The Life You Save May Be Your Own

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Free Lucynell Scene Rewrite”

In this activity, students will consider the use of “the grotesque” in the story as part of the Southern Gothic tradition in literature, with a focus on Lucynell. They will then rewrite a scene as a short play in which Lucynell is able to hear and respond to the other characters.

One key element of Southern Gothic literature is the inclusion of “the grotesque.” This often takes the form of a physical disability or an emotional limitation and is meant to offer some larger comment about the character. In the story, Mr. Shiftlet, Mrs. Crater, and Lucynell are all “grotesque” in their own ways. How do their physical and emotional limitations contribute to a deeper understanding of The End of Innocence and/or The Possibility of Salvation?

• What physical and/or emotional challenges do Mr. Shiftlet, Mrs. Crater, and Lucynell each suffer from?
• How does each physical or emotional challenge lead to a deeper understanding of the character, their role in the story, or their relationships with other characters?
• How would our understanding change if Lucynell could hear and respond to Mr. Shiftlet and her mother?
• After analyzing the characters and considering your responses to the questions above, choose one scene in which Lucynell appears with Mr. Shiftlet, Mrs. Crater, or both. Rewrite the scene in the form of a play in which Lucynell listens and responds to the other characters.

Share your play with the class, choosing someone to read the part of each character, as time allows. Then, in your reading journal, explain why you had Lucynell respond the way she did and how removing Lucynell’s physical challenge changed your understanding of the story or your understanding of the other characters. Did their grotesqueness become more pronounced as a result of your changes to Lucynell? Or did they also move away from this element? Why do you think that is?

Teaching Suggestion: In Southern Gothic literature, the grotesque is often the physical, mental, or social disability or limitation of a character. In the case of “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” however, Lucynell’s physical and mental challenges rob her of her voice and autonomy and position her as an object of exchange, a bargaining chip, between her mother and Mr. Shiftlet. In re-envisioning a scene in the story and giving Lucynell a voice, the traditional Southern Gothic trope may be upended. In this activity, students will potentially remove Lucynell from her position as a voiceless victim. Either way, in rewriting a scene and giving a voice to Lucynell, they can then examine any impact on the story’s effect and/or invocation of the grotesque.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who struggle with structured writing may find it helpful to work in groups of two or three. After discussing the questions above in small groups, each group can work together to rewrite one scene from the story as a short drama. The students should choose a scene in which Lucynell appears with other characters. The group members can then share their play with the class, after which the class can discuss how Lucynell changed and how those changes affected their understanding.