Birds, by nature, are free-spirited, loving, and social creatures. Norma Jean and Leroy can be viewed as two birds lost from each other. Each in their own little world, or nest, as it would be. When the sudden death of their child comes about, they lose what they created together and seem apart without realization of what they are doing to one another. The frequent use of bird imagery relays these constant feelings of loneliness, disparity, and lastly, being free throughout the story, "Shiloh."
             Norma Jean seems to be the one that is lost throughout the story. She skulks around the house, not in a sad manner, however she shows the minimal amount of caring that she can towards both her mother and Leroy. It seems that Norma Jean has become used to the "empty nest" and seemed to become more independent than she used to be. Leroys return to the house left him seemingly intruding in his own house. Although it may have been inadvertent, his presence at home only helped to fuel the rift that Norma Jean was building for the two of them. Leroy, in all actuality, has done nothing wrong that the reader can see. He abandoned his rig in their back yard. Mason called it "a gigantic bird that has flown home to roost." This analogy seems only to confuse the reader of the actual outcome. As it turns out, Leroy returns home to a quasi-bitter wife, due to her many years of discontent.
             The reasons Norma Jean seems to shun Leroy are not specifically explained within the context of the story. Instead, we are given a simple story about the death of their child. One can only assume that Bobby Ann mason is trying to tell the reader that this is where it all began. Mabel, the mother-in-law, "saw the child's death as a way that fate mocks her" (957). A mocking bird is another bird reference that seems to be twisted into the situation. A mocking bird is known to mimic the sounds around it, and perhaps the death ...