In the book “The killer angels: A Novel of the Civil War,” author Michael Shaara tells about the events taking place during the Civil War. The central figures in the narrative are two opposing armies: the Confederate Army and the Union Army. Both groups differ in their makeup but are almost equally dedicated to their cause. At the same time, the reader may form a confident attitude and appeal to one of the armies, especially when describing the commanders.
The author begins the presentation of the Union and Confederate armies from the very beginning of the narrative. Thus, he focuses readers’ attention on the values and goals that soldiers and their commanders adhered to during the Civil War. Moreover, attention is also paid to the differences between the two communities, which are reflected in how they relate to and conduct the military actions in the book. Thus, the Confederate army became more appealing to me, as it seemed to me more united. The author writes, “They are rebels and volunteers: They are mostly unpaid and usually self-equipped. It is an army of remarkable unity, fighting for disunion” (Shaara 1). This aspect is of critical importance when participating in military operations since a disparate team cannot have the necessary force and efficiency.
The peculiarity of this army is that The Confederate Army is assembled from people of unique but at the same time similar backgrounds, faith, and customs. Despite the such disparity, they have a particular strength since “they have as solid a faith in their leader as a veteran army that ever marched” (Shaara 1). Moreover, it is emphasized that the military group itself was in a terrible state. Hence, the soldiers could be without shoes or wear a shabby uniform. At the same time, they still persevered toward their goal despite all the hardships and inconveniences. Their leader was Robert E. Lee, to whom they completely trusted their lives and listened to his commands.
On the other hand, the reader is presented with The Union Army, which is an opponent of the Confederate Army. Unlike her, the Union is not so united that it becomes their disadvantage. The author notes, “it is a strange new kind of army, a polyglot mass of vastly dissimilar men, fighting for union” (Shaara 1). Thus, each soldier in this army has his own history, which separates them in this aspect. Moreover, the situation is aggravated by the fact that they have different languages and customs, which affects the stressful state within the association. However, the Union Army, like the Confederate Army, had a common goal for which they decided to go to the Civil War and devote themselves to their duty.
Another important aspect that does not contribute to the formation of appeal to the Union Army is the fact that they do not have a respectful and honorable attitude towards their leader. Hence, the fact stands out that “they think this will be the last battle, and they are glad that it is to be fought on their own home ground” (Shaara 2). From this fact, it can be determined that such a fall in faith can be caused by a series of losses that significantly affected the soldiers’ psychological state and mood. Thus, from the very beginning of the narrative, the author introduces the reader to the description of the components of each of the armies and their moral principles and make-ups. In addition, it initially forms the reader’s attitude to each group of the military, which in the future will affect the perception of the events described.
When reading the work, I had mixed feelings about whether the author of the work is pro-Confederate or pro-Union. This factor is due to the fact that I correlated my conclusions not only on the basis of the description of each army and their actions but also on the basis of the events taking place. Thus, after finishing the book, I came to the conclusion that the author does not single out favorites since he pays equal attention to both armies. Moreover, despite the first impression that the Confederate Army may have a more privileged place due to its community, in the finale of the narrative, it undergoes defeat before the Union Army.
In addition, I think Michael Shaara has done an excellent job in presenting armies so that they have certain positive and negative aspects. Hence, the defeat of the Confederacy could be the result of some mistakes on the part of the command, which arose due to the breakdown of their collaborative work. Of particular importance should be given to descriptions of army commanders to whom the reader forms some attachment. The author’s ability to humanize the protagonists and bring the reader closer to them is also reflected in the opinion that Shaara did not have favorites in the book. For example, he reflects on the feelings of the protagonists with the words, “Trimble took the hand. He was crying. He said huskily, tears all down the glistening red cheeks” (Shaara 187). Therefore, he conveys well the feelings and experiences that the participants in the hostilities had. Emotions that awaken the writer overwhelm readers and contribute to the formation of a loyal attitude towards the Union Army and the Confederate Army. In this way, they also gain awareness that the mogul motivates soldiers and commanders to make their decisions.
Work Cited
Shaara, Michael. “The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War.” Ballantine Books, 2010.