Read the excerpt from flannery o’connor’s “the life you save may be your own.” “it’s nothing so sweet,” mr. shiftlet continued, “as a boy’s mother. she taught him his first prayers at her knee, she give him love when no other would, she told him what was right and what wasn’t, and she seen that he done the right thing. son,” he said, “i never rued a day in my life like the one i rued when i left that old mother of mine.” what is ironic about mr. shiftlet’s comments? he discusses his mother although he doesn’t seem to actually have a mother. he has picked up a hitchhiker who has run away from his mother. he speaks about morals after having just abandoned his wife at a roadside diner. he clearly has no regrets about having left his mother when he was a younger man.

He speaks about morals after having just abandoned his wife at a roadside diner.

Flannery O'Connor was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. In her story "The Life You Save May Be Your Own," she tells the story of Shiftlet, a man who arrives to a farm, where he gets offered shelter in exchange for work. After insistence from the lady who owns the farm, he ends up marrying the woman's daughter, who is deaf and mute. After the wedding, the girl and Shiflet go on their honeymoon, and they stop at a diner to eat. The girl falls asleep at the table and Shiftlet leaves the diner, abandoning her. As he drives off, he picks up a hitchhiker, and this is where the dialogue appears. Shiftlet talks to the hitchhiker about how wonderful his mother was, and how important it is to appreciate mothers.

The scene is ironic because Shiftlet is discussing the importance of morality, and of how his mother taught him right from wrong, yet he just abandoned his wife at a diner, which is a clear contradiction and shows that his moral code is not the best.