Protagonists and Point of View in Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels

1049 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Difference in leadership during the civil war

Protagonists and Point of View in Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels

Crack! A lone rifle fires off in the distance on a rainy July morning. A lone soldier in the Calvary fires the shot that starts the bloodiest battle that ever takes place on United States soil. Michael Shaara's book The Killer Angels (1974) takes place during the Battle of Gettysburg and focuses on the thoughts of the individual commanders who led the troops. This thrilling novel covers the four days of this famous battle that took place in July 1863. Through his writing, the author uses point of view to tell a story about what the commanders on both sides of the field were thinking throughout the famous conflict. In doing this, Shaara also makes it so that all the characters are the protagonists, the person who is trying to accomplish a goal, at some point of the novel.

One of the main characters in this book is General James Longstreet of the Confederate Army. Longstreet graduated from West Point in a period when the soldiers were taught to practice defensive warfare. He is also a stubborn man, which makes it hard to convince him to try any type of war other than a defensive one. Because of how he was taught, he thinks the invasion into Pennsylvania is a mistake and is continually trying to get Lee to go on the defensive during the battle. However, like a strong commander would do, he doesn't mention this to the soldiers under his command until the conflict is settled. He shows this part of himself by telling one of the men under his command that he has, "been arguing against any attack at all," but still tells the officer, "we have our orders [to attack]" (201). With these words, he sends the men into a battle that he feels will fail. The men...

... middle of paper ...

...he fighting begins, the regiment experiences several breaks in their line and eventually runs out of bullets. Chamberlain decides to try a bayonet charge in an attempt to hold the flank, and the regiment ends up capturing over five hundred men. Throughout this whole chapter the reader wants the Union line to hold against the attacking army and accomplish what they are asked to do.

In the novel, Michael Shaara uses the point of view to reveal the thoughts of several different characters on both sides of the conflict. He also uses the point of view to make all the characters who take part in this historic battle the protagonist at some point in the novel. In doing this the author reveals a truth about all humans being a protagonist at some point in their own everyday life.

Works Cited

Sharra, Michael. The Killer Angels. New York: Ballantine Books, 1990.

Show More
Related

  • Comparing The North And The South In Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nevertheless, an attitude they show is their cause for engaging in the war. On page 110, Lee describes, “With every step of a soldier, with every tick of the clock, the army was gaining safety, closer to victory, closer to the dream of independence.” His words reveal that their reason for coming was to gain their long overdue independence. Without a cause worth fighting for on each side, the war would have no fuel or reason to continue. In like manner, another attitude of the South was their admiration for their commander general. On page 251, Longstreet proclaims, “Colonel, let me explain something. The secret of General Lee is that men love him and follow him with faith in him. That’s one secret.” I believe this clarifies that the bond of brotherhood and respect for each other in this army would allow for these soldiers to follow their leader blindly. The overwhelming amount of faith and trust among the Army of the Northern Virginia is inspiring. The Confederates prove in these appearances that they do indeed have an important cause that they are willing to die

    Read More

  • Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

    1253 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lee, where they ride off planning the retreat. Longstreet believes the war can not be won

    Read More

  • Analysis: The Killer Angels

    1235 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Their differing perceptions of the nature of war form the backbone of the difficult relationship between these two men.” Lee, an older soldier, values much of an offensive warfare approach, while Longstreet values a defensive warfare approach. Both men consistently argue about the best option for the Confederacy. However, “no matter how much he might disagree, Longstreet defers to Lee’s decisions.” In an argument as to who was right, none of the developed tactics provide clear evidence as to what was going to work, especially with a military of lesser men, considering the war in 1863. Although General Lee’s tactics did not work during the Battle of Gettysburg, there is no evidence that General Longstreet’s defensive strategy would have worked significantly better. Therefore, neither of the generals exceeded the other when it comes to military strategies, which rather debunks Shaara’s depiction of Longstreet’s advanced knowledge of modern warfare. Despite of the importance of the Battle of Gettysburg, often marked as the turning point of the war, General Longstreet should not obey an order that results in a significant loss of men that would be extremely difficult to replace at this time. Already limited by the amount of men still able to fight, pushing additional forces in an open battle would just nearly deplete the confederate soldiers completely, and

    Read More

  • Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book begins with an in-depth explanation of what happened in the latter stages of the Civil War. Major battles like Sayler’s Creek, High Bridge and Richmond are described through detailed language. For instance, at High Bridge, “Each man wages his own individual battle with a ferocity only a life-and-death situation can bring. Bullets pierce eyes. Screams and curses fill the air. The grassy plain runs blood red.” (page 61). All of these iconic Civil War battles led up to the Confederate surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse and the inescapable rebuilding of a new nation Abraham Lincoln had to deal with. Next, John Wilkes Booth is introduced and his pro-Confederate motives are made clear. His conspiracy to kill the president is described and his co-conspirators like Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt who also attempted to kill Secretary of State Seward a...

