Question

read the excerpt from flannery oconnors \the life you save may be your own.\ \its nothing so sweet,\ mr. shiftlet continued, \as a boys mother. she taught him his first prayers at her knee, she give him love when no other would, she told him what was right and what wasnt, and she seen that he done the right thing. son,\ he said, \i never rued a day in my life like the one i rued when i left that old mother of mine.\ what is ironic about mr. shiftlets comments? \\(\circ\\) he discusses his mother although he doesnt seem to actually have a mother. \\(\circ\\) he has picked up a hitchhiker who has run away from his mother. \\(\circ\\) he speaks about morals after having just abandoned his wife at a roadside diner. \\(\circ\\) he clearly has no regrets about having left his mother when he was a younger man.

Explanation:

Irony occurs when actions or words contradict stated values. Mr. Shiftlet praises maternal love and moral guidance, but this directly conflicts with his recent act of abandoning his own wife, undermining the moral stance he claims to hold. The other options do not align with the core irony of his words vs. his actions in the context of the story.

Answer:

He speaks about morals after having just abandoned his wife at a roadside diner.