Bobbie Ann Mason’s short story “Shiloh” is one that was published in 1982. The story consists of an low class couple of Leeroy Moffitt and his wife Norma Jean, whose mother Mabel also has impact on the crumbling relationship of the two throughout the story. Much of the story is presented through the disabled Leeroy Moffitt’s perspective who is in anyway possible trying to sway Norma Jean’s love back in his direction; nonetheless, he’s a man with no job that aspires to build a home for his wife. Log cabins are a form of housing that is many decades old, so I wondered why Leeroy was so fixated on building this home when it’s obvious his wife wasn’t fond of it. After the couple and Mabel took the trip to Shiloh, where it’s important to note that
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After his traumatizing injury he’s flustered in my eyes.Through the way Leeroy was depicted you realized he’s living as if he has no responsibilities, yet he is unemployed in a low income family. These characteristics mirror that of a young adult but certainly not a grown man. This immaturity is so apparent in multiple instances in the story, not only through how his only occupation was making things from craft kits ( Ann Mason 617) but also his questioning of authority of the house in his conversation with Norma Jean “Am i still king around here?”(Ann Mason 623). After seeing that, it was clear his lack of maturity made into this unappealing person also like the cabin he wanted to build. My reasoning being is he even has a wife who partakes in bodybuilding classes,but he’d rather build model houses opposed to rehabbing and possibly bonding with his wife. This immaturity to me makes Leeroy an unappealing partner for any woman; specifically, one like Norma Jean, who constantly seems like she is trying to better herself throughout the story. This unappealing feel you get from Leeroy’s immaturity is similar to that of a old timey log cabin which Leeroy is ironically trying to …show more content…
Leeroy at the end of the story with one last good faith effort decides to take Norma Jean and Mabel to Shiloh after Mabel continually pushes it on them and even goes on to say it’s a pretty place and so full of history (Ann Mason 623). This all seems like a good idea, except for the fact that Mabel is the only one who really wants the trip. Leeroy is only interested because of the suggestion from Mabel and the idea of presenting a log cabin to Norma Jean, but it’s clear Norma Jean is completely apathetic to the situation.As they arrive things only get worse this bullet hole covered cabin that is being observed by tourist is in a way like the two’s relationship, it’s damaged. A worn down damaged house may be an historic site for tourist, but for a man like Leeroy it’s bad news. The log cabin isn’t just a place in the story, but in my eyes it’s much deeper. This cabin is damaged on the outside and empty on the inside, which is like Leeroy’s relationship damaged, and they have nothing going on within to keep them together. He finally begins to realize this at the end of the story as the narrator says, “It occurs to him that building a house of logs is similarly empty— too simple. And the real inner workings of a marriage, like most of history, have escaped him” (Ann Mason 625). To me the cabin was a perfect way to represent Leeroy and his relationship. A damaged log
After his traumatizing injury he’s flustered in my eyes.Through the way Leeroy was depicted you realized he’s living as if he has no responsibilities, yet he is unemployed in a low income family. These characteristics mirror that of a young adult but certainly not a grown man. This immaturity is so apparent in multiple instances in the story, not only through how his only occupation was making things from craft kits ( Ann Mason 617) but also his questioning of authority of the house in his conversation with Norma Jean “Am i still king around here?”(Ann Mason 623). After seeing that, it was clear his lack of maturity made into this unappealing person also like the cabin he wanted to build. My reasoning being is he even has a wife who partakes in bodybuilding classes,but he’d rather build model houses opposed to rehabbing and possibly bonding with his wife. This immaturity to me makes Leeroy an unappealing partner for any woman; specifically, one like Norma Jean, who constantly seems like she is trying to better herself throughout the story. This unappealing feel you get from Leeroy’s immaturity is similar to that of a old timey log cabin which Leeroy is ironically trying to …show more content…
Leeroy at the end of the story with one last good faith effort decides to take Norma Jean and Mabel to Shiloh after Mabel continually pushes it on them and even goes on to say it’s a pretty place and so full of history (Ann Mason 623). This all seems like a good idea, except for the fact that Mabel is the only one who really wants the trip. Leeroy is only interested because of the suggestion from Mabel and the idea of presenting a log cabin to Norma Jean, but it’s clear Norma Jean is completely apathetic to the situation.As they arrive things only get worse this bullet hole covered cabin that is being observed by tourist is in a way like the two’s relationship, it’s damaged. A worn down damaged house may be an historic site for tourist, but for a man like Leeroy it’s bad news. The log cabin isn’t just a place in the story, but in my eyes it’s much deeper. This cabin is damaged on the outside and empty on the inside, which is like Leeroy’s relationship damaged, and they have nothing going on within to keep them together. He finally begins to realize this at the end of the story as the narrator says, “It occurs to him that building a house of logs is similarly empty— too simple. And the real inner workings of a marriage, like most of history, have escaped him” (Ann Mason 625). To me the cabin was a perfect way to represent Leeroy and his relationship. A damaged log