    Read More

  • Comparing the Military Leaders of the Civil War

    1558 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lee had supreme confidence in his army, and believed that it could accomplish whatever he asked of it. This confidence sometimes led him to ask too much, such as in the case of Picket’s charge during the battle of Gettysburg. In Lee’s mind he was first and foremost a Christian, and a gentleman. These facts, although not bad, certainly caused Lee to be less aggressive, and to fight the war in a very old-fashioned manner. This was not so with Grant, who seemed to believe in a more modern type of total warfare. Perhaps because this war, as many contend, was the first modern war, it was impossible for the South, and it’s leaders to adapt to the situation.

    Read More

  • Killer Angels Analysis

    629 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Killer Angels is a historical novel that recounts the battle of the Civil War, specifically focusing on the Battle of Gettysburg. Set from June 29 to July 3, 1863 and told from the point of view of several soldiers and commanding officers from both sides, Michael Shaara effectively illustrates the sentiments behind the war that tore America in two, from the strategic battle plans to the emotional hardships endured by all.

    Read More

  • Failure of Mission Command by General McClellan

    2308 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Battle of Antietam could have been a devastating and fatal blow to the Confederate Army if Gen. McClellan acted decisively, took calculated risks, and veered away from his cautious approach to war. There are many instances leading up to the battle and during the battle in which he lacks the necessary offensive initiative to effectively cripple and ultimately win the war. This paper is intended to articulate the failure of Mission Command by GEN McClellan by pointing out how he failed to understand, visualize, describe and direct the battlefield to his benefit.

    Read More

  • Why the Confederacy Lost the War

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    Each author agreed that the battles were not the only reason for the fall and death of the Confederacy. While battles were being fought on the battlefields, the home fronts were had their own battles to fight. McPherson discusses what he calls as the “internal conflict” thesis, which blames the uneasiness among the southerners. The government was being blamed. Southerners were opposing conscription, taxes, and habeus corpus. McPherson points out that these could not have been reasons for the loss. The same thing was happening in the North. Therefore this internal conflict with the home front government does not have a plausible role in why the South lost the war. If the North was fighting the same type of opposition at home, then shouldn’t the war have ended in a stalemate? Also, the non-slaveholding whites and the slaves were feeling alienated. Rich slaveholders who wanted to keep slave labor alive were fighting the war. The two alienated groups were fighting a war on the wrong side. The non-slaveholders opposed sec...

    Read More

  • The Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War

    2584 Words  | 6 Pages

    This magnificent novel is a definite must read for military men because Bahr effectively combines the interesting history of the Battle of Franklin with the psychological affects of battle. Though the novel inherits some natural flaws, the pros outweigh the cons. This short read becomes very satisfying as the story progresses. Also, Bahr shatters the concept of the Confederates being hicks and cruel slave owners, but that they are actual people too, who experience war just the same as someone form the Union.

    Read More

  • Why The North Won The Civil War Analysis

    1274 Words  | 3 Pages

    A successful army requires discipline, but Confederate soldiers refused to concede authority to anyone they did not vote for, at least in the beginning. Confederate soldiers were also prone to shirking duties they deemed menial, and some even left the army without dismissal if they believed they had served long enough. In the uppermost chain of political command, Jefferson Davis proved deficient in quelling the media outlets which railed against his decisions at nearly every turn. Davis gave deference to the right of free speech no matter how damaging it was. Donald then uses these points to highlight the Union Army and Lincoln administration’s successes. The North had the advantage of numerous immigrant conscripts who were used to being ordered around, so the pecking order was easily established from the beginning. In the political realm, Abraham Lincoln did not let Constitutional rights obstruct his goals; Lincoln suspended habeas corpus and threw defamatory journalists into prison. The Union thus had the unity it needed to achieve victory in the face of the South’s

    Read More

  • A Stillness at Appomattox

    1344 Words  | 3 Pages

    “All up and down the lines the men blinked at one another, unable to realize that the hour they had waited for so long was actually at hand. There was a truce…” Bruce Catton’s Pulitzer prize winning book A Stillness at Appomattox chronicles the final year of the American Civil War. This book taught me a lot more about the Civil War than I ever learned through the public school system. Bruce Catton brought to life the real day to day life of the soldiers and the generals who led them into battle.

