"Shiloh" by Bobbie Ann Mason is about a man named Leroy and his wife Norma who struggle to stay together as a result of tragedies that occurred in their lives. Leroy is at home for the first time in a while because he got in a truck driving accident. Prior to this he was gone for years at a time always on the road working as a truck driver. Leroy's presence in the house bothers Norma because it reminds her of their baby that died. Throughout the story Norma is doing things to improve herself while Leroy is in a way declining. Eventually, this leads Norma to take the initiative and make a list of Jobs that Leroy can get, however Leroy just makes excuses on why he can't work. Leroy throughout the story promises Norma that he will build a cabin …show more content…
for her, however she wants an actual house. Throughout the story Leroy cannot progress in any area of his life and is a disappointment to Norma. Also, during all of his free time he builds cabins out of popsicle sticks and smokes weed. While it may seem that Leroy is oblivious as to what it is going and that is why he has not taking any initiative in his life, this is not the case because he tells Mabel, Norma Jean's mother, that, "Maybe she was happier with me gone" (Mason 648). Norma Jean at the end of the story eventually tells Leroy that she wants to leave him.
In "Shiloh" by Mason it is clear that Norma Jean is a feminist because she does not follow traditional gender roles, her relationship is not a patriarchal relationship, she does not conform to the sexism that was prevalent at the time, and because she was raised by a feminist. In "Shiloh" Norma Jean does not follow traditional gender roles, and also in a way, the gender roles are almost reversed.
Typically, due to traditional gender roles women in the relationship are seen as weaker, emotional, and submissive. However, in "Shiloh" it is clear that when dealing with past problems Norma Jean is a more reasonable person and Leroy is the more emotional person of the two. Leroy is too scared to take up another job as a result of his truck driving accident and it is stated in the story that, "The accident frightened him" (Mason 646). Leroy is a much wear character than Norma Jean is. Norma Jean throughout the story deals with the memory of her baby dying in an admirable way. Unlike Leroy, Norma Jean uses her traumatic past to improve herself as a person. To add to this, Norma Jean also uses Leroy's traumatic experience to benefit herself and when Leroy works out as a part of his physical therapy, Norma Jean decides to also work out. Author David Bolt asserts, "He might be said to take on a typically feminine role" (11). This is made obvious due to the fact that Leroy is not only staying at home and emotional, but also because Norma Jean is physically stronger than him. The narrator reveals that this leads Leroy to her as, "Wonder Woman." (Mason 645). This shows how Leroy has respect for how strong Norma Jean is. Also, scholars state, "Challenging the notion that being biologically female is a sufficient condition of femininity, the characterization of
Norma Jean is grounded in feminist epistemology" (Bolt 11). This is seen by how Norma Jean is a much stronger person both physically and emotionally. Second, it is made evident that Norma Jean is a feminist by the way her relationship is structured. Norma Jean's relationship in the story is not a patriarchal relationship. It is obvious throughout the story that Norma Jean has all of the power in the relationship and she controls where it goes. When it comes to the household Norma Jean's mother Mabel becomes the head of it. Author Greg Bentley asserts, "Although she is biologically a woman, Mabel Beasly becomes the man of the house" (56). Throughout the story Mabel goes through the house pointing out things that are wrong with it. Furthermore, it is likely that Norma Jean is the way she is because she did not grow up in a patriarchal home. Norma Jean's father died when she was younger so to Norma having a woman in charge of the house is not abnormal to her. Also, Leroy depends on Norma Jean while Norma Jean does not at all depend on Leroy. Leroy has a problem with Norma Jean being a feminist and he believes she is one because she is following a trend rather than because she agrees with their ideals. This leads Leroy to ask her, "Is this one of those women's lib things" (Mason 653). Typically, when women do not allow a patriarchy to exist in their relationship it is usually seen as unnatural. Norma Jean is a feminist because she is not a sexist. Sexists tend to believe that women are inferior to men and therefor men should make all of the decisions and women should follow. However, Leroy is a sexist and believes he needs to build a house for Norma because he, is a man. It bothers Leroy that Norma does not want him to build anything and this causes Leroy to feel that, "His sense of manhood has been clearly jeopardized" (Bentley 56). Norma does not at all conform to this ideology and in fact she goes against it by declining Leroy's offer. Eventually at the end of the story Norma Jean is fed up with Leroy and she tells him that she is leaving him and all he says, "I won't let you" (Mason 654). It is made evident that Leroy has no power in the relationship when Norma Jean responds to this by saying "You can't stop me" (Mason 654). Norma Jean is in full control of all decisions made for their relationship and Leroy just follows. Last, Norma Jean is a feminist because her mother Mabel was a feminist and growing up that's the only parent Norma Jean had. Mabel throughout the story shows that she is superior to Leroy. One of the main ways Mabel does