The Theme Of War In John Collier's My Brother Sam Is Dead

War is pointless and destructive, and violence causes hatred and fear. The American Revolution was a brutal war in 1775. In battle and in imprisonment, thousands of people had lost their lives. Forced into poverty and violence, colonists in the New World were struggling with getting food, earning money, and finding supplies. In My Brother Sam is Dead, the authors James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier show the good and bad parts of war, but they mostly say that war is futile.
The authors show their viewpoint that war is bad is the way families get torn apart. “They had shot him from so close that his clothes were on fire. He went on jerking with flames on his chest until another soldier shot him again. Then he stopped jerking.” (Collier

and Collier 208). Sam had served in the military, but he was killed by his own side. The war caused the Meekers to lose a valuable member of their family. “In June of that year, 1777, we found out that Father was dead. He been dead for a month.” (Collier and Collier 164). Mr. Meeker had died on a British prison ship, because several cowboys captured him. He was supposed to be on a Patriot prison ship, but somehow he got onto a British one. He died on the ship because of cholera, a disease. War is the reason Sam and Mr. Meeker were separated from their family.
Another way the authors show their viewpoint on war is through the clash of generations.

“I don't think the people of Redding are anxious to fight, Sam,” (Collier and Collier 6).“Sir, it's worth dying to be free.” (Collier and Collier 7). The adults do not want war and fighting, they want peace and prosperity. The children, on the other hand, want to be a part of the war, and they want to have independence. This disagreement causes the adults and children to argue. In My Brother Sam is Dead, it caused Sam to run away, because his father refused to give him the Brown Bess, to take into combat. “I started out from Yale at six o'clock this morning and didn't stop to eat all the way.” (Collier and Collier 3). Sam and some other Yale students left school to be a part of the war and find weapons. They rebelled against the adults and joined the war. The disagreement between generations is one way the authors share their opinion.
A final way the authors prove the war is not worth it is the principle versus the reality of war. “It's not the money, it's the principle.” (Collier and Collier 21). “Principle, Sam? You may know principle, but I know war.” (Collier and Collier 21). Sam wants principle, but the reality is that war is very dangerous and deadly. War is not something that Sam or father want. Principle versus the reality of war is the final way the authors prove their

point.
War is a cruel and horrid way to fight for something, and the authors agree. War causes people to get torn apart from their families, rebel against adults, and misunderstand war. War is a futile and impractical way to show your opinion.