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Symbolism In Bobbie Ann Mason's Shiloh

1282 Words6 Pages

Bobbie Ann Mason’s short story Shiloh is a story explaining the events leading up to a husband and wife’s marriage coming to an end. This couple rushed into marriage because they had a baby on the way, but four months after the baby was born it died of sudden infant death syndrome. In this story Norma Jean ,the wife, is the breadwinner of the family while her husband Leroy stays at home because of an injury he sustained at work. Both Leroy and Norma Jean fail to confront the issues they are having, and because of this, the bond between them grows weaker the longer they are together. Their marriage is bound to end at some point. As a result of the relationship coming to an end, Norma starts strengthening herself so that she can leave her husband, …show more content…

In “Shiloh” Bobbie Ann Mason uses a great amount of symbolism with the birds, the battle, and the log cabin to describe the characterization and actions of Norma Jean, Leroy, and their marriage while they go through these …show more content…

This battle is a representation of Norma Jean leaving her husband just like the south was trying to break away from the north. It is said that “ The roots of the Civil War can be traced to increasing differences between North and South and their growing divergence.” This is much like how Norma Jean and Leroy’s relationship was coming to an end. They were growing apart because of their miscommunication. Throughout the whole story Norma Jean is strengthening herself. She does this by working out, taking night school classes, and trying new things. Norma Jean symbolises a soldier getting ready to go to battle. There are a few example in this story that shows she symbolises a soldier. One of the first examples is that Mabel, her mother, “brought Norma Jean an off-white dust ruffle.” (Mason3) The rifle was one of the weapons that the soldiers used during the Civil War, so it is like Mabel is providing Norma Jean with her weapon for battle. Another example that depicts Norma Jean as a soldier is on page four when Leroy states “ Now she is marching through the kitchen. She is doing goose steps.” (Mason4) Goose steps and marching are both a type of walk that soldiers are tough to do in basic training when they are building their strength for war. Along with that there are a few of smaller examples that relate Norma Jean to a soldier. For example “She is wearing two-pound ankle

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