Resolution to Violence
The
novel Shane, depicts the life of a
hero. Shane is able to help the Starrett’s not only at their farm but also in
their life struggles. Shane at first seems to be non-violent and resists his
enemy at the bar, which takes great courage. Here we can see this as a strength
that Shane was able to step back and not fight. As the book continues the
reader can see that Shane feels an obligation to help Joe and his farm. Shane
starts by going down to the bar and ruffing up one of Fletcher’s followers,
Chris. Chris is badly beaten up but Shane does not kill him. Joe understands
that Shane did what he did for Joe and his family.
The
people in the town were unhappy with what was going on and Shane could not take
it any longer. Fletcher proposes to Joe and Shane that if they give up the land
they can work for him, but for the men this is not an option. Shane begins to
get very violent in the second half of the novel. He knows what he needs to do
to stop Fletcher and he is going to do it. Shane’s second fight is when he goes
to the bar and Fletcher and his men show up. He begins to fight and Joe shows
up not much later and helps Shane. Shane is badly hurt in the end and Joe has
to help his on to his feet. Shane killed the right hand man who started the
fight that day. Bob is concerned throughout this period and doesn’t fully know
what everyone is worried about. When Fletcher and his men confront Shane and
Joe about their proposal they make a remark towards Marian. Joe gets angry but
Shane calms him down. In the end, Shane goes to the bar and kills Fletcher and
his men. After this he tells Bob he cannot go back after a fight and flees
town. Shane is known as a hero. While being involved in service I have
witnessed certain fights that can relate to Shane’s experiences.
When
reading this book and how Shane first reacted to Chris at the bar reminds me of
how certain kids in The Gilford School in the Acts4Youth program resist
violence. One of the main things that the program stresses is to be the bigger
man and to not fight back. This is exactly what Shane did in the first part of
the novel. One day I witnessed a fight between two students. The one student is
usually good and the other always seems to want to fight someone. When the
hotheaded child approached the calmer boy and started hitting him, the calmer
student simply stood there. The teacher then saw what was going on and
approached the situation seconds after the hitting began. Although this is true
I have also witnessed a two on two fight, which can relate to the way Shane was
in the second half of the novel.
In
service I have also witnessed a fight between two students where they both were
pushing and punching one another. This can relate to Shane’s violence in the second
half of the book. The only thing that is different is that Shane was fighting
for Joe, someone whom he cared for. The boys in service were simply fighting to
fight. Shane depicts a hero rather than a villain or someone who is just trying
to fight.
Shane’s
story of being the town hero can relate to any situation where someone needed
help and another individual was there to back him up. During service fights can
occur and they can always be resolved. In Shane
the fights were never really resolved but rather ended and put in the past.
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