The Life You Save May Be Your Own

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Analyze the use of the car as a symbol in the story.

• What does the car symbolize in the story? (topic sentence)
• Identify 3 passages where the car appears and what its significance is for Mr. Shiftlet, Mrs. Crater, or the relationship between them.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, state how the symbolism of the car relates to the theme of The Spirit Versus the Law or The Possibility of Salvation.

2. Consider the ways in which the story is part of the Southern Gothic tradition in literature.

• What elements of the Southern Gothic tradition does the story include? (topic sentence)
• Identify 3 passages that clearly reveal one or more of the elements of Southern Gothic writing. Analyze and discuss how and why these passages relate to that tradition.
• Use your concluding sentence or sentences to explain how Flannery O’Connor uses the Southern Gothic elements you have identified to comment on Southern society or on human nature.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. O’Connor weaves Christian imagery and iconography throughout the story. Connect this imagery and iconography to a larger point the author may be making about appearances, deception, and the theme of The End of Innocence or The Possibility of Salvation. Structure your essay around at least 3 examples, being sure to include specific quotations to support your analysis.

2. As Mr. Shiftlet drives toward Mobile, he sees several road signs that say, “The life you save may be your own,” which is also the title of the story. O’Connor’s original title was “The World Is Almost Rotten.” Why do you think O’Connor wanted that title originally? Why do you think she changed it? Consider what both the old and the new title signify about the story. Then, determine which title you think best reflects the story’s thematic message. Structure your essay around at least 3 examples from the story to support your position. Cite specific quotes to support your analysis.