The Thin Red Line

510 Words2 Pages

The Thin Red Line

During the blood-stained war of the novel The Thin Red

Line a theme is presented, "Only the courageous and

emotionally strong-willed survive." Throughout the

storyline, the army of men parading through Guadalcanal are

bombarded with unpredictable situations and odds. Only the

men with courage at their backs and their heads screwed on

straight can get through this chaos. The timid, scared

stiff ones will not get out alive, but the ones who swallow

their nerves can survive. Several men display these

qualities of bravery such as: Private Jon Bell, Captain

James Stein, and Corporal Fife. Their heroic

characteristics and deeds what saved the men overall,

disobeying their sergeant included. They did what they

needed to do to keep as many people alive as possible. The

ones who are left standing were the ones who kept their

cool. The men discovered what was "the thin red line"

between the living and the dead, the crazy and the sane, how

to live another day.

Towards the beginning of the story this theme has been

portrayed through the mi...

Show More
Related

  • Charles Yale Harrison’s Generals Die in Bed vs Colin McDougall’s Execution

    1717 Words  | 4 Pages

    Most war novels center on themes of valor and heroism. Some concentrate on the opposites of these virtues in an attempt to display raw realism. Harrison, right from the beginning of his novel, shows us both. The narrator of this first-person narrative paints a picture of a totally un-heroic bunch of soldiers preparing for debarkation. The drinking and debauchery are followed the next morning by a parade that the suffering soldiers must march through, while the people watch their ‘heroes’ leaving to bravely fight the good fight. While this clearly demarcates the innocent civilians from the savvy soldiers, it also shows the reader that the narrator is going to try to tell the real story.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Thin Blue Line And Cloverfield

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    The films, The Thin Blue Line and Cloverfield are both alike and dissimilar in different film aesthetics. The aesthetics that are presented to the film’s viewers vary in many ways ranging from the type of camera used to the lighting in the films. Despite the differences both films present truths about the world using aesthetics. I think these certain aspects helps the audience give a full, undivided attention to what is currently happening in the movie. When the movie has our full attention that is when we fully understand the truths that are being presented to us from the two films, The Thin Blue Line and Cloverfield.

    Read More

  • All Quiet on the western front

    1826 Words  | 4 Pages

    But after experiencing ten weeks of atrocious basic training at the hands of the small-minded, vindictive Corporal Himmelstoss and the inconceivable cruelty of life on the front lines. Paul and his comrades realize that the ideals that made them enlist are merely empty clichés. They no longer believe that war is magnificent or respectable, and they live in unceasing physical terror that each day that goes may be their last. When Paul’s company receives a short reprieve after two weeks of fighting at the front lines, only eighty men of the original 150-man company return from the front. The cook , Ginger, doesn’t want to give the survivors the rations that were meant for the dead men He insists that he is only allowed to distribute single rations and that the dead soldiers’ rations will simply have to go to waste but eventually gives in.

    Read More

  • How Does Henry Fleming Change In The Red Badge Of Courage

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Red Badge of Courage is a descriptive novel about the courage one can develop if he/she rises above the fear. Henry Fleming was afraid and cowardly but, saw the look in his comrade's eyes and changed his entire mindset on the battle. Henry is my favorite character and the most like me for these reasons, he changed his entire way of thought for his regiment. This book is a well written Civil War novel on how war changes people not just for the negative but, for the positive

    Read More

  • Examples Of Henry In The Red Badge Of Courage

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    Events of crisis tend to reveal people’s true character, as well as help those people learn from the experience. Decisions people make during crises can display what kind of personality they have. In The Red Badge Of Courage by Stephen Crane, the youthful main protagonist, Henry, decides to join the army. In the beginning of the novel, Henry exhibits multiple cowardly qualities. However, through a series of battles, Henry learns more about himself and begins to become a remarkably brave soldier. Henry’s transformation from cowardice to bravery is portrayed through Henry’s change in thoughts, actions, and dialogue.

    Read More

  • The Red Convertible Analysis

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Red Convertible is a short story which holds a lot of meaning. It contains a deeper meaning than just two brothers and their car. The story begins in the 1970’s on an Indian reservation when two brothers decide to split the cost on a red convertible they had spotted driving by. They put a copious amount of work and time into the convertible. After completing their project they decide to hit the open road and travel around the country. All is well until one of the brothers is drafted into the war.

    Read More

  • Racism in the Film Remember the Titans

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    They had to stand up for their new knowledge to people that they love and trust. The people in this story go through a great transformation from hating each other to being as close as brothers, but I do not feel that the end result is the most important part. These boys had very difficult decisions to make. I think that all these young men were raised to be racists to varying degrees. This graveyard moment was a very clear message that could not be misunderstood.

