What's the Significance of Shiloh?
While reading Shiloh , I was a little surprised at how Norma Jean finally brought up leaving Leroy. It seemed like it was going to happen eventually, but something about going to Shiloh finally pushed her to do it. Norma Jean says, “Corinth is where Mama eloped to,” then, “they sit in silence and stare at the cemetery for the Union dead and, beyond, at a tall cluster of trees. Campers are parked nearby, bumper to bumper, and small children in bright clothing are cavorting and squealing. Norma Jean wads up the cake wrapper and squeezes it tightly in her hand. Without looking at Leroy, she says, ‘I want to leave you.’” Reading that passage, it feels like Norma Jean decided to leave Leroy right there in that moment, and I think being at Shiloh is what caused her revelation. I think Leroy and Norma Jean had very different ideas of what was going to happen at Shiloh. Leroy wants to go to fulfill Mabel’s wish, but also to attempt to restore his dynamic with Norma Jean. In contrast,...
