In Mark Twain’s “The War Prayer,” Twain addresses the popular philosophy of imperialism in America during the early 1900s. Though imperialism was thought to be a beneficial way to spread culture to underdeveloped countries while freeing the people, Twain believed that Americans were too caught up in the idea and used unnecessary military force to oppress others. In the age of imperialism in America, Mark Twain’s “The War Prayer” reveals the irony and consequences that imperialism has brought to America. Twain’s piece recognizes a part of war that many are oblivious to: the cruel wishes behind the soldier’s safety. Twain focuses heavily on the congregation’s prayer for their soldier’s well-being, and also a brutal defeat of their enemies, “O Lord our God, help us tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our …show more content…
The messenger, who symbolizes anti-imperialism, attempts to explain how the church may not understand the full meaning of their prayer. The messenger says that God has heard their prayer, and if afterwards they understand the meaning of their prayer and still wish it to happen then so be it, “He has heard the prayer of its servant your shepherd, and will grant it if such be your desire after I, His messenger, shall have explained to you its import.” This is critical because following this, the messenger recites the “unspoken” part of the prayer which leads to “ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the most High waits.” Even after hearing the brutal prayer they have uttered, the church remains silent and neither speaks for nor against the prayer. Instead the congregation looked upon the messenger as if he were a lunatic, “It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.” In this section of “The War Prayer,” Twain sends the message to his audience that war is inevitable no matter the amount of