Jack London War Essay

Pointless deaths. Countless innocent lives taken. Families devastated. This is war. War is a very harsh, unforgiving topic that authors have portrayed differently for year As like any other author, Jack London has his own opinion on war, and he expresses his own theme in the short story “War”. In his story “War”, London’s theme of how impersonal and uncaring war can be is still very evident in warfare and conflict today. London’s theme of how uncaring war and conflicts can be is very evident throughout the story “War”, using description of character's, events, and different actions. First, the very obvious example of irony is presented at the end of the story when the main character passes up the opportunity to kill an opposing soldier at can’t-miss range. The man the main character refuses to shoot, the red-bearded man, later kills the main character from almost impossible range. This clearly proves the theme because the main character could’ve killed the red-bearded man, passed it up, and was then shot by the same man. Secondly,
These people were only going through their Sunday routine and ended up being shot just because. This is similar to the other event because both victims were doing what they thought was right by going to church and fighting for what he believed in. Many people are grieving the loss of these innocent people as they affected more than just family members. Melanie Eversley quotes Senator Tim Brown by saying, “Senator Tim Brown says, ‘My heart is breaking for Charleston and South Carolina tonight," he said. "This senseless tragedy at a place of worship — where we come together to laugh, love and rejoice in God's name — is absolutely despicable and can never be understood.’ (9 Dead)” This is another good example of how uncaring modern conflict can be and how it relates to the theme of the story