Essay - Mcneely's 'Sheep' Lloyd Wayne Dogget Awakens from a Drunken Stupor...

McNeely's "Sheep"

Lloyd Wayne Dogget awakens from a drunken stupor to find that one of his flock's sheep had g***** off to die. Within hours, and drunk again on "white lightening" Lloyd is apprehended for the murder of a young woman. Although he has no recollection ***** the events that occurred ***** night before, he is held in pr*****on and comes to believe ***** he indeed did commit the crime, especially because ***** friends and men*****rs in the town including Sheriff Lynch, tells him that he did. McNeely's protagonist in "*****" wants, more than anyth*****g to "get right with **********." More ***** he ***** vindication or a minimized sentence, Lloyd wants some nebulous sense of spiritual release.

McNeely uses specification and defamilarization throughout "Sheep" ***** anchor the reader's attention. For example, the author describes miniscule scents and imagery that, although not integral to ***** plot or characterization add depth and enhance the mood of ***** short story. Religious ***** also enhances the ***** story, as through Mr. Mac's description ***** the pond that will turn to fire come Judgment Day. A prime example of defamiliarization McNeely uses in "*****" *****clude the image of the dead ***** that pervades the s*****ry, serves as its central symbol and its title.

In "Sheep," the break in the status quo is Mr. Mac's turning on him: signifying ********** transformation from innocence to experience. However, Lloyd remains innocent ********** ***** s*****ry. He is mentally disturbed but not enough so to warrant him unfit to stand trial. His "Yankee" lawyer Schwartz signifies all that is foreign to Lloyd. The opposite of the Dumas, Texas small town sensibility, ***** lawyer *****s armed with clever tactics and techniques designed to get his client a reduced sentence. Yet for Lloyd, the most important thing, his superobjective, is to "get ***** ***** himself" to somehow meet h***** creator and achieve spiritual salvation. ***** inability to come to terms with himself and his simultaneous acceptance of death make Lloyd a powerful, extraordinary character ***** Schwartz eventually ***** as "perfect."

References

*****, Thomas.