Washington Crossing The Delaware

The 1997 publication of the novel Memoirs of a Geisha written by Arthur Golden has very similar themes to the famous American art piece Washington Crossing the Delaware painted by Emmanuel Leutze. Although these two pieces are set in very different places with very different scenarios and backgrounds, both obviously show themes of overcoming the odds and persevering through hardship. The famous oil on canvas painting depicts a scene that was a very critical moment during the American Revolution. Before the event that this painting has shown, there were several months of substantial defeats for Washington and his army. These defeats resulted in the loss of New York City and other important strategic points in the region. These continuous losses dampened the spirits of the American troops, however during the winter of 1776, Washington and his troops braved the icy and freezing waters of the Delaware River in order to land a surprise attack on the Hessian force. Washington’s troops quickly overwhelmed the German forces and surrounded the town that they were staying in. Even though Washington was forced to withdraw from the town, news of this event spread and raised the
Washington himself is seen in a confident and unwavering pose while others around him are seen maneuvering their way through the ice. Another important object in this painting is the American flag which is raised up, this represents the pride and determination that Washington and his troops felt even during this hard time. Without knowing the history behind the event that this painting depicted, one may have thought that these troops and Washington himself were aware of their impending victory due to the confidence that this piece radiates. The history behind Washington Crossing the Delaware and the elements seen in it makes the theme of persevering through hardship despite the odds, very