Realistic Short Story 'Shells' By Cynthia Rylant

390 Words2 Pages
Title “Shells” by Cynthia Rylant is a realistic short story about a boy who is forced to live with his distant aunt. In the beginning, Michael has a bad relationship with his Aunt Esther. There is screaming and lots of yelling. Soon, Michael buys a hermit crab so he can have something to take care of. Esther takes interest of this hermit crab. In the end Esther and Michael buy 22 hermit crabs to live with the singular one Michael had bought. Esther marks the one that Michael had bought before with red nail polish. This story shows that Michael and Esther's relationship changes throughout the story. In the beginning, Michael and Esther often yell and fight due to a poor relationship. Michael and Aunt Esther had just gotten in another fight