[parsifal]

"While there clearly was some sexual tension in the Starret household, to suggest a "menage a trois" based on what was written is ridiculous. "

But you agree with me that there is some kind of underlying sexual tension. Perhaps my other supposition, that Shane is either Bobby's father,or was once a lover of Marian's ismore acceptable. Plus,how many households in the Old West, on a farm, only had one child like the Starretts? I submit,not many. Isthat becauseJoe and Marian did not engage in conjugal relations? I still think Shane spent way too much time with the kid. Did Marian contact Shane and ask him to come and save the family?

"Shane" is like an iceberg. 90% is beneath the surface. Literary critics have to examine this kind of stuff. parsy the explicator.

[PJ-Comix]

Perhaps my other supposition, that Shane is either Bobby's father,or was once a lover of Marian's ismore acceptable.

This is a stretch just like the notion that while Joe was off doing his chores, Shane snuck back to the house, dropped his pants, and shtooped Marian. Sorry, I just don't buy that.

[another cricket]

It came screaming thru the movie and I was just a kid then

My dear Explicator, I suspect that you were not a normal kid. It would explain much. :^)

The speculation that Joe and Marian did not engage in conjugal relations because Bob was the only living child is frankly a little weird. You have no idea if there were other siblings that died or were still born. Maybe Marian couldn't carry to term. Maybe Joe wore his jeans too tight. Maybe Bob was adopted. Maybe something went wrong after Bob was born and Marian couldn't conceive again. Maybe they practiced birth control. (Yes they did have it back then. If you are interested in how Freep mail me and I will tell you some of the more common methods) You don't know because Bob didn't say but that would not have been the kind of thing he would talk about in any case.

But to jump from them having only one living child at the time of the story to Joe and Marian having a celibate marriage is worthy of an Olympic gold medal.

a.cricket

[WHATNEXT?]

Ouch, ouch, my leg hurts.

[RightWhale]

Consider that Shane IS Joe. Joe IS Shane. An alter ego that most people are capable of displaying when it's crunch time.