Cooke is affiliated with McGill University in Montreal. In the following excerpt, he explores Norma Jean's quest for growth and change in "Shiloh," as well as Mason's use of imagery in the story.

Much of the critical commentary on Bobbie Ann Mason's short stones has focused on the effects of social change on her characters' sense of self

Accordingly, the consensus is that Norma Jean Moffitt, the heroine of "Shiloh," is a "good example of a character who attempts to construct a new identity" (Albert E. Wilhelm, "Making Over," Southern Literary Journal, 1987,77). Thus, [Tina] Bucher writes of "Norma Jean's quest for independence" ("Changing Roles," Border States, 1991, 50); G. O. Morphew calls her a "down-home feminist" (Southern Literary Journal, 1986, 41); [Robert H.] Brinkmeyer describes her "open-armed embrace of a world promising the potential for growth and freedom" ("Rocking," Southern Literary Journal, 1987, 12); and Wilhelm labels her a "good-old Southern girl" who...