4/28 Into the Wild post

CHAPTERS 6-10

Summarizer

Marty continues to struggle with his internal dilemma. He is hesitant to bring Shiloh back to his abusive owner, but knows it is the lawful thing to do. But is it the right thing to do? He is constantly questioning himself about this issue. Marty’s friend David Howard comes into the picture. Both parents want to set up a time for their boys to hang out, but Marty doesn’t want to tell David about Shiloh. Instead of waiting for David to come to his house, Marty goes into town to see him. David lives in a big house in Friendly, and he and Marty have a rather uneventful day at David’s house. A few days later, Marty goes out after supper to see Shiloh in the small pen that he built for him. He feeds Shiloh the food he has managed to scrape together and plays with Shiloh for a while. Just as he’s about to head back home, Marty looks up to see his mom standing next to the pen watching him. His secret is out.

Marty explains the whole situation and they agree that Marty’s father needs to know. Marty convinces his mom to wait at least a day so he can figure out what to do with Shiloh. That night, Marty hears Shiloh making noise from his pen up on the hill. The noise turns to loud yelps and snarls and Marty knows something bad is happening. Him and his father race up the hill to find that Shiloh has been attacked by a neighbor’s German shepherd. They bring Shiloh to the doctor in town and Marty is forced to reveal his secret. He tells his father all about how he’s been taking care of Shiloh and they have a long discussion. They agree that if the doctor can help and Shiloh survives, Marty can keep him until he’s better and then he is going back to Judd Travers.

Literary Luminary

There are a few passages that I would like to highlight from chapters 6-10 of Shiloh. The first is on page 60. At this point, Marty has kept Shiloh hidden from everyone. His best friend David Howard wants to visit and he is talking it over with his parents. Previously, Marty told his parents that there was plenty of fun stuff to do around his house/yard. But when asked why he doesn’t want David to visit, the following conversation follows…

“You said just the other day you had plenty to do here,” Dad tells me, wringing out his rag at the pump.

“Lots for me to do, but not much for David Howard,” I say. A lie. That’s a flat out lie. Funny how one lie leads to another and before you know it, your whole life can be a lie.

I thought this exchange was interesting because Marty is finally realizing the consequences of his initial lie about Shiloh. He is beginning to understand that in order to keep Shiloh a secret, the lying is not going to stop. This is a great example of an internal conflict in literature. Should he tell the truth and force his parents to give Shiloh back to Judd Travers? Or does he continue lying and keep Shiloh out of the hands of his abusive owner?

Another passage I found that reinforces Marty’s internal conflict, one of the major themes of the book, came from Chapter 7. Marty is eating lunch at David Howard’s house. After finishing all of his food, David’s mother offers Marty more. Thinking about Shiloh, he accepts the offer saying he will eat the food on his walk home, and instead gives the food to Shiloh.

Ma would have blushed with shame if she heard me ask this, but seems I’m at the point where I’ll do most anything for Shiloh. A lie don’t seem a lie anymore when it’s meant to save a dog, and right and wrong’s all mixed up in my head.

Marty’s drive to help Shiloh at all costs is very apparent, but this drive is causing him to lie more and more. He struggles with the internal dilemma of telling the truth versus providing for Shiloh. The conflict results in the reader questioning right and wrong, just like Marty. Is it ever okay to lie? Does lying to help another still make it a bad thing to do?

Researcher

Throughout the book, one of the major leisure activities that most of the characters enjoy is hunting. Marty has a .22 rifle that he carries when he’s hiking to practice his shooting. Judd Travers is a well-known hunter of all animals, including white-tailed deer. He is also known for shooting deer out of season. Near the end of the book, Marty witnesses Judd shoot a deer out of season and makes a deal with him. Marty won’t tell anyone about the deer if Judd agrees to sell Shiloh to him. This led me to do some research on the hunting regulations in West Virginia.

http://www.wvdnr.gov/HUNTING/HUNTING.SHTM --- Homepage for WV Hunting Info

Deer season in West Virginia is broken up by the type of weapon to be used, the county, and the sex of the deer. Friendly, WV, the setting of Shiloh, is in Tyler County. Judd Travers was using a rifle to shoot the doe (female deer). In Tyler County, the season for that type of deer is October 20-22 on private land, November 21 to December 3, December 15-17, and December 28-31. These dates are adjusted year to year to coincide with certain days of the week. The maximum limit is 3 deer for this time period. Penalties are based on a point system. Shooting a deer illegally (out of season) is 6 points. Once a hunter reaches 10 points, his/her license will be revoked for 2 years.