Read the excerpt from Flannery O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own.” He was more depressed than ever as he drove on by himself. The late afternoon had grown hot and sultry and the country had flattened out.
Which best describes the irony in the excerpt?
A) The heat of the day is indicative of Mr. Shiftlet’s negative feelings of his life and situation.

B ) Mr. Shiftlet would have preferred to travel with his new wife, Lucynell, but she has left him at the diner.

C ) The young boy rejected Mr. Shiftlet’s offer to give him a ride, and now the man finds himself alone.

D ) Mr. Shiftlet has the car he wanted and managed to rid himself of his wife, but he still is not happy.

At the beginning of the story, Mr. Shiflet appeared at Lucynell's house and saw the car just abandoned at the house. He wanted it. He realized in order to get the car, he would need to marry Lucynell. This wasn't hard because her mother did not want to be responsible for her any more and Lucynell was enamored with him. Mr. Shiflet decided to marry Lucynell, and the two of them drove away to start a life together. However, Mr. Shiflet didn't really want a wife so after a while of driving he left her at a diner. The statement is ironic because all he wanted was to be by himself driving the car to wherever he wanted, but he's not happy like he thought he would be.