Bobbie Ann Mason- "Shiloh"

Having never read anything by Bobbie Ann Mason before this week I was pleasantly surprised by the story Shiloh. It was a story about the relationships between a husband and wife, a mother and daughter, and a son-in-law and mother-in-law. These three very different relationships each had their own dichotomies and nuances. The husband and wife (Leroy and Norma Jean) have a very strained relationship. The husband was injured in an accident when he was driving his tractor-trailor, and has been unable to work because of this. The wife is used to having lots of time to herself, and doesn't quite know how to relate to her husband now that he is always there. Norma Jean sees his presence as a hinderance and is slightly resentful towards him. Leroy feels this strain but doesn't really know what to do about it. He wishes they could be closer and that they could be able to enjoy this time together. The mother and daughter (Mabel and Norma Jean) relationship also appears to be strained, but for different reasons. It seems like a stereotypical mother-daughter interaction. Norma Jean feels like a  little girl around Mabel, and Mabel still tries  to control her daughter's life. She wants Norma Jean to be a better wife and daughter. She suggests that the couple take a trip together to Shiloh, Tennessee with hopes that it will straighten her daughter out and strengthen her and Leroy's  relationship. Now, the relationship between Leroy and Mabel is another story altogether. They seem to be able to stand each other, but not really like one another. They have trouble interacting, but manage to be civil to each other.
The overall theme running through the story is that Shiloh will save all the relationships involved in the story. It was where Mabel went on her honeymoon, and she is confident that if the married couple take a trip there that it will solve all their problems. In the end Leroy and Norma Jean do take the trip, but with different results than expected. Once they get there Norma Jean announces that she wants to leave the marriage. She then gets up and walks off. At the very end of the story she turns around and waves her arms at Leroy, and we are left wondering what she means by this gesture.