Posted on 08/12/2002 5:19:09 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
Okay, today is the due date for the first book discussion of the Freeper Reading Club: Shane. I picked this book as the leadoff book for several reasons. One is that it is a great short novel. I also picked it because it was a quick easy read and would be an easy way for folks out there to get used to reading book assignments for the reading club.
The next book is longer at 400 pages, The Electric Acid Kool-Aid Test by Tom Wolfe, although it is a VERY ENTERTAINING read. Remember, The Electric Acid Kool-Aid Test discussion is due September 9.
If you want to become a member of the Freeper Reading Club, just Freepmail me or post your request here and I'll put you on the Freeper Reading Club Ping List.
I'll lead off with a brief observation. The one thing that got to me when reading this book is whether the character of Shane is entirely mythological or if there was anyone in real life like Shane. My thought is that there was in the character of Robert E. Lee. Like Shane, Lee was tortured by the violence he saw. Following the Civil War, Lee (unlike most other generals), NEVER wrote or talked about his military participation in that War. My guess is that, as Shane was a great gunfighter and Lee was a great general, Lee was ultimately repulsed by the violence. We can perhaps understand Shane's reluctance to engage in violent gunfighting again in much the same way that Lee would have reacted if he had been called to arms again. Also, although Shane was vague about his background, it was significant that he came originally from a Southern background and may even have been something of an aristocrat like Lee.
OK, maybe this Shane/Lee comparison is a stretch but for some reason the similarity in character struck me.
I was drawn to the description of the different farms and their prosperity level. The most prosperous small farmer becomes the leader while the others are followers. Strong work ethic, intelligence and planning, a refusal to quit, reliability and honesty were characteristics that made Dad a true man.
First of all, I want to thank PJ for putting Shane on the list for the first book; it was a great read. I have never been big into Western novels, but as PJ stated before, this is much more than a tale of the old West.
What I got out of the book was this message: Everyone has the potental in their lives to improve and/or redeem themselves. This was shown evident clearest in Shane himself. Though everyone in the family looked up to Shane for the qualities he posessed that they wished they could have, Shane himself, tried to redeem his shady past, and though he failed at his redeemption by "playing farmer" as he put it, he eventually did redeem himself by being the one to take out the villian.
Shane was not the only one to find an epiphaniy, so to speak; Joe, the farmer realized how to be a better man/leader/. Bob knew enough to "grow up straight" after having watched Shane. And even Chris, knew that even though he was a lesser man, had a chance to do the right thing, and offer himself to Joe after Shane left. There are other examples, but these are the ones that stuck with me the most.
again, this was a great (and surprisingly quick) read, that touched on the topics of triumph and redeemption. This is what I took away from the book.
Just my 1/50th of a dollar...
order_of_reason
It was Wyoming and the year was 1889 which I think is VERY SIGNIFANT. The reason is that the census of 1890 showed that the Frontier was officially closed. Shane represented an end of an era. Ironically, his heart was really with the cattlemen. If you note at the beginning of the story that Shane could have rode towards the farm or towards the cattle ranch. He chose the farm, much to his later bemusement.
True, the cattle baron was portrayed as the bad guy but you can tell that the author had a note of sympathy for the cattlemen's life. Even Joe worked as a cowboy but, as "civilization" intruded, chose farming. So this book is also interesting on the level of the farmers vs the cattle ranchers which was actually was a big point of contention back in Wyoming of that time. I think there were some elements of an ethnic conflict (not mentioned in Shane) as well. Most of the farmer settlers were German or Scandinavian while the cattlemen were mostly Scotch-Irish or English background. The latter looked down on farming but the former thought of the cattlemen as wasteful of resources. I sort of know about this because I once wrote a paper on immigration trends in the Old West. Also I worked on a ranch (actually a farm) in Montana once and I noticed that this divide still exists on a lesser scale to this day.
p.s. One little known fact of the Old West. Many of the cattle barons were actually British aristocrats looking for an exciting investment. This was especially true in Wyoming and Montana.
That's why I chose Shane. Also it is a quick book to read and I figure it would be an easy way to ease folks into the Reading Club.
One thing I couldn't quite figure out was what Shane might be still be running from.
Unlike the movies, being a gunfighter wasn't very glamous. Most, like Wild Bill Hickock, ended up in a bad way. Wyatt Earp was perhaps an exception but he ended up marrying well so that saved him from the usual gunfighter's fate which his other brothers met.
But again, Shane knew throughout his time with the family that he was only 'playing farmer' as he put it. Part of his redeemption may have been doing that one good thing, that would put his sins behind him, and then moving on with his life.
