fy, and instead she takes comfort in her study of Nothing. From the beginning of Shiloh, Norma Jean was portrayed as no more mature at the age of thirty-four than she was when she married Leroy at the age of eighteen. Mabel, her mother, was a dominating figure in her life, and treats Norma Jean as though she is still a child. She went over to Norma Jeans house and constantly criticized the way Norma Jean kept the house. In addition to complaining about the house, Mabel blamed Norma Jean for the death of her baby, claiming that Norma Jean neglected the child. For years Mabel was after Leroy and Norma Jean to take a trip to Shiloh, the site of a Civil War battle that ended tragically. This battle was the first indication of how horrible the war would be, just as Norma Jean began to realized what her life would be like with Leroy home all of the time. Somewhere along the trip Norma Jean decided to end the marriage. Mabel pushed Norma Jean into marriage when Leroy got her pregnant, Mabel criticized her all of the time, Mabel seemed to always take Leroys side when discussing Norma Jean, and Mabel pushed for the trip to Shiloh. Norma Jeans feelings of anger most likely stem from her mothers overbearing qualities....
