Shane , by Jack Schaefer - Book Report/Review Example

of the of the Shane - Theme and Character Analysis The story revolves around Shane who is the main character of the story. Shane is a man who is troubled with his past and has come to the town to lead a new life. He is a brave and caring man and acts like a real man in the story. In the beginning, Shane is seen as a strange and dangerous man. But as the story develops, his character changes and the love and affection given by the Startett family have a profound effect on him. He is a brave man and strives hard to protect the family from any sort of danger.

This is the reason he seeks out to confront Fletcher to end the threat he posed to the family, once and for all. When Shane comes across Chris, one of Fletcher’s men, he acts very polite with him in order to avoid any sort of fighting. Even after nasty comments and intense provocation by Chris, Shane does not budge, and returns home. According to him, fighting and showing one’s strength unnecessarily is not a trait of a real hero. However he really cares about the Starrett family and could not stand the taunts subjected at them by the townsmen.

In order to suppress the snide remarks and the taunts, Shane finds out Chris and breaks his arm in a bar fight. This shows that Shane cares about the Starrett family and only fights when their honor and respect are jeopardized. Shane is a man of honor who knows what a real man must do. He believes that killing leaves a blot on a person’s character and refuses to stay in the town even when Bob begs him to. Shane had loved the Starett family and everything was back to normal but he, being a man of his words leaves the town and the loving family behind.

Theme: The major theme of story is about what it takes to be a real man. From the beginning till the end, the readers see many characters surface in the story. We see Shane and Joe as the real heroes of the story. A true hero must always conform to his code of ethics and must do what needs to be done. That is why Shane chooses to leave the town because he believes that a real man would not stay at a place where his hands get tainted by blood. Joe and Shane, through their actions, define what it means to be a real man as being true to one’s promises and commitments, being loyal, avoiding violence, and being trustworthy.

Shane wants to avoid fights at all costs and that is why he warns Joe about the possibility of Fletcher provoking someone to fight. He wanted the hot headed farmers to stay inside but it did not happen and one of them lost his life. The author has shown Shane as a personification of loyalty. He is loyal to the Starrett family and strongly committed to their safety. This is clear from Shane’s actions when Joe is on the verge of giving up and agreeing to Fletcher’s conditions. Shane hits Joe and sets out to confront Fletcher on his own.

He kills him and maintains the loyalty with the Starrett family. The same theme surrounds the narrator of the story, Bob Starrett. The transition from boyhood to manhood is clear in Bob who learns the virtues of the real man from his two role models: Joe and Shane. Works Cited Schaefer, Jack. Shane. Bantam [Mass Market Paperback], 1983.Print.