shiloh

When I first saw the assignment said to read “Shiloh”, I immediately thought of the story with a young boy and his dog. I was wrong. Bobbie Ann Mason’s “Shiloh” is a very different story. The story is a very depressing one about a couple’s marriage that is about to end. There are several signs that foreshadow Norma Jean’s decision to leave Leroy. For example, Norma Jean is always exercising or eating healthy. I have noticed that a lot of the time whenever someone I know is about to break up with someone or they just get dumped they start to care about their appearance and do various things to not only improve their life but keep themselves busy. Norma Jean seems to be doing exactly that throughout the short story. Leroy also knows it because he notices the changes in Norma Jean and the distance between them. The couple got together at a young age and their infant, Randy, died of SIDS. This awful event still haunts Norma Jean and Leroy years afterwards. Randy is always talking about his son to strangers. The ironic thing is that Norma Jean and Leroy never discuss Randy together. This is also a sign foreshadowing that their marriage is coming to an end because they have lost their open line of communication. They both are suffering from depression. Another thing I noticed about “Shiloh” is the influence traditional gender roles had on the outcome of the story. Generally speaking, men are the ones supporting the family while women stay at home. Now, Leroy is stuck at home and finding hobbies that traditionally women enjoy. It also seems a bit as if Leroy does not want a job because Norma Jean is the one finding jobs for him and he has excuses for why he should not do them. Norma Jean also seems fed up with the fact that she is working and Leroy is not.