Question

which incident taken from o’connor’s “the life you save may be your own” is the best example of irony?
○ lucynell crater falls asleep in the diner before she has a chance to eat her food, and she is left there by her husband.
○ mrs. crater gives her car to mr. shiftlet in hopes that he will marry her one and only daughter.
○ mrs. crater thinks she is gaining a son-in-law, when in fact mr. shiftlet takes her car, her money, and abandons her daughter at a diner.
○ mr. shiftlet appears at the plantation house and explains that even the best doctors cannot know what is in his heart.

Explanation:

Irony occurs when an outcome is the opposite of what is expected. In this case, Mrs. Crater's goal of gaining a son-in-law to care for her and her daughter is completely reversed: Mr. Shiftlet takes her car and money, then abandons her daughter, which is the exact opposite of her intended result. This is the strongest example of situational irony among the options.

Answer:

Mrs. Crater thinks she is gaining a son-in-law, when in fact Mr. Shiftlet takes her car, her money, and abandons her daughter at a diner.