Loyal Griggs (1906–1978)

Does Shane die in the end?

Possible "spoilers" for those who have not seen the film, nor read the book

I read this book not too long ago (after watching the 1953 film).

The film's ending imagery suggests that the character "Shane" dies in the end of the film. The final few seconds of the film show the title character slumped in his saddle, about to fall off, as he rides through a cemetery towards a bright light in an otherwise dark, midnight sky . The night is almost pitch-dark, there is no moon, just this heavenly-bright stretch of sky.

Shane is riding directly towards this light, indicating his spirit is about to enter heaven.

Final image of the film (look quickly, it is only a second or two) shows Shane and his horse *descending* into the ground, between two of the tombstones in the cemetery, until both are lost from view.

Shane's mortal body is being returned to the earth.

Pretty unmistakable what is happening here, for those who care to look carefully and think about it a bit.

The book ends differently.

In the book, we know from Bob's description that Shane has been shot in the torso, as he rides away into the dark, soon lost from view. The book doesn't end there, though, but goes on to state that when Bob's father, Joe, finds out that Shane is still alive after the gunfight, he (Joe) is surprised and happy at this news.

And yet. . . and yet. . .

Although Joe, Bob's father, having been informed that Shane has been critically injured in the gunfight - most likely fatally - Joe never bothers to go out to look for Shane, not to help him, not even to, perhaps, find his body to bury him. A man in those days - any days, really - with a gunshot to the torso would not be able to ride a horse very far at all.

Joe does not go to find Shane, even though Shane, by his selfless act, has saved Joe, Joe's family, Joe's homestead and likely the entire homesteader community at large. Whew!

The whole of the story is extremely well written, but this last bit to me seems illogical, and at odds with the previous body of the work. True, Joe and Shane have just engaged in fisticuffs, but considering the kind of man Joe has been portrayed as throughout the book, I don't think this would have stopped him from going to search for his friend Shane.

It seems to me like a betrayal - of both Shane and of Bob - that he does not do so.

This has been bothering me quite a bit, and I would be very interested to know how other readers look at how the book ends.¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬-… (más)

Does Shane die in the end?

May be spoilers below for those who have not seen the film or read the book

I read this book not too long ago (after watching the 1953 film).

The film's ending imagery suggests that the character "Shane" dies in the end of the film. The final few seconds of the film show the title character slumped in his saddle, about to fall off, as he rides through a cemetery towards a bright light in an otherwise dark, midnight sky . The night is almost pitch-dark, there is no moon, just this heavenly-bright stretch of sky.

Shane is riding directly towards this light, indicating his spirit is about to enter heaven.

Final image of the film (look quickly, it is only a second or two) shows Shane and his horse *descending* into the ground, between two of the tombstones in the cemetery, until both are lost from view.

Shane's mortal body is being returned to the earth.

Pretty unmistakable what is happening here, for those who care to look carefully and think about it a bit.

The book ends differently.

In the book, we know from Bob's description that Shane has been shot in the torso, as he rides away into the dark, soon lost from view. The book doesn't end there, though, but goes on to state that when Bob's father, Joe, finds out that Shane is still alive after the gunfight, he (Joe) is surprised and happy at this news.

And yet. . . and yet. . .

Although Joe, Bob's father, having been informed that Shane has been critically injured in the gunfight - most likely fatally - Joe never bothers to go out to look for Shane, not to help him, not even to, perhaps, find his body to bury him. A man in those days - any days, really - with a gunshot to the torso would not be able to ride a horse very far at all.

Joe does not go to find Shane, even though Shane, by his selfless act, has saved Joe, Joe's family, Joe's homestead and likely the entire homesteader community at large. Whew!

The whole of the story is extremely well written, but this last bit to me seems illogical, and at odds with the previous body of the work. True, Joe and Shane have just engaged in fisticuffs, but considering the kind of man Joe has been portrayed as throughout the book, I don't think this would have stopped him from going to search for his friend Shane.

It seems to me like a betrayal - of both Shane and of Bob - that he does not do so.

This has been bothering me quite a bit, and I would be very interested to know how other readers look at how the book ends.… (más)

Though it's a fun movie with classic values, you might wonder how it fits the CSS Library's collection. Joel is about the same age as Brandon De Wilde who plays the homesteaders son, and enjoyed this movie in his youth (and beyond). One of our practitioners at the fall 2016 retreat picked this up for us after hearing Joel use a few lines to describe his teachings:

Taken from a scene with Alan Ladd as Shane, teaching the young Joey how to draw his pistol and shoot:

Joey asks "gee is that how real gun fighters do it?"

and Shane replies "No different gun fighters have their own methods. One, for instance, likes to have a shoulder holster. Another one puts it in his - the belt of his pants. And there are some who like two guns. But one's all you need if you can use it."

Joey then asks "Which is the best way?"

and Shane replies "What I'm telling you is a good a way as any and better than most."… (más)