Shiloh

Shiloh

In the book Shiloh , written by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor , one of the prevalent

themes that is developed from the very beginning is that of trust . This is shown when the

boy first sees Shiloh emerge from the woods as he is taking a walk . The dog cowers

acting as if someone has beaten him in the past . What is interesting about the scene is that

the dog seems to sense the boy 's gentle nature towards animals and his reluctance to be

cruel in any way . This is

clear when the young man says , There 's a broken branch

hanging from a limb out over the water , and I 'm wondering if I can bring it down with

one shot . I raise my gun , and then I think how the sound might scare the dog off . I decide

I don 't want to shoot my gun much that day (14

His focus is not on what he wants to do , but what is best for the dog He also

instinctively knows that the dog wants to walk with him . When his father takes him over

to Judd 's house to return the dog , the boy holds onto to Shiloh and tells the man not to

kick at him . He tries to protect Shiloh the best he can from the abuse the man hands out

and the dog knows who the better person is in this case . He readily goes to the boy when

he whistles , and trusts him over...