Stephen Crane's War Is Kind

In Stephen Crane’s poem, “War is Kind”, the basic theme of the poem can be compared to other themes in Civil War literature. The poem itself is ironic, stating that war is kind, when in reality, it is not. The theme is mostly the death of a soldier’s family members or loved ones. This is a recurring theme in most poems and stories about war. Crane uses imagery, alliteration, and so on to show his readers how he sees war. In most poems about war, the main theme is the terror on the battlefield, and the many deaths of soldiers. Crane’s poem shows us three examples of both. The poem also suggests that generals had little to no problem with sending soldiers into battle with the thought of how many will be dead in return, ”These men were born to drill and die.” These themes are also seen in other stories and poems of war, such as “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh”.

Crane first confronts a maiden who is mourning the loss of their lover, “Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky / And the affrighted steed ran on alone,”. Next, a crying baby, “Do not weep, babe, for war is kind. / Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches, / Raged at his breast, gulped and died,”. Finally, a mother who is mournful about the loss of her son, “Mother whose heart hung humble as a button / On the bright splendid shroud of your son, / Do not weep. / War is kind.” All three state that war is kind when in reality it is