Fiction Andre Dubus -- the Essay

Warfare can change someone in a matter of days, as children were apparently transformed consequent to coming across conditions in Greece and as a result of the fact that their innocence and their child natures were virtually taken away from them once they were recruited. Even with the fact that Fritz struggled to stay a child, he did not manage to do so, as the Nazi system had changed him and made him just like the others-old and authoritarian toward the Greeks.

Symbolism is frequently used through the story to emphasis certain elements that have the role of providing readers with a better understanding of the text. The Greeks were apparently used to relating to bad Germans by using the name Ludwig whereas the good Germans were known by the name of Fritz.However, the German boy's actual name was Fritz, this pointing toward the belief that it was natural for the child to be good. In this situation, the enemy was none other than a child forced by the authorities to take up arms against people that he could relate to and who he actually sympathized.

Chioles manages to bring together topics like warfare and childhood in this short story, allegorizing both subjects and emphasizing how conflicts can dehumanize children and deprive them of one of the most important moment of their lives.

Works cited:

Chioles, John. "Before the Firing Squad"

Dubus, Andre. "The Curse".....