QUOTES AND ANALYSIS - IMPORTANT QUOTATIONS (continued)

Note how Adam blames himself and the other colonists for what happened, not the British troops. However, it is an ironic blame as the reason that the colonists were at fault is because they were too peace-loving and reasonable, whereas the British were bloodthirsty and aggressive. In short, the colonists were too civilized to properly confront the British, which implies that they will no longer make such a mistake. In this manner, the colonists of America find the will and the reason to oppose the British, despite previously seeing themselves as loyal to the crown and Englishmen in their own right. It is part of the process by which anyone wages war: dehumanizing the enemy so that it's easier to kill them. For some, like Solomon Chandler, this comes easily, as the anecdote about being called a "gillie" shows. For others, like Adam, this is more difficult because he has a respect for all human life. In an indirect way, this moment of insight is reflected in the advice Solomon Chandler later gives Adam when he eats voraciously.

"Life is potent, Adam. If it wasn't, you and I wouldn't be sitting here. You witnessed a mighty terrible thing, but men are clever when it comes to doing sinful and beastly things to other men, and what you witnessed was not the first time and it won't be the last either. But life has a special quality of asserting itself, and that's a very important thing to learn about, it is." (108)

Chandler speaks eloquently about the value of life, but also of how it "has a special quality of asserting itself" - that is, something alive will..........

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