War is an evil that can destroy nations, but without it, there is the potential for even more chaos in our imperfect world. Many wicked and corrupt institutions throughout history have been stopped by wars, further advancing society. Detrimental repercussions of combat, such as destroyed homes or lost lives, are justified by the anticipation of a better future. In the novel My Brother Sam is Dead, by James and Christopher Collier, Tim Meeker must decide if war is worth the bloodshed and loss to secure freedom for himself, and for America’s posterity. By the end of the story, the ironic deaths of Ned, Life, and Sam contribute to Tim’s decision to remain neutral.
Ned’s death is a major event that influences Tim’s decision to be neutral. As a black slave, he is subject to persecution during the Revolutionary War. Tim watches him get brutally murdered by a Loyalist soldier: “Ned’s head jumped off his body and popped into the air” (145). After stabbing Ned in the stomach, the soldier decapitates him. This gruesome sight mortifies Tim; consequently, he begins to understand the reality of
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After Sam is falsely arrested as a cattle thief, Tim tries to convince Colonel Parsons that his brother is innocent, but his efforts are futile, “It doesn’t matter to him very much who he executes; one man’s agony is like another’s...And that’s why he’s going to have Sam shot” (194). General Putnam needs to discipline his soldiers, and when Sam is conveniently arrested, he decides to kill him, ignoring the fact that he is innocent. Throughout the story, Sam is constantly warned that he will die in battle, but nobody expects his death to be at the hands of his superior. Instead of receiving the honor and glory Sam wanted so badly, he ends up dying an undeserved death to prove a point. Tim is obsessed with getting honor and glory; when he saw that war did not always promise that outcome, he wanted to avoid fighting and become