    Read More

  • Tiny Things They Carried By Tim O Brien: An Analysis

    1370 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the war continued, they moved from town to town, they lost comrades and they killed other people. They kept themselves in right conditions, to not breakdown as the more fear of death had taken their hope away. They knew none of them could show their weakness, because if one person went down, others would have been down. They had to support each other against their enemy, the fear of

    Read More

  • With The Old Breed Analysis

    2477 Words  | 5 Pages

    Readers are also given a biased view that shares the untold truths about war, this opinion is delivered in such a way that that stays true to the melancholy tone that war novels are known for, hence the message about war is easily understood by a broad audience and not only those that are interested in stories of combat. In conclusion Eugene Sledge humanizes the american soldier by taking the audience into the battle field, to experience would could only be deem as hell on earth. In doing so readers can understand the frustration with some superior officers not delegating the correct orders, the incorrect utilization of personnel, the complete disregard for human life both civilian and soldier, and the trauma that was experienced first hand by those who felt the need to

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Charge Of The Light Brigade And The Red Badge Of Courage

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage, and the poem, Charge of the Light Brigade, by Lord Alfred Tennyson, are two extremely distinct Authors' depictions of war in two very different ways. The most noticeable differences between the two are the interpretation of war, and the mood set forth by the individual authors. While both lead you through the journey, the method, and result, dramatically differs.

    Read More

  • On The Rainy River Symbolism

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    Other than in the chapter “The Lives of the Dead” Tim O’Brien uses symbolism and conflict to express the central idea that people can fail to be brave many times throughout the novel. One example in the story of conflict about being brave enough is in the chapter “On The Rainy River”. In this chapter, the setting is right before the war started and Tim O’Brien was drafted. His internal conflict was whether he should join the war or if he should run to Canada to escape

    Read More

  • The Yellow Wall Paper

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    Though most women in the 21st century obtain degrees and indulge in the workforce as opposed to being the stereotypical housewife, gender roles among men and women have not changed in the minds of the majority. It is still believed that there is more of an advantage to being a man than a woman. From physical to intellectual dominance, many men and women themselves buy into this facade that being a man is significantly more desirable. Not that women desire to be men, though that sometimes is the case, but women want the same perks and respect that you get being a man. Women do in fact have more power in the workforce, and more men can be found running their homes, yet there are still social expectations that guide the idea of what it means to be male or female.

    Read More

  • If I Die In A Combat Zone Analysis

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    The soldiers endured a lack of adequate leadership, which contributed to the author’s reasoning for his dislike towards the war. Disrespect from soldiers to their leaders was apparent, but was expected when the same respect was not being given back in return. Taking advantage of his job, Reno, a squad leader in charge of O’brien, awakens him ten minutes earlier and causes a mistrust and lack of respect to be instantly built.

    Read More

  • The Color Line

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    Appearing in the 1903, The Souls of Black folk had emerged, a collection of 14 proses, written by one of the single most intellectual blacks in America, W. E.B. DuBois (Oxford Companion). This dynamic collection of essays reflect on African American history, sociology, religion, politics, and music. DuBois begins saying “The problem of the 20th century is the color line (5). This quote pronounces DuBois bases for his collection, that is being different form the others (Whites) makes you feel like you are being shut out from their world by a vast veil; hence the color line(8). On the other had we have Birth of a Nation, which comes out later in 1915 (TCM). Ironically it becomes the top selling film in White America during that time, but degrades everything that DuBois and another activist stood for. While DuBois hopes to educate White and Black America on their boundaries, the color line, the film’s director, D.W. Griffith, undermines these ideas. Defiling images of African Americans by distorting the perception of Blacks using stereotypical examples such as the mammies, mulattos, and bucks, Griffith tries to justify that blacks were inferior to Whites. In spite of the many controversies that are expressed in the film, it had become a known as the most innovative, American Epics and was a top seller during its time because of Griffith’s technical breakthrough and format. While comparing and contrasting these two pieces I hope to reveal to you this why this ‘double consciousness’ exist, even todays society as a result of these stereotypes displayed in “The Birth of a Nation.”

    Read More

  • Psychoanalytic Perspective In The Things They Carried

    1396 Words  | 3 Pages

    O’Brien’s unique verisimilitude writing style fills the novel with deep meaning and emotion. Analyzing the novel through a psychological lens only adds to its allure. Understanding why characters act the way they do helps bring this novel to life. The reader begins to empathize with the characters. Every day, the soldiers’ lives hang in the balance. How these soldiers react to life-threatening situations will inspire the reader. Life has an expiration date. Reading about people who are held captive by their minds and who die in the name of war, will inspire the reader to live everyday as if they are currently in the

    Read More

More about The Thin Red Line

Open Document