War books have changed the early 19th and early 20th centuries. As America developed
from an agricultural to an industrial country the style and setting of battles
have changed. Theories on human nature and society brought to life the characters
in the book. The absurdities of war began to be explored. The bureaucracy of
war became all to familiar to politics of the time. People began to see not
only the injuries of those who went into battle, but also those who did not.
War can destroy more then physical things, but also the minds of a generation.
In 19th century America, many considered war the ultimate adventure. Guns, knives,
villains, blood, gore, and chaos set in the peaceful wilderness excited the
readers of the time. Indians and the frontier came to symbolize the great American
adventure. James Fennimore Cooper's
The Last of the Mohicans demonstrates
this era of writing well. No one questions the "hows or whys" of wars
and the effects on the characters of these events are rarely shown. Maybe because
conflict had become casual in their eyes and the reasons for it so obscure.
However, some differences began to emerge by the end of the century. Some occurred
in the style of fighting. In the
Red Badge of Courage there is less hand
to hand combat since there are no Indians, and fighting is set more on open
fields and less in deep forest. Also, the affect of war on the combatant in
Red Badge is more openly displayed then in the Cooper's book. Henry often
(and I mean often) reflects on his situation, feelings, thoughts, and attitudes
throughout his ordeals. Crane's characters began to question the reasons for
some of the actions their leaders were taking. They call into question the strategies
of their generals. Crane's determination to experience the extremes of human
emotion can be seen in his insights into human emotion.
In the 20th century, one can begin to see a clear change in style. Ernest Hemingway's
The Sun Also Rises does not contain any fighting among humans (there
is bullfighting, but the book does not center around this.) The book is set
in major cities and the countryside rather then the wilderness.Hemingway not
only describes the affect on the combatant, but society in general. The degenerated
society of the expatriate writers and artists in Paris, their depression after
the war, their dislocation from social values, and their rejection of conventional
thinking and values illustrates the fact that war can destroy more people then
just those on the battlefield. In
The Sun Also Rises, society has become
so disillusioned that the reasons of the Great War seem trivial. His experience
during the First World War as an ambulance driver and discoveries about psychology
by people like Sigmund Freud probably gave him inspirations.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller shifts to focus on the combatant again, but
instead of keeping with the depressing tone the novel is at many times humorous
about the absurdities of war. The American bomber squadron in the book is thrown
thoughtlessly into brutal combat situations and bombing runs on which it is
more important for them to capture a good aerial photograph of an explosion
than to destroy their targets. However, there are instances where the book is
funny. When Yossarian discovers that it is possible to be discharged from military
service because of insanity, he claims he is insane. Only then does he find
out that by claiming he is insane he has proved that he is obviously sane. This
type of bureaucratic irony appealed to Heller. His Air Force experience provided
him with technical details, and he found additional sources for
Catch-22
in the World War II experiences of friends, the competitive atmosphere of the
business world, and events of the Cold War period.
As the conditions in America and in the world changed, so did the style of writing
in war novels. The casualties expanded and began to include much more then loss
of human life, but also of human emotion and the scars on society. They have
also given insight into the life of those effected by war. When the people of
Atlanta begged William T. Sherman not to set fire to their city, Sherman replied,
"War is cruelty , and you cannot refine it." Even those who support
war must agree. War is cruel, and American writers find again and again new
ways to show us that.
