The Destruction Of A Good Man By Bob Starrett

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Throughout the book, Bob Starrett changes drastically. From a small boy eager to prove his worth in vicious battles with a gun in hand, to a boy tinted with the understanding that having courage and being a good man doesn’t necessarily mean building your reputation so others find fear in your presence. ‘’This was the Shane I had dreamed for him, cool and competent, facing the room full of men in the simple solitude of his own invincible completeness’’ (152). This certain passage displays Bob’s aspirations for both himself and Shane because in the beginning of the book, Bob felt as if he had to resort to violence to prove his worth. Feeling proud of his ability to injure others in instances such as the time when Bob felt important and ‘manly’ for having Licked Ollie Johnson in the ear (49). …show more content…

After shooting both Wilson and Fletcher and completely losing his inner peace, Shane finds Bob nearby and tell the young witness of his violent actions that people don’t just change their personality, but instead try to find ways to cover up who they really are and that a good man doesn’t run from his true personality. ‘’A man is what he is Bob, and there’s no breaking the mold. I’ve tried that and I’ve lost” (159). After seeing Shane ride up the trail to his homestead for the very first time, Bob had wanted to be just like him, ‘’ Already I was imagining myself in hat and belt and boots like those” (5). Shane tells him that Bob will grow up to be his own unique individual and warns him not to get distracted or ‘run away’ from the real man that he was always destined to

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