Shiloh Character Analysis

Leroy Moffitt

Leroy Moffitt, the story’s protagonist, is a former long-haul trucker who is married to Norma Jean. At the beginning of the story, Leroy has just suffered a bad trucking accident, leaving him housebound. The… read analysis of Leroy Moffitt

Norma Jean Moffitt

Norma Jean Moffitt is Leroy’s wife. After she and Leroy lost their infant son 15 years ago, Norma Jean mostly stayed home alone while her husband was on the road trucking. But when the… read analysis of Norma Jean Moffitt

Mabel Beasley

Mabel Beasley is Norma Jean’s mother and Leroy’s mother-in-law. An older woman with a “worn face […] the texture of crinkled cotton,” Mabel is tough and has seemingly lived a hard life. She… read analysis of Mabel Beasley

Randy

Randy was Norma Jean and Leroy’s infant son. 15 years before the start of the story, he died of sudden infant death syndrome at just four months old. Leroy pinpoints the moment of Randy’s… read analysis of Randy

Virgil Mathis

Virgil Mathis is a “boastful policeman” with whom Leroy used to shoot pool years ago. Virgil recently led a drug bust that uncovered over $10,000 worth of marijuana in the back room of a local… read analysis of Virgil Mathis

Minor Characters

Stevie Hamilton

Stevie Hamilton is a skinny, sneaky teenage boy from whom Leroy buys marijuana. The son of one of Leroy’s old high school classmates, Stevie is about the age that his and Norma Jean’s son Randy would have been had he lived past infancy.

Shiloh

Bobbie Ann Mason

Shiloh Characters

Leroy Moffitt

Norma Jean Moffitt

Mabel Beasley

Randy

Virgil Mathis