Read the excerpt from Flannery O'Connor's "The Life You Save May Be Your Own,"
Although the old woman lived in this desolate spot with only her daughter and she had never seen Mr. Shiftlet before,
she could tell, even from a distance, that he was a tramp and no one to be afraid of. His left coat sleeve was folded up to
show there was only half an arm in it and his gaunt figure listed slightly.
Which phrase connects these characters to the Southern gothic genre?

a. Half an arm.

Explanation:

Southern gothic literature focuses on the supernatural elements alongside some grotesque characters, the unrealistic settings, and even at times irrational dark humor elements.

In the given passage about Mr. Shiftlet from "The Life You Save May Be Your Own", the author Flannery O'Connor used this feature to present the stranger who had come to the Craters' farm. Lucynell Crater's observation of Mr. Shiftlet, with the half-arm, links the story to the southern gothic form, presenting a picture of some unrealistic nature to that of the approaching stranger.

the authority to tax.