Shenandoah's Redemption

Redemption is a widespread concept that each person will evidently need to grasp at some point in their life. With war, many men and women feel this requirement of forgiveness or salvation due to the traumatic events that occur. This idea is investigated throughout both the written and visual industries continuously. One novel containing redemption, is the eye-opening story of World War I, Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo. The captivating plot tracks a young soldier, Joe, who is an unfortunate victim of trauma and needs to make peace with what he has done to himself. Similarly, the 1965 civil war film, Shenandoah also contains a character who requires redemption. The family in this storyline runs into various conflicts causing much loss and need of redemption for the youngest child, Boy. While Joe Bonham’s path to redemption is a long and arduous one, Boy’s is more manageable . Despite these differences, though, both characters undertake a rough journey to seek out …show more content…
Distraction overcomes Boy during the service as he plays with a toy. It comes to the point where the pastor is distracted and his father has to take the toy away. The toy symbolizes how young Boy really is. He is only 16 years old and is considered the baby to his family. Even though he is in his youth, he should know better to show respect in the name of his mother, the church, and the pastor who is preaching. Redemption is needed for his wrongful actions. The journey Boy goes through in his civil war experience changes him, he ends up showing his desire for forgiveness in the end. Dirty, injured, and fresh from war, boy returns to his family Sunday morning in the church. A new beginning starts for the family as they stand tall and proud, singing together as one. This goes along with Joe’s new beginning as he learns what he needs to do to redeem