The Life You Save May Be Your Own Language Analysis

Words: 361
Pages: 2

Along with her short stories taking place in the South, Flannery O’ Connor uses informal speech in her works. It’s clear in her short story “The Life You Save May Be Your Own.” Both the old woman and Mr. Shiftlet use slang: “Lemme tell you something” (O’ Connor, Life 1082) and “You see that girl yonder?” (1085) are a couple examples. The reader can conclude from reading this story that the characters are not very educated. Southern dialect is also apparent in the text; for example, “My mother was an angel from Gawd” (1089). It’s obvious from the way that Mr. Shiflet pronounces “God” that he is a southerner. Furthermore, in “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” informal grammar is used. “Somewheres along the line I done something wrong and got sent to the penitentiary,” (O’Connor, Good 25) The Misfit says. Along with improper grammar, one can pick up on the southern dialect as well in this story. Since the characters are living in the South, it’s possible that the reason for …show more content…
In “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” Mr. Shiftlet refers to the old woman as “lady” (O’Connor, Life multiple pages). Similarly, in “A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” The Misfit says to the grandmother, “Does it seem right to you, lady, that one is punished a heap and another ain’t punished at all?” (O’Connor, Good 28). Throughout conversation between The Misfit and grandmother, he refers to her as “lady.” The use of “lady” is unique, especially to readers who do not live in the South, since this is a term typically used by Southerners. Additionally, the word “organdy,” which is a type of material that women wore in the South, is used in both short stories as well. Lucynell, the daughter of the old lady in “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” wears a “blue organdy dress” (O’Connor, Life 1080). Likewise, the dress’s collar and cuffs that the grandmother wears “were white organdy trimmed with lace” (O’ Connor, Good 11) in “A