My Brother Sam Is Dead Character Analysis

In the novel, My Brother Sam is Dead, Father says, “Is it worth war to save a few pence in taxes?” (Collier and Collier 21). This quote summarizes the main idea of that war does nothing. My Brother Sam is Dead is written by James and Christopher Collier. The authors introduce many strong characters that include Sam, Tim, Life, and Susannah Meeker and takes place during the American Revolutionary War. The authors, Collier and Collier, try to prove that war does not help by adding the theme inside of a realistic plot that involves family and death, something everyone has or has gone through in their life. By adding family and death, it makes readers connect the story to our life and makes the reader question if war is actually worth it if the

To be engaged in war is to be engaged in an armed conflict. Death is an all too ordinary product of war. It is an unsolicited reward for many soldiers that are fighting for their country’s own fictitious freedom. For some of these men, the battlefield is a glimpse into hell, and for others, it is a means to heaven. Many people worry about what happens during war and what will become of their loved ones while they’re fighting, but few realize what happens to those soldiers once they come home. The short stories "Soldier's Home” by Ernest Hemingway and "Speaking of Courage” by Tim O'Brien explore the thematic after effects of war and how it impacts a young person's life. Young people who

“Look at Europe, they’ve had one war after another for hundreds of years, and show me where anything ever got any better for them.” In My Brother Sam is Dead the authors use the war as a way to hint at the readers that they are against war. They also use Tim as the narrator to show how it is on both sides of the war. The authors (Collier and Collier) look at war like it’s their arch enemy.

A little ten year old boy was taken as a prisoner of war. He was snatched out of his life and destined to die while others lived. His death actually happened in history, but also in the novel, My Brother Sam Is Dead. It is the year 1775, the Revolutionary War is just stirring among the people. The narrator is Tim Meeker, the youngest son in a family that runs their tavern in the town of Redding. The Meeker family goes through many sufferings at the cost of war. His older brother, Sam is a Yale student who goes to war to fight the British against his father’s wishes. Through the course of the book, many sufferings arise in Redding. Life gets tougher and the Meekers experience the hard reality of war. The authors are against war because they

Wars are often glorified in tone to give praise and respect for those on the battlefields. There is an overall understanding that there are sacrifices needed in order to accomplish a larger goal. Excluded from this understanding is the realization that the effects of war

“War is hell, but that’s not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead.” (80)

War. It can either make a nation or break one. The people who have died in war to achieve their principles of freedom are the foundation of almost every great country. Legendary places, nations, and homes are the outgrowth of fruitful wars that have been fought by people wanting to end injustice. Even though war can end successfully with freedom and justice, it can also end with brutality and loss of life. In a lot of wars, fights have been fought and lives have been lost without the wanted outcome. In My Brother Sam is Dead, the Collier brothers have shown war’s injustice and brutality as well as the accomplishment of one’s principle. The passings of Jerry Sanford, Tim’s father(Life), and his brother, Sam Meeker, induced Tim’s decision of war to be neutral.

Wars are a difficult place to be. “THE VIETNAM WAR transformed a generation” (Roberts 1). With all that happened during the war such as exposure to

The ship was cold and food was scarce. It was no condition for a little ten year old boy. He was a prisoner of the war with little hope. Snatched out of his life he was helpless and was destined to die while others lived. He asked to himself, “Why me? Why not someone else?” His death actually happened in history, but also in the novel, My Brother Sam Is Dead. It is the year 1775, the Revolutionary War is just stirring among the people and around the life of the narrator, Tim Meeker. Tim is the youngest son in a family that runs a tavern in the town of Redding. The Meeker family goes through many sufferings at the cost of war. His older brother, Sam is a Yale student who goes to war to fight the British against his father’s wishes.

One way the authors argue against war is how they show examples of family division. A major conflict in the Meeker family was Mr. Meeker being loyal to the British King and Sam fighting as a patriot soldier in the war. This resulted in Tim being caught in the middle, questioning which side of the war he should support. Either choice, he decided, would be a disappointment to at least one of his family members. “...between worrying about that and being confused over which side was right I couldn’t concentrate on church much” (Collier and Collier 29). The tension between Mr.

