Shells By Cynthia Rylant Analysis

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Recommended: The theme of loneliness in literature

“Shells” by Cynthia Rylant is a realistic fiction short story about a 14-year-old boy and has to go live with his Aunt Esther because of his parents death. When his parents die nobody in his family wanted to step up and take him, but Aunt Esther is fiercely loyal to her family so she took him. In the beginning, Michael had to go live with his Aunt Esther and he was really hurt inside. When he was sad he would blame it on other people and Aunt Esther thinks that he hates her. In the middle, Aunt Esther starts to kind of realize how sad and hurt Michael really is. She tries to change her relationship with him, by buying him hermit crabs for companionship. In the end, Michael is comfortable with Aunt Esther, and their relationship became stronger and Aunt Esther finds out that Michael doesn’t really hate her. Throughout the story, Aunt Esther changes her relationship with Michael. …show more content…

Aunt Esther is a completely different person compared to Michael, she is lonely and she like it that way and she is always on the phone when Michael comes home. She really didn’t want to take in Michael, but her sister died and she is fiercely loyal to her family. A example of this is whenever Michael comes home for school she quickly changes the subject on the phone. In paragraph 1-10 they are in a fight, Aunt Esther says to Michael, “you hate it here,” she said, “and you hate me.” Michael claims that he doesn’t hate her and that it not her fault. This proves that Aunt Esther does not get along with Michael in the beginning because he won’t share his true feelings and how sad he his about his parents

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