“Somehow, even fifty years later, I keep thinking that there might have been another way, beside war, to achieve the same end” (Collier and Collier 211). In My Brother Sam is Dead, Collier and Collier describe how unfortunate it would have been to experience the anguish of the Revolutionary War. Not only did the war cause major conflict, it also tore families apart, caused a clash of generations, and demonstrated an example of principle versus reality. In My Brother Sam is Dead, although both sides of war are shown, authors Collier and Collier essentially argue that war is pointless.
One way the authors argue against war is by implying that war tears families apart. The war left Tim with a tough choice, and led to Sam breaking apart from the
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The principle of war is freedom and liberty, while the reality is death. “In war the dead pay the debts of the living” (Collier and Collier 211). By fighting in a gruesome war, many would expect to gain freedom. However, the reality is that a price has to be paid to obtain freedom. In other words, lives have to be lost in order to earn desired freedom. “A lot of good men have been killed in this war, and all we can hope is that its been worth it. Maybe it has not. Maybe in the end we will conclude that” (Collier and Collier 193). Additionally, Sam was executed for stealing his family’s cattle, when all along he was innocent. Instead, Sam’s life could have been spared if it was not for the problematic war. According to the authors, the war led to Sam’s death because without it, Sam would not have become a solider. Additionally, if Sam never became a soldier, then he would have never been accused for stealing cattle. In reality, another life was lost pointlessly. As a matter of fact, liberty and freedom could be achieved without the devastation of war. To conclude, authors Collier and Collier feature principle versus reality by adding unpredictable plot points to show the reader the contrast between the principle, and what actually