George Gearson was not brought up to love war or admire feats of valor that occurred within it. He was highly skeptical of its true purpose and the motives behind it, and for the most part saw it as a bloody joke. George wanted to share the same ideals of Editha Bascom because of his love for her, but he was unable to. He was a timid lad according to his mother, but once he resolved to do a thing, he would do it. His parents were very much against war. His father, who had fought in the Civil War, had lost an arm in battle. His mother vowed that they would raise their son to despise war, and she ensured that he believed accordingly. Before becoming a successful lawyer, George aspired to become a minister. “She [his mother] brought me up to …show more content…
In pale moonlight. She symbolized America in it’s “darkest hour” yet a light still shone forth from the moon, like a ray of hope for victory shone from the brave soldiers who would fight, die, and return victorious. He only agreed to become a part of it when he was under the influence of alcohol. Only after his rash night at the tavern with his buddies where he caused them all to enlist, did he join the army. On that night, Editha gave him a letter that basically said, “If you don’t love our country enough to go to war for it, then, despite my love for you, I cannot respect you.” George probably read it after he was sober before going to Editha’s house the next morning. I believe this played a major role in his decision to abide by his vows so rashly made the night before. George saw war as an irrational way for men, who were deemed rational beings, to settle a dispute. As a lawyer, he was accustomed to clean, professional ways of ending arguments. The gory, bloody, maddening mess that was called war, he did not understand. He spoke the language of a lawyer seeking for justice. He would fight for it with his pen and voice, but not with his