In the book, My Brother Sam is Dead, Sam Meeker goes off to war. Before he goes off to war he goes home to tell his family that he has decided to fight against the British in the Revolutionary War. Sam’s father, Life Meeker, is a loyalist. He disagrees with Sam and says that he should stay home. Sam and life get into and argument about who was correct. Sam’s father tells him to leave. Sam decides to disobey his father and goes off to war anyways. Who was correct? Life was, Sam should not have went off to war. One of the biggest reasons Sam should have stayed home was because war ends in blood and death. Sam’s father states, “‘And I carried my best friends bod-sewed up in a sack. Do you want to come home that way? Do you think I want to hear a wagon draw up one summer morning and go out to see you stiff and bloody and your eyes staring blank at the sky?’” Life is trying to explain the cruelty and pain that war can cause from one of his past experiences. He is explaining about some of the painful things that he saw when he was in war and he doesn’t want to see his son that way. Another quote in the book states, “‘ You’re father is dead, Jeremiah Sanford is dead, Sam Barlow is dead, David Fairchild is dead, Stephen Fairchild was wounded, and more.’” This is Sam's mother explaining …show more content…
“But the work worried me alright. There was so much to do…” Sam being gone already put more work on Tim. When Life died that piled even more onto Tim. If sam would have stayed home then he could’ve helped Tim out with all the work. The book also talks about the brown bess, a huge family responsibility. “‘Sam you shouldn't do that,’ I said… I knew it was wrong and I shook my head. ‘It doesn't belong to the family: it belongs to father.’” This quote is talking about Sam’s thoughts on stealing the brown bess. Tim knew it was wrong and that Sam would lose some responsibilities have had been privileged