“It was better than a circus.”(Paulsen, 1). Charley from Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen thinks that the Civil War will end soon at the beginning of the book and thinks the war is a circus. The title Soldier's Heart refers to the syndrome that the men have when they come back from the Civil War. Soldier's heart, equal to what is now PTSD, affects many men when they came back from the Civil War. By the end of the book, Charley comes home from the war with soldier's heart. Charley develops from a young man looking for adventure, to a young man with soldier’s heart by the end of the book.
Charley thinks the war will only last a few months, and he will have a lot of fun. However, Charley does not realize the things he will see. “Charley had never …show more content…
Charley sees men get shot all around and his fellow soldiers are dying. Charley thinks, “I am not supposed to see this God.”(Paulsen, 25). Charley does not want to experience any more fighting and is really frighten after his first battle, and he runs away and vomits in the woods. He just wants the fighting to stop, but realizes that he cannot and that he sign up for it. Death is all over. Charley goes to a creek to fill up his canteen when he realizes the waters pink from all the dead men in the creek. When Charley goes out to fight his second battle, he walks over all the dead men from the day of fighting before. Charley is so fearful that he wet his pants walking across the battlefield, but is not uncomfortable because other men had done it too. When Charley goes into his second battle he becomes a madman, and “he wanted to kill them”(Paulsen, 50). Charley is so aghast, he does not care if he kills the Rebels, as long as he lives. Charley is not a boy looking for adventure anymore, but starts to become a man because he sees a lot of horrible …show more content…
Charley gets shot in the Battle of Gettysburg, and he just wants to die because he cannot take the war any longer. He does not want to fight anymore because “he thought, this is nasty work.”(Paulsen, 83). Charley is not so fond of having to kill to live. He saw too much in the war and this makes him “old, old from too much life, old from seeing too much, old from knowing too much.”(Paulsen, 98). Charley is not so young anymore and even though he is looking for adventure, the war is not the kind of adventure he thought it is. The war makes Charley old because he saw way too many horrors and
Charley thinks the war will only last a few months, and he will have a lot of fun. However, Charley does not realize the things he will see. “Charley had never …show more content…
Charley sees men get shot all around and his fellow soldiers are dying. Charley thinks, “I am not supposed to see this God.”(Paulsen, 25). Charley does not want to experience any more fighting and is really frighten after his first battle, and he runs away and vomits in the woods. He just wants the fighting to stop, but realizes that he cannot and that he sign up for it. Death is all over. Charley goes to a creek to fill up his canteen when he realizes the waters pink from all the dead men in the creek. When Charley goes out to fight his second battle, he walks over all the dead men from the day of fighting before. Charley is so fearful that he wet his pants walking across the battlefield, but is not uncomfortable because other men had done it too. When Charley goes into his second battle he becomes a madman, and “he wanted to kill them”(Paulsen, 50). Charley is so aghast, he does not care if he kills the Rebels, as long as he lives. Charley is not a boy looking for adventure anymore, but starts to become a man because he sees a lot of horrible …show more content…
Charley gets shot in the Battle of Gettysburg, and he just wants to die because he cannot take the war any longer. He does not want to fight anymore because “he thought, this is nasty work.”(Paulsen, 83). Charley is not so fond of having to kill to live. He saw too much in the war and this makes him “old, old from too much life, old from seeing too much, old from knowing too much.”(Paulsen, 98). Charley is not so young anymore and even though he is looking for adventure, the war is not the kind of adventure he thought it is. The war makes Charley old because he saw way too many horrors and