this is when she first visits she puts her cup of coffee down onto Leroy's blueprints for his cabin. She does this so that, "She not only asserts her presence as the authority in the house, but she also simultaneously emasculates Leroy" (Bentley 56). Mabel throughout the story asserts herself as a much stronger person than Leroy and eventually it is known to both Norma Jean and Leroy that Mabel is the "man" of the house. Mabel plans a trip for them to go to Shiloh, however this trip eventually backfires on her, "When, Norma Jean and Leroy separate, Mabel will lose her patriarchal position in their lives, she will lose her role as the father/ husband in their marriage" (Bentley 56). Mabel enjoys being in control of Leroy and her daughter's marriage and she does not want to lose her patriarchal head of the household status. This shows how much of a feminist Mabel is and shows how she could've been a big influence to Norma Jean. Due to Norma Jean being a feminist she goes against cultural norms at the time, and as a result of her not following traditional gender roles, going against the patriarchy, not being sexist, and being raised by a feminist this leads to her having full control of her life and her relationship. Also, she does not let societal norms at the time influence the way she wanted to live her life. Furthermore, because the typical gender roles are reversed in the story and Leroy is emotional and scared to pursue anything this eventually leads Norma Jean to eventually leave Leroy. Due to things like this and other events in the story it is clear that Norma Jean was stronger than her male partner. Furthermore, even Norma Jean's mother let Leroy see that she was more "manly" than him. "Shiloh" shows that in society biases and weaknesses are often created by humans and culture rather than by biology.
N. Scott Momaday wrote these lines in his 1991 book of poems, In the Presence of the Sun: “In the shine of photographs / are the slain, frozen and black / … In autumn there were songs, long / since muted in the blizzard.” In this poem called “Wounded Knee Creek”, Momaday depicts the aftermath of Federal and Native American conflict at the Battle of Wounded Knee. He reminds the reader of how the event and loss of native life are remembered solely through these photographs of the dead and lost. Momaday’s work represents the Western tradition of artists using their art to memorialize and remember the past peoples and places that have been transformed, built up, and destroyed through government institutions of the West. It is this remembrance of
The Civil War was a major point in American History. It has influenced everyone in America in many ways. The War was conducted in two main areas of the United States. These two parts were in the area east of the Mississippi River and in the area west of the Mississippi River. The control of both of these fronts was vital for victory by either the Union or the Confederacy. On March 8, 1862, a small skirmish at Pea Ridge, Arkansas led to the Union's domination of the west. The Battle of Pea Ridge had a great impact on the civil war by giving control of the west to the Federal forces (Battle).
The Civil War had a very large affect on all of the States. It changed men from gentlemen that went to church every Sunday and never cussed to people who rarely went to church and cussed all the time. Some of the people in the war were also very corrupt and did not do things as they should be done. The way that the enemy was looked at was even changed. All of these things were talked about in "The Civil War Diary of Cyrus F. Boyd".
Plot structure in ‘Shiloh’ shows how a small change in a marriage can ultimately make it fall apart. In the exposition, we find that Leroy used to be a truck driver until he got in an accident and injured his leg. His occupation caused him to be away from home often, and Norma Jean became used to being alone. This became a normalcy to Norma Jean, and Leroy being home all the time was something they both had to adjust to. Thus, their problems began. As the weeks go by and Leroy is still not back to work, Norma Jean must become the provider of the house. In the ...
A neighbor, Mrs. Hazel Griffin, shows mercy and helps June Jordan move into her parents’ house even as Jordan’s mother lay ill. But while this neighbor helped a needy woman, Jordan’s father stood by and disapprovingly watched. He felt threatened by Mrs. Griffin because she was a single mother with a successful business who had not completed her education. Jordan’s father thought that women should adhere to strict gender roles and not be
Kathleen. 229). This book is about a middle-aged man that lives on a farm with his wife,
In the story "Shiloh" by Bobbie Ann Mason, The reader gets different points of view and different feelings about the characters and the story. In this story the narrator explains how time and distance can create a gap between two people. It also talks about how naïve Leroy really is and also how self-centered he is. It allows the reader to understand that sometimes in doing something good people could be doing something that hurts others.
The setting in the short story “Shiloh” by Bobbie Ann Mason works well to accentuate the theme of the story. The theme portrayed by Mason is that most people change along with their environment, with the exception of the few who are unwilling to adapt making it difficult for things such as marriage to work out successfully. These difficulties are apparent in Norma Jean and Leroy’s marriage. As Norma Jean advances herself, their marriage ultimately collapses due to Leroy’s unwillingness to adapt with her and the changing environment.
