Theme Analysis
The theme of The Guns of August is that no one wins in war. This theme is exemplified by this quote; "Two firing squads marched to the center of the square, faced either way and fired till no more of the targets stood upright. Six hundred and twelve bodies were identified and buried, including Felix Fivet, aged three weeks" (The Guns of August). This quote exemplifies the theme because all that is accomplished by war is death and misery as detailed by the quote. There is no winner in war because of all the death that is caused by war and how the toll of war is felt by all. Another quote that exemplifies the theme is "one constant among the elements of 1914—as of any era—was the disposition of everyone on all sides not to prepare for the harder alternative, not to act upon what they suspected to be true" (The Guns of August). This quote personifies the theme because the quote hints at how the leaders of the nations about to go into war understand that war is the last resort and should be avoided at all costs. The quote reveals people's reluctance to going to war because of all the money it costs and all of the lives it costs.