How Men Can’t Take A Hint-An Analysis of Leroy Moffit in “Shiloh”
The idea that men can’t take a hint has been around for a long time. You can tell your husband eight thousand times that this vase is beautiful and he won’t even think that you want him to get it for your next anniversary, he’ll just think that you really like the vase. In ‘Shiloh’, Norma Jean drops so many hints that she wants to be left alone you’d think Leroy would have a concussion.
Firstly, right in the beginning, he says “Norma Jean has never complained about his traveling; She has never made hurt remarks, like calling his truck a “widow-maker.”” This tells us that she’s okay with being on her own. This is where the old phrase “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” comes into play. He should have just asked her how she felt when he was on the road. To be fair, she should have been up front about feeling smothered too, but he probably should’ve addressed it.
Later, he remarks on how she seems “disappointed” when she sees that he’s home, and then reminisces on the memories of their late child, Randy. Dead kids are always a sore subject, and bringing that up is probably not the best way to reconnect with your wife who seems distant. It also probably doesn’t help that his weed dealer of choice is the age that their child would’ve been, if he hadn’t died.
I sympathize with his wife. She has a husband who is always on the road, leaving her nothing but time to be in her own head, right after their infant dies. She stays in the same house, same town, all by herself for the better part of twenty years and then all of a sudden her husband is home and your mom finds out that you smoke, and that’s a lot of stress. It’s no wonder she wanted some space.
Leroy then takes her on a trip to Shiloh, another place full of reminders of her mother. When She finally confesses she wants to leave him, his initial reaction isn’t to believe her or ask why, it’s to tell her he won’t let her. They go back and forth and finally she all but screams that she just wants to be left alone, and the he follows her. He doesn’t give her space, he follows her. Even when what she wants is staring him in his face, he does the opposite.
Leroy obviously only has the best intentions in mind. It’s not like he wanted to irritate her, he was just trying to help and fall back into love. Leroy is a character that in my opinion follows the male stereotype; between his lack of communication and overcompensation to his determination to build his wife a log cabin, he only is looking to please his wife.
