There are several examples of selflessness in Shoeless Joe. Annie, Ray's wife, is particularly selfless, as she allows him to build a baseball field on their farm. She tells him, "Oh, love, if it makes you happy you should do it" (page 5). Annie's selflessness is particularly striking because she doesn't quite understand what he is doing. Ray says of Annie, "Annie understands, though it is me she understands and not always what is happening"...
There are several examples of selflessness in Shoeless Joe. Annie, Ray's wife, is particularly selfless, as she allows him to build a baseball field on their farm. She tells him, "Oh, love, if it makes you happy you should do it" (page 5). Annie's selflessness is particularly striking because she doesn't quite understand what he is doing. Ray says of Annie, "Annie understands, though it is me she understands and not always what is happening" (page 11). Annie is selfless enough to accept Ray's motivation for building the field, though she doesn't understand the magic that populates the field with reincarnated baseball players. Ray dedicates himself selflessly to building the field. He says, "Three seasons I've spent seeding, watering, fussing, praying, coddling that field like a sick child" (page 8). He puts endless time and resources into growing the field without knowing if his dreams will come true.
Ray later tries to comfort J.D. Salinger, the writer who is living as a recluse in Vermont. He tells Salinger, "I want to renew you. I want to do something nice for you. I don't think I'm doing this for myself" (page 84). Ray is exercising selflessness, as he travels across the country, from Iowa to Vermont, to find Salinger and take him to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. His goal is to comfort Salinger and "ease his pain."
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