    A little ten year old boy is snatched out of his life as he was taken as a prisoner of war. He is destined to die when others lived. His death actually happened in history, but also in the novel, My Brother Sam Is Dead. It is the year 1775, the Revolutionary War just stirring among the people. The narrator is Tim Meeker, the youngest son in a family that runs their tavern in the town of Redding. The Meeker family goes through lots of sufferings at the cost of war. His older brother Sam is a Yale student who goes to war to fight the British against his father’s wishes. As the war goes on life gets tougher and the Meekers experience the hard reality of war. Tim is split between the sides of war, but realizes neither side is right. As Tim goes through story the authors show the reader of the difficulties of war. In My Brother Sam Is Dead although both sides are shown, authors Collier and Collier argue that war is futile.

A small family of four, living in the Tory town of Redding. Life was great Mr. and Mrs. Meeker owned a small tavern that supplies their town with food, rum, and supplies. Their son Timmy helped around the tavern and did chores, because his older brother Sam was off at college. Everyone in Redding was close and knew the Meeker family, they all admired how they had raised Sam and Timmy. Every year after college was over, Sam would come home and visit, except one.

War could be good and bad--it just depends on the position of the person looking at it. Some says that war is positive since wars are often instruments used to voice people’s opinion, and it to preserve human dignity. On the other hand, there are many negative aspects of war: brutality, injustice, and lose of human life. In the novel, My Brother Sam is Dead, the Collier brothers express their disapproval towards war by displaying the main character, Tim’s, life in the reality of the American Revolutionary War. Through many unexpected twist of events in Tim’s life, the ironic death of Jerry Sanford, Life Meeker, and Sam Meeker convinced Tim to stay neutral at the end of the book.

In the book it states on page 22,“‘You can’t order me anymore, Father I’m a man.’ ‘A man? Your a boy, Sam, a boy dressed up in a gaudy soldiers suit.’ Oh he sounded bitter. ‘Father--’ ‘Go, Sam get out of my sight. I can’t bear to look at you anymore in that vile costume. Get out. And don’t come back until you come dressed as my son, not as a stranger.’”(Collier and Collier) The war is tearing the Meeker family apart, Mr. Meeker had just kicked his son out of his house calling him a stranger. The war is making them disagree and thus making them split up. The war has forced people to choose sides. When they do, they disagree to what side is better. A quote that also justifies the claim that war is vicious is on page 71 when it states, “‘Father, why can't I carry messages for Mr. Heron? You're on the Tory side, too.’ ‘Because I said so.’ ‘That's no reason,’ I said. He stared at me. ‘If you don't stop arguing with me, I'll thrash you, Timmy.’ ‘I don't care,’ I said. ‘If we're supposed to be Loyalists, we should help--’ He slammed his fist down on the table and then jerked his thumb toward his chest. ‘I'll manage the politics in this family,’ he said. ‘Father--’ ‘Timothy, goddamn it I'm going to--’”(Collier and Collier) Tim and his father are arguing about Tim delivering a message. If the war could not have occurred and Tim had to deliver a message it would not be a big deal, but because of

The second comrade he has lost was Lt. Carroll, where he died to enemy fire. The death of Jenkins reveals the reality of war to Perry, where he sees the death of his fellow comrade and questions the moral reasoning of being in the war. The death of Lt. Carroll causes the loss of Perry’s innocence and causes him to lose a father figure, where in the war Lt. Carroll has cared for and watched over their squad. Consequently, the impact the war has on Perry affects him to the extent where he now fights for survival of himself and the squad. He also has to have the ability to see reality and experience maturity, but still be able to feel and give love. Perry is involved in a event where they had to burn American soldiers and their I.D. tags. He is then again involved in a event where he and Peewee kill opposing soldiers on the other side to save the lives of themselves and their squad, where at the end they were injured enough to go home and leave vietnam holding hands. The significant event of burning of American soldiers and identification cards symbolize their survival alone or with the squad, where the military views them as a “pawns” or a “diamond dozen”. Perry saving the squad with PeeWee