A skiff—stranded between massive walls of water—watches as the shoreline blends into the horizon as if it was nonexistent due to the vitriolic currents of the storm, tossing the boat like a child throwing a ragdoll. Eventually, the wounded ship meets its match and descends under the waves to add to the museum of the deep ocean. The downfall of the boat is similar to the relationship between Leroy and Norma’s falling out in Bobby Ann Mason’s “Shiloh”. Mason enlightens that relationships are fragile while experiencing separation through the shift of power due to Leroy’s helplessness to Norma’s individuality—expressing detached and subliminal diction, and placement of the setting. The obliteration of any strong relationship generally has one similar cause: separation. Most couples can’t make the cut when they separate…show more content… Leroy, a veteran truck driver, spent most of his time on the road before injuring himself which distanced him from his wife—feeling, “Awkward around each other,” (2). Awkwardness generally leads to the inevitable breakup, so Mason foreshadows the couple’s impending doom through the word choice of awkward which highlights an emotional gap between Leroy and Norma. Norma does not help either with the strain on the tearing of the relationship. Christine Day, a renowned critic of short stories, highlights that due to Leroy’s absence Norma realized, “She could take care of herself,” (Day 1). This independence allows Norma the ability to function on her own, causing her to lose a connection with Leroy and eventually tearing them apart. Now that Leroy is home; Norma realizes that she does not need him to
