Shane | Literary Qualities
The surface plot of Shane is rather typical of the western story: the conflict between cattleman and homesteader, leading inevitably to a fiery showdown, has become a kind of permanent American myth. But Shane upsets some expectations about this myth by altering its usual outline. In classical mythology, for example, the hero is called out of a static, settled environment at the beginning of the story and embarks on his great adventure. In Shane, though, the already heroic gunfighter continually tries to regain a settled existence by identifying with the Starretts; only...
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