Betwixt War and Peace: The Dual Function and Substance of the Bell

Authors

James K. Otté, University of San Diego

Publication Date

2004

Keywords

war, symbols of war, bells

Abstract

This paper owes its inspiration to Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage and to its protagonist, Henry Fleming, who

One night, as he lay in bed, the winds had carried to him the clangoring of the church bell as some enthusiast jerked the rope frantically to tell the twisted news of a great battle. This voice of the people rejoicing in the night had made him shiver in a prolonged ecstasy of excitement. Later, he had gone down to his mother’s room and had spoken thus: ‘Ma, I'm going to enlist.’ ‘Henry, don't you be a fool,’ his mother had replied. She had then covered her face with the quilt.

When Henry returned from town the next morning, he informed her, “‘Ma, I've enlisted.’ There was a short silence. ‘The Lord’s will be done, Henry,’ she had finally replied, and had then continued to milk the brindle cow.”

Recommended Citation

Otté, James K. (2004) "Betwixt War and Peace: The Dual Function and Substance of the Bell," Quidditas: Vol. 25, Article 9.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/rmmra/vol25/iss1/9