Of all the things he could have written about he chose to write about a man's fake reality right before he died. Not a very happy story to read about, not even one most people remember or think to hard about.
The only reason I can think of for him doing this is because he was trying to say something through the story. If that's the case what do you think he was he trying to say with it? What did he hope people would take from it? What was his in goal in this book? And how did the ending make you feel?
I think he was trying to show the realities of the civil war and hoped that people would not see it as all glory and honor as did the 'youthful soldier' in the "Red Badge of Courage."
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of the comparison between the two.
DeleteI agree with Cliff that Bierce wanted to bring the reality of war to life with this amazing short story. We often think war is no big deal as long as we are safe but there are men out there giving their own lives to fight for what is right.
ReplyDeleteI think more is understood about war and the realities of it now then there use to be. We definitely don't grasp the full reality of it unless we've been there but I think we know just a little more about it now then they did.
DeleteAlso, just like the Red Badge of Courage, this story shows that wars are often fought in people's front yards, not vacant lots.
Delete*or other rural areas.
DeleteInteresting insight,it could also have been designed as a warning against blindly rushing into things without really knowing if its true or accurate. If you are going to act rashly because of what you have heard, make sure you fact check. For example, people on Facebook sometimes get in an uproar about a post, just to discover that it is false or misquoted. Be careful what you believe, or you may end up regretting a decision made too quickly.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you I definitely think he was using the book not only to show the realties of war but also warn against rushing into things without thinking. To show show what can happen when you do rush into things.
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