Separating And Shiloh: A Comparative Analysis

In both “Separating” by John Updike and “Shiloh” by Bobbie Ann Mason, the couples’ marriages are coming to a devastating end when they are faced with a harsh reality of their dying relationships. In “Separating,” the husband, Richard, and the wife, Joan, have decided to separate and have finally agreed to tell their children individually. In “Shiloh,” the husband, Leroy, is blind to the fact that his wife, Norma Jean, has fallen out of love with him and is preparing to leave him. Although these relationships alike are coming to a fatal end after much change in their relationship since they first came together as one, their spouses deal with the divorce in similar aspects but different ways.

In a few ways, the husband in “Separating” and the

wife in “Shiloh” deal with their separation in a similar way. Richard and Norma Jean both are fixing things and preparing to leave their spouses, but for different reasons. In “Separating,” Richard wants to fix things around the house to leave his family in a good spot. He is obsessed with fixing the tennis court and returning it to how it used to look when they first got it the year before. He replaces “screens and sash cords, hinges and latches” trying to get everything fixed before he leaves (Updike 2515). While Richard wants to leave everything in good condition for his family, Norma Jean, in “Shiloh” is trying to fix things for herself. Mason states that Norma Jean is “going to night school. She has graduated from her six-week body-building course and now she is taking an adult-education course in composition” (Mason 2619). Evidently Norma Jean’s intentions are to fix her self up for a fresh new start elsewhere. In both relationships, their partners were full aware that their relationship had already faded.
Another similarity between their relationships is the fact that both couples have fallen out of love and do not make each other happy anymore. In “Separating”, Richard did not fully understand why they did not love each other. He just knew they no longer felt the same. In “Shiloh”, Leroy knows “he is going to lose her” but did not know how to fix his relationship (Mason 2619). While both knew their relationship was coming to an end, both did not understand why. They did not comprehend how their relationship had to get to that point.
Despite the similarities, the couple’s spouses leave their relationship in different ways, which shows both spouses who plan to leave have different intentions. In “Separated” Richard is leaving his current relationship for another woman, which is not noted until mid way of the story. Though he is leaving his wife, he dreads telling his children and does not know how he will deal with the situation. Whereas in “Shiloh” Norma Jean is ending her relationship so she can start over with her life, she seems to have no problem with her decision. Nonresistant, Norma Jean states, “I want to leave you” leaving Leroy devastated (Mason 2621). Though Richard is obviously leaving his relationship, his intents are respectable. Norma Jean on the other hand, does not give a care in the world in the way she leaves Leroy.
The way the partners of “Separating” and “Shiloh” deal with their divorce are very different yet similar. Leroy started being at the house more and Norma Jean hated it. Richard had another woman, which ruined his relationship. A relationship is 50/50 between 2 people, but if one is not giving their full commitment into their relationship, then things will start to change and slowly fade. This is evident after analyzing both of these short stories.