In the two short stories, “Shiloh” by Bobbie Ann Mason and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker the two families approach family conflict and have tension with each other. Each family has its own patterns of relating to each other and they have their own structure in their family. The beliefs of the families in these two stories are challenged and reshaped throughout the story.
In the short story “Everyday Use” Dee has been away for college and hasn't been home in a couple of years, but unexpectedly Mamma gets a letter from her daughter saying that she is coming to visit. Mamma and Dee younger sister Maggie live in a farm in the deep south where they spend all their time together and have a close relationship within each other. When Dee arrives…show more content… Norma Jean supports her husband and her mother Mabel financially. Her husband Leroy recently got hurt while driving his truck and usually spends his time at home. She wants Leroy to get a job, so they can support each other financially, but Leroy loves spending time with his wife. Leroy loves spending all his time with Norma Jean and imagines a life with her living in a log cabin, but Norma Jean doesn't exactly feel the exact same way. She wants more with her life, and so she starts exercising and focusing more on herself. Norma Jean feels more as a stranger towards her husband and she sees Leroy as someone who does not understand her. Leroy plans a trip to Shiloh, where they have a nice picnic near a cemetery. After they eat, Leroy smokes to relax to feel less nervous about the whole situation. As time goes on and silence falls, Norma Jean eventually tells Leroy that she is leaving him. At first he did not like the idea of splitting up, but it eventually didn't bother him because he seen it coming. Norma Jean learns to embrace her independence and starts to focus more on herself. I identify more with Norma Jean and finding her independence and who she is as a woman is very important. Leroy eventually feels unsettled by his inability to play the role of the powerful husband, so he tends to feel very shy or nervous around his wife. Leroy begins to think of Norma Jean as a strong and independent woman, but he realizes that she can live without