A Mystery Of Heroism Analysis

The theme of the Civil War stories is adversity. All of the stories show examples of suffering. In A Mystery of Heroism, Collins was suffering from thirst and risked his own life because of it. In A Diary from Dixie, it shows how the South is suffering from loss of the battles. In Letter to Sarah Ballou, it shows how both Sullivan Ballou and Sarah Ballou are suffering from not being able to see each other and the fear Sullivan could die. In War is Kind, it talks about how different families are suffering from the loss of their family members. Adversity seems to come up throughout all of these stories.

One way the theme of adversity is created in, A Diary from Dixie, is how the South suffered during the Civil War. Mary Chesnut talked about how the North defeated Atlanta, and all there is to do is continue on with your life. She states “Every day shows that slavery is doomed the world over.” This quote says a lot about the suffering in the South. Many believe slavery was one of the main causes of
Major Sullivan Ballou writes a letter to his wife telling her how much he loves her, no matter what will happen to him in the war. “I know how strongly American Civilization now leans on the triumph of the Government, and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and sufferings of the Revolution.” Major Ballou is suffering from seeing his wife and family, but he has to fight for our country in the war. “My love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me unresistibly on with all these chains to the battlefield.” Major Ballou is saying the war is holding him down to preserve his country and he has to be separated from his family. He is talking about how no matter what happens, if he lives or dies, that he will always love his wife and family. This shows how families in the Civil War suffered being apart, not knowing if their loved ones would live or