The Grail in Shiloh is Leroy’s hope that he and Norma will be able to rebind the loose ties of their marriage and get their past life back, which impossibility invokes the idea that one must give up hopeless chases, even in the modern world. After the couple loses their child their marriage takes the toll and Leroy believes “they must create a new marriage, start afresh” (461). Not only does Leroy believe this is a possibility, he states this goal like a fact and ignores the growing distance between Norma and him. Leroy’s goal is unattainable from the start as seen through the different lifestyles they are aspiring towards. When Leroy brings up his idea of building a log cabin, Norma responds, “I don’t want to live in any log cabin” (464).
