The Shack

1. The Shack By: William P. Young Presentation By: Addison Hamrick

2. Characters • Mackenzie Phillips (Mack) – Main character, father of Missy • Nan- Mack’s wife • Missy- Mack’s daughter that was abducted and killed • Papa(God) – Big African American woman • Jesus- Middle-Eastern Carpenter • Sarayu (Holy Spirit) – Asian women who tends to the garden • “Little Lady-killer” – the serial killer that abducted and murdered Missy

3. Plot Summary • 4 years after the murder of Mack’s daughter Missy, Mack receives a letter in the mail from the name Papa. The letter is telling him to go back to the “Shack”, which is the place where Missy was murdered. Mack has a feeling that the letter is from God because Nan’s name for God is Papa. So he travels up to the shack for the weekend by himself. While there the Trinity reveals them selves in human form and explain to Mack why his daughter Missy was killed (sacrificed), and to repair their relationship with him. There Mack experiences many events that help him cope with what happened to his daughter. Mack finally forgives God (Papa) and the murderer for Missy’s death. We later find out that Mack was in a bad car accident on the way up to the Shack and that it was actually all a dream, but the dream was true. Mack remembers where Missy’s body was and takes the police to it, and then the Little Lady-killer was caught and put on trail.

4. Mack’s Past • Grew up in a strict Christian Community • Had a drunk as a father that would regularly beat him (is a reason why he doesn’t trust God) • Runs away from home and poisons one of his father’s liquor bottles with rat poison to kill him • He then moves to Australia and goes to Seminary there • Moves back to United States and meets his future wife Nan

5. The Indian Story • An Indian princess sacrificed herself to save everyone in her village from a sickness • This can symbolize Jesus Christ sacrificing himself to save us • Missy asks her father, “Will I ever have to jump off a cliff” Pg.31 Mack of course says no that he will never ever ask her to do that • Missy then asks her father, “Then, will God ever ask me to jump of a cliff?” Pg.32 Mack again assures her that God will never ask her to do that • Ironically, Missy is actually killed (sacrificed) on that trip

6. Missy’s Death • Mack is watching his son Josh and daughter Kate paddle in a canoe in the middle of the lake when it tips over, and Josh gets trapped under the canoe. Mack dives in the lake and rescues Josh and brings him back to life with CPR, but while all of this happened Missy ended up missing. We later find that she was abducted and killed by the “Little Lady-killer”. The authorities track the crime scene to a shack in the mountains. At the shack they find Missy’s dress covered with blood, but Missy’s body is no where to be found. They do not find her body until the end of the book. • Mack blames himself for the death of his daughter and goes into a deep depression known as “The Great Sadness”, and becomes angry at God for letting this happen.

7. Significance of Missy’s Death • After Missy’s death Mack feel into a deep depression know as “The Great Sadness” • I believe that God used Missy as a sacrifice to save Mack and to bring him closer to God • Mack never had a true relationship with God until he went back to the Shack • Even though the death of Missy is horrible, Mack ended up closer in his relationship with the Lord and that is why God decided to sacrifice Missy

8. Conclusion • Mack experiences many different things at the Shack, but the one thing that he experiences the most is forgiveness and how to have a relationship with God. It is horrible that it took the death of his daughter Missy for him to learn these lessons. His weekend at the shack lifted “The Great Sadness” from him and now he is able to live again.