Shiloh by Bobbie Ann Mason

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Shiloh by Bobbie Ann Mason In the short story titled "Shiloh", Bobbie Ann Mason does an extremely effective job of getting her message across. This story is about a couple that gets married a young age that probably was not ready to be married. They experience a series of events, which shape them and determined there future. The author in this story does a fabulous job because this story was easy to read and understand. "Shiloh" was written in 1982 so the story plot isn't old and hard to grasp. It is set in recent times and features common people. Mason presents problems that people can relate to and identify with. She shows that staying in comfortable situations isn't always the best thing to do; sometimes you should go out of your shell and experience some kind of growth or change. "Shiloh" was written in 1982. Is set in the Kentucky backwoods, and uses characters that are vividly portrayed so the reader can feel like they know everything about them. The characters are common people from a small town. Mason does a great job of putting these elements together to capture the reader's attention. She is writing for a large audience and is efficient at drawing their attention. The target audience is the lower to middle class, and she inserts entities into the story that they can relate to. For example the character Leroy who is a truck driver, "likes to lie on the couch and smoke a joint", and Norma Jean, "works at the Rexall drugstore". These people are average people and a large section of society can easily relate to them. Mason uses the characters to present problems and conflict that are central to the American society. The problems that are examined in this story are very prevalent in our culture. Dysfunctional marriages/relationships and identity problems are some of the main problems that occur with Leroy and Norma Jean. During the time period when this story was written there was a big movement in our culture for change. This development was called the women's rights movement. As Mason states, "Something is happening. Norma Jean is going to night school. She has graduated from her six-week body-building course and now is talking an adult-education course in composition at Paducah Com.

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