Shane By Jack Shaefer Summary

In the book Shane by Jack Schaefer, a strange man enters the lives of a family and changes them forever. The book was written in the mid 1900’s and gives readers an outlook on early American culture as the west was settled. Throughout the book, different confrontations take place as the characters develop more fully as individuals. In Shane, the conflict between Shane and Fletcher influence Bob Starret’s perception on good and evil, as well as what it means to be a man.
The story takes place in 1889, through the eyes of a young boy, Bob Starret, as he perceives two different men, Shane and Fletcher. In the beginning of the book, Shane is introduced as the protagonist, who rides into this small farming town as a mysterious man with powerful
Fletcher is a wealthy rancher that wants to buy out all the surrounding farms and expand his territory. The author portrays him as a powerful, selfish, and greedy man. As Fletcher is introduced in chapter five, the reader sees he is the antagonist of the story. At first, Fletcher seems to be a nuisance to the other farmers in the valley, but soon his determination to expand his ranch drives him to new heights. Since Fletcher is a powerful man,he had a lot of men working for him. Most of them are high spirited cowboys that most of the valley liked. Bob speculates about the cowboys, saying, “We liked them – when Fletcher was not there, driving them into harassing us in constant shrewd ways” (Schaefer 51). Bob’s statement shows that not everyone linked to Fletcher enjoyed making trouble for the other homesteaders; but, it was their job. This realization showcases Fletchers bad qualities, showing how he is using his power to try and get what he wants. In another speculation, Bob reflects on how he used to idolize Fletcher and his men. “Until Shane came, they had been my heroes. Father of course, was special all to himself. But first I wanted, as he had done, to ride the range, to have my own string of ponies and take part in an all-brand round up and in a big cattle drive and dash into strange towns with just such a rollicking crew and with a season’s pay
This is why Bob’s idolization of the cowboys changes so quickly. As the book develops, Bob realizes that Shane is really how he wants to be when he grows up. Shane is quiet, but powerful presence demands respect. Fletcher has power as well, but unlike Shane’s power which comes out of respect, his comes from fear. Schaefer uses Shane and Fletcher to represent the epic struggle of good verses evil in the novel. He gives them both distinguishing powerful presences but it is very apperent that they are very different characters. By spending time with Shane, Bob learns there is much more to being a man, than roping cattle and carrying guns. This is perhaps Shane’s most noticeable attribute or lack thereof. Unlike all the cowboys and Fletcher, Shane does not carry a gun. Bob idolizes Shane for this, because all the other men he used to admire carry guns to help imply their power and importance. Where as Shane commands the same respect from people, without carrying any