On April 12, 1861, Abraham Lincoln declared to the South that, the only reason that separate the country is the idea of slavery, if people could solve that problem then there will be no war. Was that the main reason that started the Civil war? or it was just a small goal that hides the real big reason to start the war behind it. Yet, until this day, people are still debating whether slavery is the main reason of the Civil war. However, there are a lot of facts that help to state the fact that slavery was the main reason of the war. These evidences can relate to many things in history, but they all connect to the idea of slavery.
The Battle of Shiloh was an extraordinary event in the civil war timeline and would be a great deal as to when the war was fought at its hardest. The sources I have researched and collected will help me better understand this battle and many other facts I have yet to discover. The Battle of Shiloh is not the most well known battle during the Civil war, but it gives us an idea on how gruesome the fighting was during this time. I view this battle as a turning point for the Union and the continuing losses for the Confederate army as they try to gain back territory. Officers of each side had separate plans, where the Union needed to take the Memphis and Charleston Railroads, and the Confederates just wanted to stop the Union troops from advancing further south(CWPT).
This is story is told in the first person by Leroy Moffitt. He is the main character who deals with conflicts within himself, his wife, and the environment around him. Shiloh first begins discussing how Norma Jean Moffitt (one of the main characters) is working at transforming her body by excessively working out. Leroy Mallard, her husband, had been a truck driver 15 years of their marriage. Now he is no longer driving truck, has suffered a highway injury to his leg and is in a wheel chair at home.
In the short story "Shiloh" written by Bobbie Ann Mason, she expresses a theme stating that taking life for granted causes individuals to lose sight of what is important and how people become blinded by everyone and everything around them. Emotions take a big toll on the way a person handles a situation and people do not necessarily compartmentalize in order to make the right decision with ease. There are various characters represented throughout the story ranging from dynamic to round characters. Norma Jean and Leroy Moffitt are the antagonist and protagonist, both of them are at war with each other. Situational irony occurs when Leroy arrives home and continues to stay home after being involved in a truck accident at work. Norma Jean is not used to her husband being home now and would rather have him on the road again. He is excited to settle down with his wife but she wants him gone. She was comfortable with staying at home alone and now that he is there all the time, her freedom is disturbed. The tone the author entails is complicated, harsh, selfish, and straightforward simply for the matter that their marriage lacks communication which makes any relationship complicated. Straightforward is another tone being described because at the end Norma Jean bluntly tells Leroy that she is leaving him. It is very crucial to his ears and harsh coming from her after sixteen years of marriage. The story takes place in the couple's home, super plaza, and the battleground of Shiloh. In the story the reader is able to foreshadow the outcome as a result of Norma Jean's behavior. Symbolism induces the battleground, Star Trek pillow, Wonder Woman, craft kits, and color of the ruffle. The narrator tells the story from a third person limited om...
Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley "Scarlett" is about a southern woman who had survived the Civil War, had been widowed twice with two children. She got married again to Rhett Butler, and they had a daughter who was killed when she fell off a horse. Since the death of the child, her husband did not want anything to do with Scarlett. Rhett gave Scarlett all the money she needed, but she wanted him. Heartbroken, she went to Ireland where her father came from. She did not tell anyone in America that she was going, except for her lawyer. She met her Irish relatives, and loved them. She bought a town and a Big House in Ireland and had it refurbished. Scarlett found out that she was pregnant with Rhett's child, but before she could tell him, he divorced her and married someone else. She vowed to not tell Rhett about the baby until it was grown, even though she loved him. She told her Irish friends that she was a widow and that her two children lived with her sister on a plantation in Georgia, which she owned two-thirds of. She gave birth to a girl on Halloween and a wise old woman had to deliver her because the doctor couldn't get there. The Irish called the woman a witch and the baby a changeling because of when she was born for they were very superstitious people. They never liked the little girl and were always scared of her. One of Scarlett's cousins in Ireland was a priest, whose name was Colum O'Hara, and they had become good friends.
A great example of this type of writing is “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O' Conner. It is a story about a family trip gone that has turned out bad, a selfish grandma causes her entire family to be stranded after the car crashes and is put into a ditch. They are relaxed to see a car stop for them to give them a ride to their destination, until they soon realize the person driving was an escaped convict named "The Misfit." The convicts partners began taking the family into the woods one by one to assonate them, the grandmother starts to beg for her life even though s...
... The author uses the women's conversations to emphasize the reasons Scout remains a tomboy and refuses the traits of Maycomb females. Harper Lee provides the reader with several examples of typical Maycomb females. She establishes Scout's masculinity with fighting and explains her demeanor by contrasting it with the typical female adults of the novel. The author also allows Jean Louise to wear masculine clothing and gives her a manly nickname.