Classic English Literature, Essay Example

Ringo and Bayard are introduced in the story when they are both 12 years old. The two are from different backgrounds and belong to different races. At the time of their introduction, the south has been at war for more than two years. Although they are aware of the war that is being fought, they are oblivious of the general facts of the war, for instance, they do not know the reason why the war is fought and the races that are involved in the war. Ringo belongs to the race that the war is about, however, both Ringo and Bayard do not know this fact. The stories and the games that they play are based on the war that is being fought. In their first introduction, Ringo and Bayard are introduced playing a war game, they are playing the game behind a Sartoris smoke-house. Ringo and Bayard develop their relationship through the games that they play. They take different roles in their games and act on different positions as they play. However, they do not realize that there is a social impact in the games that they play. Through their interactions, Ringo adopts the values of the white people and their ways of life. He spends most of his time with the Sartois and does not see the need of joining other blacks in the war. His friendship with Bayard is deep rooted, he picks up the values of the families of the white people and misses the significance of the values of the games that they play. There interactions are purely based on friendships and they are oblivious of the war activities that occur around them.

Drusilla is one of the bravest women of the south. Unlike Bayard, she understands the war that is in the south, the people that are fighting in the war and the social impacts that the war had on the races of the people who living in the south. Bayard did not participate in the war, he freely interacted with Ringo whose tribe was involved in the war and did not see anything wrong. Drusilla is a brave woman who is seen as the defender of the old order that was in the south. In the book she is first introduced in the story when her brother tells Ringo and Bayard how she stood up against the Yankees who wanted to take her horse. Drusillas father and fiance were killed by the Yankees in the war, the only opportunity that she had to avenge their deaths was joining the war and fighting against them. She asks for the opportunity to fight alongside colonel Sartoriss troops so that she can avenge the deaths. However, Bayard does not believe that it is the best idea. It can be seen that Drusilla has a humanitarian feeling for the African Americans. She does not want to see them suffer again as they used to suffer in the past. She believes that everyone can stay at his or her designated place to avoid the war as it was. As compared to Bayard, the view was different. Bayard did not see anything wrong and did not feel any negative impact of the war. Bayard and Ringo are in good terms, this makes it hard for them to know the negative impacts that the war as on the people of the south.