The Killer Angels Essay Example

"The Killer Angels" written by Michael Shaara in 1974, published by Ballantine Books, is a story showing the courage and heroism of people involved in the Battle of Gettysburg that took place in 1863. The novel presents the battle in an objective manner, and does not take sides when displaying the position of the two armies on the subject of slavery. It is an outstanding book and is worth reading due to the presence of real characters. In other words, the characters have been brought to life and the audience not only gets to learn about the battle itself, but also about the views and opinions of the participants. One of the most interesting methods is how Shaara presents the narrative through the viewpoints of army personnel, which makes the events come to life. The results are well rounded characters, detailed imagery, and an objectivity that didn’t label either side as the hero.

Michael Shaara first developed a passion for writing when he was in grade school. After graduation, Shaara joined the armed forces where he served as a paratrooper for the 82nd Airborne Division, a seaman, and police officer. In 1951, he graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor's degree and continued his educational process by engaging in some graduate work at Columbia University and the University of Vermont. After publishing many science fiction novels Shaara begin to take on larger project such as writing war novels. In The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, vivid imagery, details, and insightful character development reveal the differences between the Union army and the Confederacy. These two armies have different causes for fighting, but the main cause for the war is slavery. This key issue sparked the war. The Confederacy is fighting for independence from the North, yet the Union is fighting for freedom and an end to slavery.
The thesis of this novel in my opinion reads as, although we are soldiers that are highly trained and motivated war still is a