Which best describes the irony of the excerpt?
mr. shiftlet has just deceived an old woman for personal gain, and yet he does not think he’s part of the “rottenness of the world.”
mr. shiftlet should never have given a ride to the young boy, who clearly was up to no good and should have been at home with his loving mother.
mr. shiftlet observes that the color of the cloud is the same as the boy’s hat, a grim reminder that the boy is part of a rotten world.
mr. shiftlet is unable to close the door of his car, which essentially forces him to invite the evilness of the world into his car.

The correct answer is A) Mr. Shiflet has just deceived an old woman for personal gain and yet he does not think he’s part of the “rottenness of the world”.

The option that best describes the irony of the excerpt is “Mr. Shiflet has just deceived an old woman for personal gain and yet he does not think he’s part of the “rotteness of the world”.

Lucynell is deaf and mute, and her mother give Mr. Shiflet money to marry Lucynell. Mr. Shiftlet accepts the money and marries her. They go to their honeymoon and abandon Lucy and then it comes to his mind that “he felt that the rottenness of the world was about to engulf him. He raised his arm and let it fall again to his breast. He prayed: ‘Oh Lord! Break forth and wash the smile from this Earth.”

We are referring to the short story “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” written by Flannery O’Connor that can be found in the book “A Good Man is Hard to Find” (1955).

The theme of the story ‘Man in the well’ emphasizes the terrible behavior of children to adults who are in danger. The children, when they are in a group, act strangely and forgive lesser. They do not understand if adults are in danger.

The questions asked by the children to the man struck inside a well, instead of helping him clearly states that the children can be strange and terrible. Also, the man in the well exposes his fear by shouting and using harsh voices at children. His scary behavior might also be a reason for the children to not help him.