Growing up is a part of life and though some may bloom later than others everyone grows up sooner or later. In Bobbie Ann Mason’s “Shiloh,” truck driver Leroy Moffitt is badly injured and suddenly forced to stay at home with Norma Jean, his distant wife. This brings her to the realization that she is no longer happy with where she is. She displays maturation that brings her to a better place and through her drastic self improvements Mason reveals that maturing and moving on are key parts of life that allow people to advance and grow.
Norma Jean’s maturity level starts out at that of a child's, but as she spends more time at home with Leroy she begins to realize that she no longer wants to be treated as a child and works to expand herself. At thirty four years old, she is still “crying because her mother caught her smoking,” reinstating just how immature she is(71 Mason). Only a kid would cry over her mother’s disappointment which emphasizes the fact that after the loss of her baby, Norma never finished growing up. In fact, Mable, Norma’s mother, is constantly around, critiquing, micro-managing and essentially raising her. Norma’s advancement starts with Leroy’s musical organ. Leroy gave Norma an organ because she used to play in high school, she loves it and masters it quickly (68). Yet another sign that at that point she has yet to grow up and is still doing the same old things. However, this changes as she changes, she “doesn’t play the organ anymore” and it is a sign that she has officially made the adjustment in life that she so desperately needs (73). The organ is an empowering symbol for how initially Norma accepts Leroy back warmly, but as she spends more time with her husband she finds that he is merely holding her back and it is time to move on, just as she does when she stops playing the organ at last. Norma’s growth begins as something physical as she explores new interests that allow her to begin her mental advancement. …show more content…
She experiences her first desire to change when Leroy’s accident “prompted Norma to try building herself up. Now she is attending a body-building class” (67). She begins to build up her body and physically make herself stronger as subtle foreshadowing for how she will later build herself mentally as well. Later, Norma finds herself beginning to adjust her interests and explore new things as she finally starts to mature mentally. She is now “going to night school… taking an adult-education course in composition at Paducah Community College.” and more than that she has been “cooking unusual foods- tacos, lasagna, Bombay chicken”(71). All of these are examples of how Norma has been shifting her interests and expanding. She is going to school and trying to make something of herself, she is expanding her interests even in places as simple as cooking and it demonstrates that she is maturing and beginning to evolve. As Norma grows, she is uncertain and begins to learn that growing up also means moving on from what she is comfortable with. She finds herself changing in ways she never imagined she would and it all starts with Leroy coming home. It is implied that Leroy’s sudden reappearance in her life as well as her mother's constant pushing, forces her
Norma Jean’s maturity level starts out at that of a child's, but as she spends more time at home with Leroy she begins to realize that she no longer wants to be treated as a child and works to expand herself. At thirty four years old, she is still “crying because her mother caught her smoking,” reinstating just how immature she is(71 Mason). Only a kid would cry over her mother’s disappointment which emphasizes the fact that after the loss of her baby, Norma never finished growing up. In fact, Mable, Norma’s mother, is constantly around, critiquing, micro-managing and essentially raising her. Norma’s advancement starts with Leroy’s musical organ. Leroy gave Norma an organ because she used to play in high school, she loves it and masters it quickly (68). Yet another sign that at that point she has yet to grow up and is still doing the same old things. However, this changes as she changes, she “doesn’t play the organ anymore” and it is a sign that she has officially made the adjustment in life that she so desperately needs (73). The organ is an empowering symbol for how initially Norma accepts Leroy back warmly, but as she spends more time with her husband she finds that he is merely holding her back and it is time to move on, just as she does when she stops playing the organ at last. Norma’s growth begins as something physical as she explores new interests that allow her to begin her mental advancement. …show more content…
She experiences her first desire to change when Leroy’s accident “prompted Norma to try building herself up. Now she is attending a body-building class” (67). She begins to build up her body and physically make herself stronger as subtle foreshadowing for how she will later build herself mentally as well. Later, Norma finds herself beginning to adjust her interests and explore new things as she finally starts to mature mentally. She is now “going to night school… taking an adult-education course in composition at Paducah Community College.” and more than that she has been “cooking unusual foods- tacos, lasagna, Bombay chicken”(71). All of these are examples of how Norma has been shifting her interests and expanding. She is going to school and trying to make something of herself, she is expanding her interests even in places as simple as cooking and it demonstrates that she is maturing and beginning to evolve. As Norma grows, she is uncertain and begins to learn that growing up also means moving on from what she is comfortable with. She finds herself changing in ways she never imagined she would and it all starts with Leroy coming home. It is implied that Leroy’s sudden reappearance in her life as well as her mother's constant pushing, forces her