My Brother Sam Is Dead Quotes

During the time period of the Revolutionary War, over 4,000 people had lost their lives during the frenzy of the war. The authors of the book, My Brother Sam is Dead, states that the death of so many people could have been avoided. Along with their statement, they also hint at the opposition to war through multiple events in the book. They show how the people of Redding were affected throughout the course of the book, in both positive and negative outputs. The authors of the book present both opposing sides of the Revolutionary War, the Loyalists and the Patriots. What the authors don’t do is support one side, but rather support the dissent towards war itself.
One way the authors disagree towards war is the separation of families. Throughout the book, many families were torn apart, leaving the rest weeping for those who left them. “Go, Sam. Go. Get out of my sight. I can’t bear to look at you anymore in that vile costume.” (Collier and Collier 22). The quote depicts Sam’s father

telling Sam to go away. This is one example of Sam’s family being divided because of the war. “The cowboys had lain in ambush in the hemlock groves, jumped father and taken him away someplace. (Collier and Collier 119). The division of family was not just by choice, but also by force. The Meeker family did not get to have a say to have Eliphalet taken away, its because of the war he was. In like manner, other events in the book show the authors opposition to war.
Another way the authors support that war is unnecessary is through the clash of generations.

This basically means that the young people are more prone to be more rebellious, since their ties with Great Britain were less stable. This ideal contrasts with the adults, who believe that their connection with Britain should stay strong. “I could see that Mr. Beach wanted to quiet him down too, before he and father got into a real fight the way they sometimes did.” (Collier and Collier 7). This quote shows that the ideals of the revolutionary war is already in the minds of young adults. They begin to be more rebellious, and this outburst is causing families to fight. “Yale students did rush away to get weapons and join the war in 1775”. (Collier and Collier 214). Furthermore, the quote directly states that Yale students did rush away from their families, ignoring the pleads from their families to stay. This contrast of the adults and younger people clearly shows the war’s impact on some

families.
The final way the authors represented the idea that war is futile, is the principle versus the brutal reality of war itself. They show the contrast between what the colonists believe and fight for and the realistic view on war. “I heard myself scream,’Don’t shoot him, don’t shoot him,’ and at that moment Sam slammed backwards as if he’d been knocked over by a mallet.” (Collier and Collier 208). At the beginning of the book, Sam was a triumphant patriot. He felt as if he could make a change. But in the end, Sam’s death, was it really worth it? Sam was not the only one that lost his life with no reason behind it.
“Your father is dead, Jeremiah Sanford is dead, Sam Barlow is dead, David Farchild is dead, Steven Farchild was wounded, and more.” (Collier and Collier 167). All of these innocent lives were lost as a result of the war. The authors could have easily removed the deaths, but they did not. It was clear through multiple evidence, that the authors were opposed to war.
In the end, the authors had shown both opposing sides of the war, British and the Colonists. But what they do not show is their support for either side. They support the idea that war is futile. There was multiple events in which the authors had shown their opposition to war. The first was that it tore families apart, such as Sam’s. The second was the clash of generations, making the adults of Redding oppose the ideals of the young. The final event was the principle versus reality, having the war cause many close friends to perish. Overall, the authors leave us with a question that was clearly answered by themselves. They ask, was the Revolutionary War worth the fight?