The Life You Save May Be Your Own Sparknotes

Through desperation and yearning, individuals often resort to any means necessary to achieve their desires. "High Horse’s Courting" is a short story by Black Elk that describes the courtship of High Horse, a Lakota Sioux man, as he attempts to steal the heart of a girl he is sickly in love with, and the drastic measures he resorts to do so. "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" by Flannery O'Connor describes the journey of a drifter named Tom Shiftlet who marries a disabled woman named Lucynell Crater, but ultimately abandons her for his own selfish impulses. Both stories explore the complexities of human relationships and the desires that fuel them. Meaningful connections can be found in the deeply flawed trickster characters, utilization of

Shiftlet creates a relationship with both Lucynell and her mother Mrs. Crater for the sole reason of getting the old car that they have. To complete his mission of attaining the car, “[he] and Lucynell were married in the Ordinary’s office… as they [come] out of the courthouse… he [looks] morose and bitter as if he [has] been insulted” (O’Connor 536). Tom takes Lucynell’s hand in marriage just so that he can get the object of his desire. He does not care what he has to give up or who he has to trick to get the things he wants, displaying the immense selfishness that he beholds. Furthermore, not only is Shiftlet attempting to con his way into getting the car, Mrs. Crater is trying to con him into the marriage just so she can have a son-in-law. Mrs. Crater deceivingly gives Tom the things that he wants and puts her daughter

When Shiftlet first notices the car on the Craters’ property, it is presented as a potential path to salvation: helping a family in need by fixing up their old car. However, Shiftlet takes the path of deviance and plots to steal the car from the family. The car represents a fork in the road between two life paths: That of righteousness and that of deceit. As Shiftlet is driving off alone with the car that he conned his way into attaining when “a cloud… [descends] over the sun… with a guffawing peal of thunder from behind and fantastic raindrops” (O’Connor 538). The storm that ensues represents the divine reaction to the deplorable actions of Shiftlet and his choice of running from it represents his decision to pursue a life filled with sin. He does not care for the repercussions of his actions, only that he himself gets what he wants. In comparison, after High Horse wears through all of his duplicities he decides to “go on the war path all by himself… and [drives] off about a hundred horses” (Elk 650). The horses throughout “High Horse’s Courting” represent the mindset of High Horse and the respect that he attains. He begins with a measly offer of 2 horses when he is willing to deceit and con his way into getting the girl, but when he builds the courage to go the respectable journey, he attains hundreds of horses and