Though war is an unfortunate but requisite path to ending oppression, it exposes the tragic cost of humanity’s desperation for justice, dividing communities and pitting fellow citizens against one another, leaving countless innocent lives in ruin. In the instance of the American Revolution, which, coming with seemingly inauspicious results, built the colonists’ strong foundation for a brighter future–one free from tyrannical rule. However, due to differing perspectives on the need for independence from Britain, the original colonies naturally divided themselves into two political groups: the Patriots, who were adamant about breaking free, and the Loyalists, who preferred to remain part of Britain’s prosperous empire. Despite innumerable casualties …show more content…
Tim navigates family adversities and the harsh consequences of war, facing difficulties with both political factions. Ultimately, the tragic deaths of Tim’s friends Jerry, Life, and Sam–marked by irony and betrayal–lead Tim to adopt a stance of neutrality, reflecting the disillusionment he and others experienced during the Revolution. Jerry’s untimely death marks a turning point for Tim, steering him away from any consideration of loyalty to the British. Jerry was sealed to a gruesome fate at the hands of the British soldiers, who not only left him to die on a prisoner’s ship but also desecrated his body. The British “‘sunk [it] in Long Island Sound in a weighted sack,’” and, to make matters worse, they did it so “‘his parents can’t even get him back’” (Collier 166). The brutality of Jerry’s death The news of Jerry’s passing unsettled Tim, but the consequences of war felt even more tangible upon losing his loyalist father. During a business trip with Tim, Life was covertly abducted and left on a prisoner’s ship–similar to Jerry–without Tim’s