Shiloh Symbolism

In the short story by Ray Bradbury, there were many symbols and actions that could represent something else. Symbols in the “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” can be taken in many different ways and can represent anything. The symbols in “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” that stand out the most are the peach blossom, the general, and the drum.

To begin with, the drum plays a very important role in “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” by symbolizing many different things. The drum is like the heart, it sets the pace of everything. In “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” the drum symbolizes the fact that everything follows the beat of the drum. When the drum was tipped over onto its side, it could mean someone set their problem aside. That could mean when the drum was tipped over all of his problems were solved. Next, the drum could mean that when the peach stone hit the drum, it echoed through the night. That would represent the fact that nothing moves in the night and everything is preparing for the next day. All in all, the drum symbolizes many different things and plays a very big part in “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh”.
When the peach blossom falls onto the ground, that could show the lows in someone's life. That means that when the peach blossom falls to the ground it is a the low of its life, but things can get better just as fast as they can get worse. Next, the peach blossom in the story could represent youth because it is in the youth of its life. That means that the peach blossom has not bloomed yet and it still has a long way to go in its life. Next, the peach blossom could represent ignorance because Joby did not think what he was doing through before he went to war. When the peach blossom fell it made Joby realize what he had done, just like teens today with all sorts of bad things. All in all, the peach blossom in “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” can symbolize many very important