From The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper set during the French and Indian War, The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane set during the Civil War, From Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway set during World War I to The Winds of War by Herman Wouk set during World War II, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brian set during the Vietnam War to American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History by Chris Kyle set during the Iraq War, there is no shortage of fiction, non-fiction, plays, and movies about soldiers and the costs of war. Many writers have used their art to explain the heavy toll combat takes in lives taken, physical and mental trauma, broken relationships, and the shredded fabric of American culture.
Many writers have taken vehement anti-war stances to persuade people to protest wars. Others have tried to portray the realities of being a stranger in a foreign land and summoning the courage to do one’s duty under duress. Finding out what is behind the flag-waving, the calls for national pride, for freedom itself is the impetus in examining why soldiers fight if they have a choice and what keeps them going if they did not. The contrast of human liberty and national interests with the range of emotions and loyalties of soldiers are often the substance of high drama and commentary on the human condition. For it is in the extreme experiences, like war, that character and truths worth telling are revealed.
Today, depictions of war turn up in animation, action-adventure, drama, science fiction, and even fantasy. The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien covers the emotional spectrum, hardships, and sacrifice, but Tolkien points outs what many writers forget—that some wars are worth fighting to preserve freedom and that oppression must be conquered in order for peace to reign. It would be so much easier if we never had to leave our shires and become soldiers. However, those of us who are safe at home and protected by those who do join the battle are grateful, for to them we owe our support, our lives, and our freedom.