    Read More

  • The Foreclosure Crisis: Human Greed, Entitlement, and Deception

    2099 Words  | 5 Pages

    Suppose you have a man who is in dire need of having his house painted, but, the house being very large, doesn’t want to do it himself. One of his friends is well aware of how greatly in need his friend’s house is of being painted, and therefore he offers to paint the man’s house for twenty dollars. The man thinks to himself: “Wow, what a nice guy! My house is this big, and he’s going to paint it for just twenty dollars!” Therefore, he agrees to pay his friend twenty dollars in exchange for painting the house. He talks to his friend a few days later, and he says: “Hey, pal! We’re still on? Twen...

    Read More

  • Book Analysis of Stephen W. Sears’ Landscape Turned Red

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stephen W. Sears’ Landscape Turned Red is an account of political and military plans. Especially General Robert E. Lee’s Maryland Campaign as well as the Battle of Antietam. Sears frames his work around the pending support of Great Britain and France to the Confederate cause due to cotton. Landscape Turned Red covers the battle of Antietam. It offers a vivid account of both armies, the soldiers and officers, and the bloody campaign. It analyzes the impact of Antietam on the Civil War as a whole. Sears' use of diaries, dispatches, and letters recreate the Battle of Antietam. You experience the battle not only from its leaders but also by its soldiers, both Union and Confederate. Sears attempts to examine the tactical moves of both Lee and General George McClellan. He also talks about the foolish decisions that troubled both the Federal and Confederate forces. Sears' use of traits, political pursuits, and tactical preferences, explain the thoughts of many. Some of these include President Lincoln, General Halleck and General McClellan, and their subordinates. Stephen Ward Sears is an American historian specializing in the American Civil War. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and an attendant to a journalism seminar at Radcliffe-Harvard. As an author he has concentrated on the military history of the American Civil War. Such as the battles and leaders of the Army of the Potomac. He was an editor for the Educational Department at American Heritage Publishing Company. American Heritage Publishing two of his ten books.

    Read More

  • Summary and Analysis for Shiloh by Shelby Foote

    1391 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novel, “Shiloh” by Shelby Foote is a fictional recreation of the bloody battle. The story begins with the soldiers of the Confederate Army heading towards Pittsburg Landing. The men are marching in terrible conditions. It is pouring down rain and they are dragging their tired legs through the mud. The troops come to a halt so the commanders can talk to General Johnston. General Johnston says the only way they might have a chance is if they plan a surprise attack. As the sergeants hand the men their guns, they are told to check the powder in case it got wet in the rain. A group of soldiers test their guns out on a deer running close by. At the same time the shots were fired, the sun came out and the soldiers started to scream and cheer. These noises combined were more than enough to alert the Union soldiers of the Confederates advance. Palmer remembers what his life was like before going to war. He attended the Louisiana State Military Academy when the Confederacy seceded from the Union. One of his professors predicted the south did not have a chance of winning the war. That night Palmer dreams of holding Sherman at gunpoint making him admit that he was wrong. Prior to the battle, the commanders create a battle plan. Palmer is assigned a part in this process. When the plan fails, Palmer learns that planning a battle is more difficult than it seems because the commanders on the ground face challenges that do not exist on paper.

    Read More

  • Foreclosure in America

    988 Words  | 2 Pages

    Foreclosure in America has been a rising and prominent problem recently, and has destroyed many Americans hopes and dreams. Over 2.3 million homes were foreclosed in 2008, and an estimated four million homes will be foreclosed by the end of this year. Despite the efforts of many banks and lending companies, over half of homes will foreclose that have received their help. I believe that we have only started in the right direction in solving the foreclosure crisis. Giving money and lowering mortgage rates will help, but I believe we should find out why Americans are in this situation in the first place. We are being too stereotypical when we think the only reason someone is foreclosing is because of irresponsible payments or buying a home out of a person’s capabilities to pay for it. If we understand their situation, we will be better enabled to help and solve their crisis.

    Read More

More about Protagonists and Point of View in Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels

Open Document