Imagery In Louisa May Alcott's 'Death Of A Soldier'

It was the time of the Civil War. Violence and death was consuming the United States at an alarming rate, separation was growing more forcibly, and the nation was being torn apart by differing beliefs of what was best for the country at that time. As the the war grew bloodier, many wounded soldiers were admitted into hospitals at such great quantities that they were often overlooked and not given the optimum care that they needed, until one nurse decided to give a bit of tenderness and compassion to a soldier in a time of despair. In an excerpt from Louisa May Alcott’s book Hospital Sketches, she creates a sentimental retelling of the tragic death of a soldier she care for named John. “Death of a Soldier” is an emotionally gripping narration

Louisa May Alcott’s selection of detail and visually descriptive language encourages the audience to envision the memory in a way similar to how Alcott experienced it and further develop the emotions she felt. In her initial introduction to John, she notices his physical condition, “John sat with bent head, hands folded on his knee, and no outward sign of suffering, till, looking nearer, I saw great tears roll down and drop upon the floor. It was a new sight there; for, though I had seen many suffer, some swore, some groaned, most endured silently, but none wept… [I] took him in. Gathering the bent head in my arms.. As if he [was] a little child” (Alcott 2). The conventional traits of a soldier, being strong and unfazed, are challenged when John starts to genuinely display his feelings and the moment of realization the reader has when they hear of the soldiers fragility and vulnerability is a demoralizing time. Having the ability to visualize the the physical state that John was in, only helps create a stronger feeling of empathy towards him. It is human nature to want to empathize with someone who is suffering and in this piece, the reader learns of John’s emotions and has no choice but to want to show compassion and understanding for his situation. However, as the soldier’s pain progresses, the audience is becoming furthermore emotionally invested in his story. In John’s final moments of dying, Alcott describes his final desperate actions. “John was dying… I sat down by him, wiped drops from his forehead, stirred the air about him with a slow wave of a fan, and waited to help him die.. he suffered dumbly… and again and again he tore the covering off his breast, as if the lightest weight added to his agony” (Alcott 3). By now, the audience is realizing that John is in a very deplorable condition and is unlikely to recover. The feelings of desperation and helplessness