"Covenant"
by Crystal Arbogast: Analysis
The theme of the story Covenant is that war can take anyone away from you. Whether you are Eddie, a soldier who loses a friend in combat, or his family, Tes (Eddie's sister) is affected by the loss of who would be her future husband. The horrors of this short story can be seen with the line by the supporting character Vince, "At least two of these babies less than a mile off have sunk" (Arbogast 1). this shows the horror that a lot of soldiers are killed in combat without even having a fighting chance. In the quote, Vince is referring to "at least two" of other landing crafts used to travel to Normandy have been sunk "less than a mile" away from the shore. These soldiers didn't even make it to the shore before their landing craft was sunk, and without anything to keep them shielded from enemy fire, they more than likely died in the ocean.
Another quote from the text that illustrates the theme is, "a hand reached out and grabbed at the collar of his jacket" (Arbogast 3). This was when Eddie was pulled into cover with the British soldiers. This shows that anyone will risk their life to save another person, which is part of the glory of war. Eddie is an American soldier in the United States Army which means that it was a good deed for the British soldier to bring Eddie in with the others. In World War II The Allies (United States, Britain, France, Soviet Union, Canada, France, etc.) were fighting against the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan), so the British and the United States' armies were fighting with each other, but this did not mean that they always got along. Even after World War II the French still do not like the United States very much, and they act all snooty towards Americans. So it was rare to see the Allies act so friendly to one another like this.
The third quote from the short story Covenant that represents this theme is, "The glory of war was all around. Blood stained the sand, and the ongoing explosions of battle sounded in the distance" (Arbogast 4). The quote represents the glory of war. The men and women that have and will give their lives for fighting for their believes all around the world deserve the respect given to them.
The final quote for the short story represents the theme of the horrors of war is, "I promised his Mum that I would look out for him" (Arbogast 5). Broken promises are never alright and three promises were made in this story. The main protagonist Eddie promised his sister, Tes, that he would keep his friend and her love, Vince, safe. Vince also promised Tes that he would keep Eddie safe, and the unnamed British soldier that said the quote promised the mother of the dead soldier over his back that he "would look out for him". These broken promises would lead to tears from Tes, Eddie's family, and Vince's aunt, who raised him, even though it is not said in the story, it is implied.
Another quote from the text that illustrates the theme is, "a hand reached out and grabbed at the collar of his jacket" (Arbogast 3). This was when Eddie was pulled into cover with the British soldiers. This shows that anyone will risk their life to save another person, which is part of the glory of war. Eddie is an American soldier in the United States Army which means that it was a good deed for the British soldier to bring Eddie in with the others. In World War II The Allies (United States, Britain, France, Soviet Union, Canada, France, etc.) were fighting against the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan), so the British and the United States' armies were fighting with each other, but this did not mean that they always got along. Even after World War II the French still do not like the United States very much, and they act all snooty towards Americans. So it was rare to see the Allies act so friendly to one another like this.
The third quote from the short story Covenant that represents this theme is, "The glory of war was all around. Blood stained the sand, and the ongoing explosions of battle sounded in the distance" (Arbogast 4). The quote represents the glory of war. The men and women that have and will give their lives for fighting for their believes all around the world deserve the respect given to them.
The final quote for the short story represents the theme of the horrors of war is, "I promised his Mum that I would look out for him" (Arbogast 5). Broken promises are never alright and three promises were made in this story. The main protagonist Eddie promised his sister, Tes, that he would keep his friend and her love, Vince, safe. Vince also promised Tes that he would keep Eddie safe, and the unnamed British soldier that said the quote promised the mother of the dead soldier over his back that he "would look out for him". These broken promises would lead to tears from Tes, Eddie's family, and Vince's aunt, who raised him, even though it is not said in the story, it is implied.
Photo from: http://www.arrl.org/news/d-day-special-event-stations-to-be-active