Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Blog # 8: Shane & Event

Shane by Jack Schaefer is a story about a man who changes a town and a family forever. It takes place in Western United States around the late 19th century. It is focused around a family of three who meet this mysterious man, Shane and welcome him into their home. The story is told from the point of view of the child of the house Bob. He forms a respect for Shane and begins to look up to him.

Bob’s former “idol” was this powerful man named Fletcher who now decides that he wants to take over the town and buy out all the farmlands. Shane decides to live with Bob’s family at this point as a paid to worker. But he also does this because he knows that Fletcher is no match for him and that he can help defend the family against him and his lackeys. He tries to get Shane to leave town but it doesn’t work.

Shane becomes very close with Joe, the father of the house. They bond over the uprooting of a stump and Joe grows very fond of him. Along with Joe’s wife who at first is wary of Shane but then soons to begin having romantic feelings towards him. At one point in the novel Shane takes Joe’s seat at the dinner table and we later find out that it is because he is watching the door and making sure nothing comes in and hurts the family. Shane becomes their protector and he also puts confidence into Joe.

Shane tries to stay out of trouble while in town but eventually gets into a fight with Chris, one of Fletcher’s lackeys. But at the end of the fight he buys Chris a drink and helps him up. Shane soon begins to distance himself from the family knowing that he will have to leave soon.

In a way I relate this to the event that I attended that is a campus wide event, Relay for Life. Relay for Life focuses on those who have suffered and possibly died form Cancer. Relating the novel to this, I can say that cancer patients are my Shane. They have battled fights for everyone and some have helped try to make advances in science and medicine that will benefit all of society one day. Also cancer patients are people that we should look up to because they take control of their life and accept their fate just as Shane did.

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