Mr. Shiftlet's Materialism

In “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” by Flannery O’Connor, Mr. Shiftlet came to the mother and daughter for one reason only. He wanted the car they owned. His want for the car restricts him from actually caring about Lucynell. This materialism for the car stifles any possibility of growth in Mr. Shiflet.
Mr. Shiftlet’s desire for the car prevents him from getting to know the ladies. At the beginning, his first comment, “You ladies drive?” shows that his main intention of coming to the house is getting the car. Mr. Shiftlet doesn't even ask who the women are. To even further his chances of getting the car, he uses many “stories” about himself to make the ladies trust him. For example, when the older woman asks why he is here, he responds with a “story.” He says that a surgeon who, “takes the human heart,” and, “held it in his hand” is not different than him or the ladies. When Mr. Shiftlet mentions these things, he only focuses on the car. He has no room in his brain to get to know the ladies. This intense focus on the car blocks him from realizing the potential friendship he could make.
Mr. Shiftlet’s materialism for the car prevents him from learning more about Lucynell. This opportunity he loses starts with him saying that “people will do anything” and he …show more content…
Shiftlet’s disregard for the ladies bars him from realizing how amazing these ladies really are. This ignorance starts with him saying how she can get a “cheaper car” if only one man has worked on it, and she can have a car that has “had a personal interest taken in it.” Mr. Shiftlet says this because he wants Lucynell to entrust him with the car. Mr. Shiftlet’s focus on getting the car distracts him from knowing the importance of the car. If he knew, for instance, where the car came from and how it was used, he would think twice before stealing the car and ruining a girl’s life at the end of the story. This intense craving for the car prohibits him from seeing how great of a family they could have