Analysis Of Bobbie Ann Mason's Shiloh

Mason/Carver

Bobbie Ann Mason 's, Shiloh, told a story of a married couple torn apart by the injury to one, and the stress to the other. The story begins by describing the lives of the couple. Leroy, a truck driver, was injured in the leg in an accident on the highway four months before the author places us in the couple 's lives. Norma Jean, Leroy 's wife, started working out and is attending a body building class, and a night class subjected on English.

The couple had lost their only child died as an infant and as Leroy read, "For most people losing a child destroys the marriage (68). Norma Jean 's mother, Mabel, visits the couple constantly, watching over Norma Jean and criticizing her periodically. As a result, Mabel discovers Norma smoking. This causes Norma Jean 's last wall of independence to crumble in a flurry of tears. Later, Norma tells Leroy, " I feel eighteen again. I can 't face that all over again (76)." Earlier, in the same outburst, Norma exclaims, "She won 't - you won 't leave me alone.(76)" This led up to a climatic scene featuring Norma at the edge of a river waving her arms. Either waving good by to Leroy, or, as Leroy suspected,

First, in Shiloh, Leroy and Norma Jean most likely split up and continued down the path of life separately. Norma had mentioned wanting to leave Leroy (75). While the couple in Cathedral, stayed together without the idea that they were splitting up. On one hand Norma felt trapped, on the other, the narrator 's wife felt disgusted with her husbands behavior. One story featured someone stepping into a home, while the other story featured the possibility of someone leaving. One story ended on a happy note, and one did not. Finally, in Cathedral, the family, at the end, appeared to have adjusted with their new guest quite well showing how well the family could operate. On the other side, in Shiloh, the family could not adjust Leroy 's injury, so they broke