Theme of Relationships in Shiloh

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In the short story "Shiloh", written by Bobbie Sue Mason, Norma Jean and Leroy are an older married couple that are experiencing new roadblocks in their relationship. Leroy is injured in a trucking accident while, so he is unable to until his knee heals, but he is nervous to go back to trucking. Norma Jean his wife is use to being home without Leroy and does not know how to handle him being around so often. Her mother Mabel has decided to somewhat take Leroy’s place by hanging around he house more then he ever thought she did. She helps Norma Jean, but she also is a burden. It is up to the reader to decide whether Norma Jean and Leroy stay together, or end up getting a divorce at the end of the story. I believe that they can work things out if they were to see a marriage counselor. There are a couple of really big issues that I feel if were looked at, discussed and handled differently they could get through their rough spell. The death of their son, Mabel the controlling mother, and the inability for the two to communicate at all causes the cracks in their relationship.

The death of their son happened before Leroy was on the road all the time. They never really discussed what happened or how it made them feel. Leroy just hits the road and pretty much stayed there until he got hurt. I think this was the beginning of the rift between them. Norma Jean had some resentment for Leroy for leaving her to deal with all her emotions by herself. They were in it together, but never dealt with it together. Now Leroy is back and Norma Jean must see him everyday. She tries to escape from the pain and resentment that she feels by taking up different hobbies. When Leroy was gone she was not reminded that they had a son, she basically started a n...

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...e within Norma Jean. Mabel is bringing out the bad in Leroy, when Norma Jean needs to see the good.

What I think that it comes down to in this relationship is the lack of communication between Leroy and Norma Jean. They have gone through a very traumatic time in their lives, they did not deal with it they both just brushed it away. Leroy needs to start working again, but still be there for his wife. They both have feelings about each other that they need to express. They need to confront Mabel about her controlling ways and realize that they have their own life that they need to live; they do not need a third person chiming in. They need to reconnect with each, get back to the way they were before Leroy. I do not think that any relationship works without communication whether it is a friendship, a relationship with another family member, or your significant other.

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