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,
London makes it a priority to point out, in specific detail, all the signs of death and the one sign of life. He describes the hanging bodies and blood stains with great detail, almost telling the reader that they mean something. He also describes the apple with great detail as well, almost as if it is precious. Then at the end of the story, the main character lets the life slip through his fingertips as he's falling to the ground after being shot, symbolizing the fact that if he doesn’t keep his life and shoot the man, he’s going to lose his own. Lastly, the way he describes the scene of the red-bearded man getting water while the main character looks on symbolizes that something is going to happen. He describes the shot as can’t miss, 20 feet away, and he was as good as dead. This also contributes to the theme because it shows that the main character had the perfect opportunity to prevent his own death, but instead let it slip away and he ended up dead instead. These three examples show how Jack London uses examples of description and certain events as theme-builders. A modern example of how impersonal war can be is the story of Keith Broomfield. Mr. Broomfield fought against ISIS with Kurdish forces. Writer Sophie Evans states that “Keith was then killed in a small battle near Kobani, making him the first American citizen to die fighting for the Kurds (Hundreds)”. Keith was fighting against what he thought was wrong. It was a shame he had to die this way because he knew he needed to join with the Kurdish people to fight against something that was/is very wrong. This shows how war is uncaring because Keith was just doing what he thought was right and ended up dying for it. This is a very good example of how impersonal and uncaring war/conflict can be. Another modern example of how uncaring conflict can be is a shooting in South Carolina that killed 9 innocent church goers.
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
“War.” In conclusion, Jack London’s theme of how uncaring and impersonal war and conflicts are can still be found throughout conflict today. These two modern conflicts support London’s theme because in both situations, the victims are just doing what they think is right and they ended up dying for it. Both situations were sad and wrong, but they both prove how uncaring not only conflict is, but even modern humanity.