The True Nature of War in Literature

In “War” by Jack London and “The Man He Killed” by Thomas Hardy, the authors explore the negative impact of war and its dehumanizing nature. Although one is a short story and the other a poem, both connect to each other with a common anti-war message through a demoralizing tone. Through literature, London and Hardy force readers to consider how demoralizing and dehumanizing war truly is, and the truly harsh consequences of battle.

London’s short story “War” focuses more on the irony and cruel aspects of war to create a general anti-war cry. An example of this is during a scouting mission, our protagonist goes through some common struggles of war. The author uses harsh and almost lonely diction such as “loneliness”, “companionship”, and “death-dealing” in order to strike a depressing mood for his war story. As such, this language sets a lonely and sour mood with the use of almost depressing diction.

A second example of this in War is During an unfortunate run in with the enemy, our protagonist is shot at and experiences the worst of war. To clarify how horrible war can be, London uses irony to explain how war can make any mercy become deadly. “They laughed at the unexpected eruption of apples, and clapped their hands in applause for the long shot by the man with the ginger beard.” This line is ironic because the very man our protagonist let live killed him. This use of irony set a demoralizing mood and contributed with the author’s message that war is rash, unforgiving, and violent. Overall, War by Jack London shows the perspective of a dead man as he struggles through a rough war. By using literary techniques, the author illustrates the lifestyle war forces on the soldiers.

Furthermore, another phenomenal piece of literature, The Man He Killed by Thomas Hardy, highlights the mental trauma that soldiers face during war. The poem demonstrates this well after what may be a soldier’s first kill, we see him contemplate about whether he should have done it or not. “I shot him dead because he was my foe, just so: my foe. Of course he was!”. This quote has a much deeper meaning to it than it seems. It digs into the mindset of a soldier after he kills a man, as he tries to excuse his actions because he had to or because the man was his “foe”. This is Similar to War in the fact that both pieces explore the mindset of a soldier, and not just the physical aspects of war itself.

Another amazing example of the consideration the soldier goes through is in another example of regret in the line, “Had he and I but met by some old ancient inn, we should have sat us down to wet right many a nipperkin!”. This quote explores the possibility that maybe the two men could have been friends if the circumstances were different. Similarly, in War, we see our protagonist out scouting when he spots an enemy soldier. Instead of shooting him, he takes pity and lets him live, only to be killed by him later. This may also suggest that out protagonist in The Man He Killed may have been right to do so, as the man he killed could have come back to kill him. Just like War, The Man He Killed explores the mental trauma and regret war ensues on its soldiers.

Overall, reading and comprehending both of these texts together helps us and anyone else that war is cruel, unforgiving, and demoralizing. It helps us understand that soldiers are real people and not ruthless killing machines. It helps us understand that every soldier is just like you or me.