"The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" by Ray Bradbury

The Drummer Boy of Shiloh

by Ray Bradbury

           

            “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” by Ray Bradbury is a short story about a fourteen-year-old boy named Joby who ventures off into the war as the ‘drummer boy’. In the beginning of the story, Joby is terrified of the war and is not ready to encounter the struggles ahead. But at the end, Joby puts on a brave face and has a newfound confidence that enables him to get up and fight. I think that this story represents facing life with conviction and valor, having confidence and believing in yourself even when you’re stuck in difficult situations.

            In the beginning, Joby deems himself hopeless. He considers himself weak as just the ‘drummer boy’ compared to the soldiers who lug rifles on their shoulders. In the texts, it states “Me, thought the boy, I only got a drum, two sticks to beat it, and no shield.”(pg 50). The text also says “…flag-blown patriotism, and cocksure immortality strengthened by the touchstone of very real gunpowder, ramrod, Minie ball, and flint. But without these last, the boy felt his family move yet farther off in the dark…….leaving him with his drum which was worse than a toy in the game to played tomorrow or someday much too soon”(pg50-51) The second quote convinces me that Joby has given up all shreds of hope. He is ashamed in just having a drum, which he refers to as a ‘toy’ even. He believes that without gun power, he doesn’t stand a chance in the war, and that he may never see his family again. He feels useless and stuck. And he definitely feels in no position to go off to battle.

            But by the end of the story, Joby finds strength. The general assures him that as the “drummer boy” he was the ’heart’ of the army. The general says “These lads, fresh out of the milk shed, don’t know what I know; and I can’t tell them-men actually die in war. So each is his own army. I got to make one army of them. And for that, boy, I need you” (pg 52-53) The texts also states that if Joby beat slowly, “the heart would beat slow in the men” and that if he beat a faster rhythm, “their knees would come up in a long line down over that hill.” With that in mind, Joby realizes that he is crucial to the battle and is equally as important as the soldiers.  In the end, Joby “..settled himself. Then at last, very slowly and firmly he turned the drum so it faced upward to the sky.” I believe this gesture is a symbol Joby’s fresh conviction.

            In conclusion, even though Joby was facing a hard time, he pulled through and was ready to face with situation with courage. By reading “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” I am inspired to always persevere and always stand up to my problems, whatever they may be.