Shiloh Season

Marty’s conversation in Chapter 7 with Dad jeopardizes their family bond and explores the murkier aspects of Discerning Right from Wrong. Because he is raised in a faithful, principled family, Marty knows that lying and keeping secrets is wrong. However, he chose not to tell his dad about sneaking onto Judd’s land in order to keep him from worrying. This choice demonstrates Marty’s empathy even as it highlights his immaturity, for he does not yet fully realize the dangers involved in keeping secrets, even when his intentions are good. When his father confronts him about this issue, the conversation pushes Marty to be more forthright in the future, for he realizes that his long-term integrity is at stake. As his father reasons, “But how do I know you’re telling the truth? Because you say so? […] You lied once, you know. […] So, I’ve got to decide whether what you’re saying now is the truth” (54). In the events of the previous novel, Marty lied about keeping Shiloh in a pen to protect him from Judd, and his father is now referencing this prior offense to emphasize that Marty’s decision not to tell him about being on Judd’s land establishes a pattern of lying in one form or another. The increasing evidence of Marty’s dishonesty strain his relationship with his father, jeopardizing their closeness and mutual trust. Because Ray is certain that his son has a good heart, he influences Marty to change his behavior by making him promise to stay out of trouble. Their conversation encourages Marty to become more candid and to choose the correct option in the future.

As Marty’s troubles intensify, Naylor often employs cliffhanger endings in each chapters to propel the plot forward and increase the suspense of the narrative. At the end of Chapter 8, for example, she chooses language that heightens the characters’ anxiety, transforming a lighthearted game of hide-and-seek into a much more serious matter when Becky fails to appear. Marty’s dialogue and narration vividly convey this shift: “‘Allee, allee in come free!’ I yell after a while. ‘You’re home free, Becky. Come on in.’ But nothing happens. ‘Becky?’ I call. Dara Lynn joins the search. But Becky’s gone” (59). The suspenseful, gradual incline as Marty’s dialogue leads up to the reveal finishes the chapter on a tense note, for the defenseless, six-year-old Becky is now missing. The direct word choice and short, staccato syntax also matches Marty’s casual, young voice and the seriousness of the situation. By the last words that reveal Becky is missing, the conflict has reached anxiety-inducing levels for Marty and Dara Lynn. This cliffhanger, like the others, propels the action forward and invites speculation as to the reason for the girl’s disappearance. Given the recent conflict with Judd, the author has created a scenario that is designed to make use of previous foreshadowing and suggest that Judd might somehow be involved in this latest incident as well.

When Shiloh finds Becky, the high tension dissipates even as the scene illustrates the profound connection that Marty has with his dog; the moment also foreshadows the fact that Shiloh is inclined to save people. While everyone else searches frantically, Shiloh tries to give the humans clues by staying near the shed. Although animals and humans cannot communicate via speech like Marty wishes, Shiloh tells them in his own way that Becky is safe. Because of their connection, Marty trusts that Shiloh is trying to give him a signal, and his willingness to go where the dog leads displays his intelligence and his trust in his dog. Shiloh’s keen sense of smell, which makes him a great hunting dog, also allows him to sniff out people when necessary. Later, Shiloh uses this same skill to lead his family to save Judd in the aftermath of the car accident. By leading Marty and others to those who need help, Shiloh becomes the true hero of the story; he locates Becky and saves Judd, and in the novel’s conclusion, he will also be the one to heal the rift between the Prestons and Judd.