I am not arguing your poing (a good one too!), just bringing up a possibliity
Actually this was a very common reason for gun duels back then. Honor was involved.
BTW, the classic movie type gun duels in the Old West were very rare. The reason being that the big gun showdown was almost always limited to gentlemen gun duels over honor which were sort of formal affairs attended by seconds. Usually the parties were given an easy out by the seconds so they could preserve their honor but not actually have to shoot it out (or they would just shoot straight into the air). However, often neither side would back down so the gun duel would go on. The most famous such gun duel was when Vice President Aaron Burr gunned down former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. So in a way, the classic gun duel of the old West was played out by these two gentlemen---only it was in the "effete" East.
One other note. Although Alan Ladd did a good job portraying Shane, I thought the PERFECT Shane would have been another actor in the same movie---Ben Johnson. To me, he is more like the Shane character in the book. In the movie he portrayed Chris.
First of all, thank you for turning me on to this book. This is a book that I never would have discovered if not for your recommendation (which is what reading clubs is all about). After all, the book was in the "teen" section at Barnes & Noble and even the cover art of the book itself suggested that it was a book for kids. But there is some fine writing here and I think the average teenager would find this rather challenging. More so than your typical Louis L'Amour book (which are found in the adult section).
There are some important themes running through this book that have application in today's world. The first theme is that one must face up to and confront danger. The danger is not going to "go away" simply because you wish to adopt a live and let live approach to life, as Shane wanted to start doing. It is better to face danger and risk death then to run from it, as you would be broken and unable to live with yourself afterwards.
Another theme is that pacifism only ensures your own destruction. You must be prepared to defend yourself against your adversaries. You cannot expect to get along with them or allow them to "buy you off." For once you allow them to, you will have sold your soul to them.
In the book, Shane "swears" off gun-fighting and refuses to carry his gun or even use it. As a result, when the time comes that he is forced to use his gun again, he is "rusty" and it results in his injury and perhaps death, but we will never know that as he rode out of town. Even if you do not plan to be the aggressor, it is important that you "keep your swords sharp" or you will be made to pay the price.
The real hero in the book for me is Joe Starrett. He has courage, wisdom, judgment, strength and perseverance. All traits that made America great. And in her own way, Joe's wife is just as strong. After all, it was Mrs. Starrett that convinced Shane to stay and fight the ranchers. I detected something going on between Shane and Mrs. Starrett as well. Not anything overtly sexual, but it is clear that had Mrs. Starrett not been spoken for, Shane would have had an interest.
I was struck by the "tree trump" scene in the book in which Joe Starrett and Shane wordlessly chopped up the huge tree stump that was in the yard. The stump evidently wasn't hurting anything but it was THERE and the farm wouldn't be perfect until it was removed. Removing that stump represented Joe's desire to completely dominate his environment and that NOTHING was going to stand in his way. As well, Mrs. Starrett has the same determination to master her environment. When her "perfect pie" was burnt due to her watching Shane and Joe work, she insisted upon making another one while Shane and Joe ate and would not move from the stove (or eat herself) until it was done. This sheer determination to overcome obstacles and achieve the goal at hand is also what makes America great.
I also have comments about the boy but I'll save them for tonight. Time to get back to work!
What?
A guilty conscience.
I think that many people in the world are like Chris. They are not bad people but they fall in with the wrong sort of people. Turning enemies into friends is another virtue that made America what it is. Look at the relationship we managed to build with post-war Germany and Japan for example! No other nation in the history of the world has had such a history of turning bitter enemies into allies. Nations and peoples have been fighting each other for hundreds and even thousands of years in other parts of the world. Not so with America. We fight like hell and then we make up afterwards (once the "bad" element has been vanquished). Will we one day be allies with countries like Iraq and Iran after the coming war is over and the evil tyrants have been deposed? Time will tell but I'm not ruling it out.
Okay, back to work or else I'll find myself writing reviews full-time!
I didn't see Shane quite that way. Not being familiar with gunfighters (LOL!) I assume that Shane would be seen as a challenge. Sure, many would be afraid of his skill, but there would be others who would want to prove themselves.
Shane knew he could be deadly. And if pushed he would have to be. So he tried to avoid it, kind of in the same way a full grown man would avoid a fist fight with a young hotheaded kid. That kind of skill brings a responsibility and I saw Shane as always weighing his honor and the honor of those he loved against the responsibility he felt to use his skills in a moral way.
It's like pulling teeth to get him to read something new! He really enjoyed it.
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