Comparison Of Separating And Shiloh

The two short stories, “Separating” by John Updike and “Shiloh” by Bobbie Mason, both have the same problem but for different reasons. In “Separating”, the father and mother did not necessarily know why they wanted a divorce, they just simply were not happy with each other as they used to be. In “Shiloh”, the mother wants the divorce because she does not like having her husband around anymore. Both of the families in the two stories are going through a separation and the two writers do an outstanding job of letting the reader feel every emotion. In both stories, of course, both families are going through a divorce. .“Separating” is a little bit harder to take in because the couple has four children to break the news to but also has a few lines of comic relief. John held matches in his mothers face then suddenly through a cigarette into his mouth and began to chew it like it was gum. This brings laughter and a little bit of relief into the sad and depressing story. The Joan and Richard have four children that they have to break the news too but are not agreeing on how to tell them. Joan “thought they would be told one by one” (Updike 2515) but Richard “was for sure making an announcement at the table” (Updike 2515).

Norma Jean and Leroy go to a drive-in movie with their four-month old baby in the backseat. Richard and Joan simply thought that the baby had just fallen asleep but “…the baby was dead” (Mason 2615). Leroy begins to build a cabin for his wife so she could have a nice house to live in and is insisting on doing so but Joan does not seem to want a cabin. This event eventually leads to the starting point of the divorce between the two parents. Leroy’s tendency to smoke Marijuana and Norma Jean Body building skills make this story a little more