Both religion and nature are thought to give beauty to life. Religion gives some a purpose for living while for others nature provides a natural escape from the problems of modern life. However, author Flannery O' Connor uses both of these elements in her short story The Life You Save May Be Your Own for a different purpose. Religion and Nature provide the reader with insight into the main character, Tom Shiflet, a tormented one-armed wanderer who enters the lives of the women of the Crater and leaves them suddenly. While time represents the changing circumstances of the main character, Tom Shiflet, the numerous Christian symbols surrounding the characters serve to emphasize his moral corruption. The sunset and blue skies represent the opportunity for a new life for Tom Shiflet's character. The story begins with Mr. Shiflet appearing before both women of the Crater as the sun is setting. The women see him approaching while sitting on the porch, but are blinded by the light as Shiflet cannot help but notice his beauty. Shiflet “came closer, at a walk, along his road, with his face turned towards the sun which seemed to be balanced on the top of a small mountain” (Connor 437). After this, Shiflet observes that "I would give a fortune to live where I could see the sun do such a thing every evening" (438). The magnificence of the sunset matches the beautiful sky present on the day of Tom Shiflet's wedding to Lucynell. As Lucynell and Tom leave for their honeymoon, the afternoon sky is described as “clear and open and ringed with pale blue sky” (Connor 443). It was a perfect day to celebrate the sacrament of marriage. However, these descriptions not only provide detail to the reader, but also provide a window into the... center of the card... because it contrasts with the ugliness of Shiflet. He mistreated both of these angels by abandoning them. The comparison of the women to angels serves to highlight their virtue and to emphasize that the women did not deserve the shameful treatment they received at the hands of Tom Shiflet. While the frequent Christian symbols present in the novel serve to highlight Tom Shiflet's sinful nature, O'Connor also uses time to represent his changing attitude. A quiet life with Lucynell was not meant for Tom Shiflet, much to Mrs. Crater's dismay. While Tom's actions are by no means justified, one cannot overlook the fact that both of these women were forcing Tom to transform into something he wasn't. Tom was never destined to live a quiet married life, he was a wanderer, a country traveler who stopped to admire the sunset and left under a cloud. worldly