JOB #1 - LINE ILLUMINATOR!
"Circumstances of an imperious nature, which it is unnecessary to relate here, had prevented him from taking service with that gallant army which had fought the disastrous campaigns ending with the fall of Corinth, and he chafed under the inglorious restraint, longing for the release of his energies, the larger life of the soldier, the opportunity for distinction." (chapter 2)
This passage stands out to me because it reminds me of a book I recently read, "The Red Badge of Courage", in which a new soldier longs for the glory of war, not anticipating the horror he will face there. Here we see that Farquhar also longs for the "distinction" and glory that comes from being a soldier in war. The narrator explains that he would do anything to serve his country, but most likely for the prize of recognition. He has a longing for the "release of his energies" and to live the "larger life of the soldier", so when the opportunity presents itself, he is zealous to hop on board. He likely did not imagine his fate.
We are told that Farquhar had "circumstances of an imperious nature" which kept him from joining the army. Imperious has to do with being conceited, arrogant, or tyrannical. This made me wonder, what his reason was. If he is so eager for such a position, what would restrain him from taking it? Maybe he was a coward who only dreamed of the glories of war in a very selfish way, but couldn't bring himself to enlist and commit to all aspects of the horrible war. What are your thoughts?
I think Fahrquhar responsibilities at the plantation kept him from enlisting, that he was just needed to much and he couldn't get away. Although it did seem that he wished to fight those Yankies and do everything he could for the Confederate cause. In fact, later he did risk everything, including his life, the sad part of this is, that he was walking into a well planned trap. So in the end his effort was wasted.
ReplyDeleteI think he was a soldier with big dreams who thought that war would be easier than it was. I'm still surprised that during his trauma before being hung, he could think of happy things. He had a very positive outlook on life.
DeleteThat's true that responsibilities on the plantation could've kept him, but it seems to me that the author would've just stated that, simply. Maybe it was too complicated, but the circumstance of "imperious nature" is what really makes me wonder. How might selfishness or arrogance have played into it? Especially knowing that his dreams of being a soldier had to do with the GLORY of it...
DeleteI love your comparison to "Red Badge of Courage," Alivia!
ReplyDeleteI agree, but I think that he could have hired someone else to manage the plantation while he fought for the confederacy. He must have had some other reason for not enlisting.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Alivia, your entire quote is highlighted in white and your font color is white, so I had to select the quote to read it. May want to change your font color.
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DeleteGood point Bryce, Maybe he had some physical handicap that wouldn't allow him to join. Or perhaps the reason was that he was a well known Alabama plantationer , so he believed it would be better for the Confederate cause for him to be alive.
DeletePS I accidently posted with Isaac's profile.
He probably did not want to become a lowly soldier and lose practically everything he owned if he died. It seems as if he wanted to "fight" the federals in a more indirect way, which says that he is caught tampering with the bridge or something on it. Good point though, I never thought of it that way.
DeleteI totally agree that this short story is very similar to the way the red badge of courage was written
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree too. Bierce did a really good job of coloring this short story with his description of the surrounding landscape.
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