The Drummer Boy Of Shiloh Literary Analysis

“At that time, it was the bloodiest battle in American History.”(Bradbury 167) In, “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” by Ray Bradbury, Joby, the drummer boy, wants to be more than just a drummer boy. He wants to be a soldier. The general talks to Joby saying “you are the heart of the army.” At first Joby didn’t believe the general, but the general convinces him that the drummer boy is what makes the army. Joby stays a drummer boy. In this story, there are symbols of importance & bravery, father figure & inspiration, and death. A symbol is something that has a meaning beyond itself. In Ray Bradbury’s story, Joby, a drummer boy, symbolizes importance and bravery, the general symbolizes a father figure and inspiration, and The Battle of Shiloh symbolizes death. Joby,the drummer boy of Shiloh, is a symbol of importance and bravery. In the text, Bradbury states, “If he, Joby, beat slow tomorrow, the heart would beat slow in the men.” (Bradbury 171) This proves Joby is important because if Joby would beat the drum slow, then the soldiers would run, fight, and shoot slow and the men would die, but if he beats the drum fast then they will shoot,fight, and run fast. Bradbury also states “...which jerked the boy upright. In silence he listened to his own heart ruffle away,away, at

Joby will be forever remembered because he was the beat of the army and the drummer boy of one of the bloodiest wars in history. If he would beat slow then the army would be slow and if he would beat fast then the army would be fast. The general was another important part of the Battle of Shiloh. The general made soldiers and Joby feel good about themselves and the war. The Battle of Shiloh was the most important part of history at the time. The Battle of Shiloh was the bloodiest war at the time and killed 23,000 soldiers in 2 days. Joby, the general, and the Battle of Shiloh have different symbols,but they all mean