Characters/important info
This character is mentally disabled and mute, making her vulnerable to take advantage of.
Who is Lucynell Crater?
Despite his talk about morality, Mr. Shiftlet’s actions ultimately show that he values this material possession more than the people he encounters.
What is the car?
This Catholic moral teaching emphasizes the responsibility to care for the defenseless and less fortunate
What is Option for the Poor and Vulnerable?
Mr. Shiftlet claims to be a man of principle, but abandoning Lucynell shows he lacks this key human virtue that connects people to each other.
What is Solidarity
This elderly woman wants to marry off her daughter, Lucynell, and offers Tom a car in exchange.
Who is Mrs. Crater?
Mr. Shiftlet’s abandonment of Lucynell at a diner goes against the core principle of Catholic Social Teaching that stresses the importance of every human being’s value.
What is the dignity of the human person?
Lucynell is described as having been born with this, which Mr. Shiftlet sees as a burden.
What is a disability?
Shiftlet refuses to see his own wrongdoing, ignoring this key Catholic principle that calls us to care for both people and the world
What is care for God's creation?
The story takes place on this type of setting, which symbolizes neglect and isolation from society.
What is a farm house?
The boy in the diner calls Lucynell an “angel of Gawd,” but Mr. Shiftlet refers to her as this, showing his disregard for her dignity.
What is a hitchhiker?
This character uses Lucynell’s vulnerability and abandons her after securing a material gain.
Who is Mr. Shiftlet?
Rather than forming a true bond with others, Shiftlet sees people as tools to get what he wants, violating this Catholic Social Teaching principle that calls us to support and uplift one another.
What is the call to solidarity?
This theme in the story focuses on the disconnect between what characters claim about morality and their actions.
What is morality?
The Catholic Church teaches that every human life is this, making respect for people the foundation of a moral society.
What is sacred?
Lucynell’s abandonment at a diner shows Shiftlet’s failure to follow this Catholic principle, which says to protect those who can’t help themselves.
What is the option for the poor and vulnerable?
Shiftlet speaks about the beauty of nature, but his actions show he lacks true care for creation, especially when he does this at the end of the story.
What is abandoning Lucynell and driving away into the storm?
Lucynell’s treatment in the story reflects this failure, where characters fail to recognize her inherent worth as a person.
What is human dignity?
Even though others treat Lucynell badly, her innocence and being called an "angel of Gawd" show that she represents this truth about human worth
What is the natural dignity of every human person?
This is the key concept in Catholic teaching that requires prioritizing the well-being of those who are defenseless, like Lucynell.
What is the moral obligation to care for the vulnerable?
This natural event in the final scene could symbolize divine judgment or nature’s response to Shiftlet’s failure to act with solidarity and responsibility.
What is the storm?