What Is The Conflict In Bobby Ann Mason's Shiloh

“People are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them”. This quote from African-American author James Baldwin has a transcendental nuance that I think well represents the characters from Bobby Ann Mason’s short story, Shiloh. Set in a small western Kentucky town, Shiloh’s theme focuses on how history effects people. History has effected Leroy and Norma Jean’s relationship to the point that their marriage is about to fall apart and there are many factors in their relationship that lead to this, ex: the critical mother-in-law Mabel, the couple’s passive way of not dealing with the loss of their child during the early years of marriage. Through this story, Bobbie Ann Mason shows the connection that history has to peoples lives – whether it’s by avoidance or holding on to it – and effectively portrays how that connection can be detrimental to an individual. …show more content…
She does this by insisting the couple visit the old battlefield at Shiloh, Tennessee where she and her husband went after their wedding and suggesting it be a “second honeymoon” for Norma Jean and Leroy. Mabel holds onto the past negatively by bringing up unresolved issues in casual, yet pointed conversation. She does this when she mentions the newspaper story about “the Datsun dog that killed the baby” and how it was the mother’s fault for neglect. This comment highly upset Norma Jean because months after her and Leroy were married, their baby died from sudden infant death syndrome while they were watching a movie. Norma takes her mother telling her this as a jab at her as if the infants death was her fault. This unresolved issue creates a turning point for Norma Jean in the narrative which ultimately leads to her telling Leroy she wants to leave him at