Question

read the excerpt from flannery o’connor’s the life you save may be your own. they drove back to the house to let the old woman off and pick up the lunch. when they were ready to leave, she stood staring in the window of the car, with her fingers clenched around the glass. tears began to seep sideways out of her eyes and run along the dirty creases in her face. i ain’t ever been parted with her for two days before, she said. which best describes the irony in the excerpt? ○ mrs. crater has never been separated from her daughter, and now she must let her go for two days. ○ mrs. crater’s tears are insincere because she is happy that her daughter is finally leaving her alone. ○ instead of experiencing the joy of gaining a son-in-law, mrs. crater feels the sorrow of losing her daughter. ○ as the two part ways, lucynell does not feel the same amount of emotional despair as her mother.

Explanation:

In the story, Mrs. Crater's motivation for arranging the marriage was to get rid of her daughter (a disabled girl) rather than a genuine desire for her daughter's happiness. So her tears of "sadness" at parting are ironic as she is actually glad her daughter is leaving, making this option the best description of the irony. Option A just states a fact, not irony. Option C: Mrs. Crater's main concern wasn't losing her daughter but getting rid of her, and the focus of irony here is her insincere emotion. Option D: The excerpt focuses on Mrs. Crater, not Lucynell's feelings, so this doesn't address the irony in the excerpt about Mrs. Crater.

Answer:

B. Mrs. Crater’s tears are insincere because she is happy that her daughter is finally leaving her alone.