Death…
Death is… an eventuality. Yes, but does it mean something different in War than it does during other times? Yes, it does, becuase in war the circumstances of the death can mean the difference between being just another casualty and being honored as a hero. Stephan Crane describes death, in what I would call a disturbing manner…
The tall soldier opened his lips and spoke. He made a gesture. “Leave me be–don’t tech me–leave me be—-” There was another silence while he waited. Suddenly, his form stiffened and straightened. Then it was shaken by a prolonged ague. He stared into space. To the two watchers there was a curious and profound dignity in the firm lines of his awful face… … His arms beat wildly about hsi head in expression of implike enthusiasm. His tall figure stretched itself to its full height. There was a slight rending sound. Then it began to swing forward… …in the manner of a falling tree. (55)
Crane’s technique is in the detail, he described what it was like for someone to die violently in war. When someone has a wound they often have several spasms before they die, much like the tall soldier, Jim. It makes me sick, the way it is described, but that’s what Crane wants. Crane wants to ensure that the reader knows exactly what its like to watch someone die in a war. The youth is utterly horrified by the event, he cannot get over what he just saw and is on the lookout for some of the same signs coming from the tattered soldier that accompanied him. The tall soldier is awestruck, but only because he keeps repeating, “I never seen a man do like that before.” (56)
I’ve seen dead bodies at funerals and such, but I can’t imagine what it would be like to actually watch someone die like that. Would it change my thoughts about the way things work? I don’t know, I’ll have to be in that situation first, but this little descrption by Crane doesn’t make me in any hurry to watch somone die…
