinks only of rational ways to solve issues. Mr. Shiftlet talks about evil people to make him look better in the eyes of others. He doesn’t care about anyone else’s thought of opinions. He thinks he is doing the right thing by not stealing the car because he helps clean the Crater’s house, fixes the car, and teaches the deaf woman, Ms. Crater, how to say “bird.” He thinks everyone around him is corrupt and that he is the only one left in society that can help others and do the right thing in life. In “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” Mr. Shiftlet sees himself above the law, disregarding if he hurts others along the way.
Since Mr. Shiftlet sees himself above the law, he thinks he can act irresponsibly to others. Mr. Shiftlet thinks of himself above others, “He seemed to be a young man but he had a look of composed dissatisfaction as if he understood life thoroughly” (1). He is in denial that he has any flaws and presents himself to others as superior. Mr. Shiftlet has a chance to achieve peace with the world. He is alone with no friends, and is given the opportunity to work hard and live a quiet life. The chance of having a normal life begins when he sees two women on the porch. As he approaches them he turns his back to the sunset. When meeting the Crater’s he sees an old car that he wants. Mr. Shiftlet wants a car so he sets out to get it. He thinks he is a moral man, so...

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... Solzhenitsyn speaks on the topic of Humanism. The same theme that people do what is legal whether it is disregarding others or not plays a role in both pieces. He says that, “The limits of human rights and rightness are determined by a system of laws; such limits are very broad. If one is right from a legal point of view, nothing more is required, nobody may mention that one could still not be entirely right” (Solzhenitsyn 18). People will do what is legal to make themselves seem as if they are morally good and intelligent, but in reality they can still act legally any disregard others feelings and opinions. Mr. Shiftlet doesn’t act in an illegal way throughout his journey to find peace, but he disregards others feelings and thinks he is above others. Since he acts above the law, he makes poor decisions and by the end of his journey to find happiness he fails.

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