FREE ESSAY ON "EDITHA" BY HOWELLS AND "RECONCILIATION" BY WHITMAN

"EDITHA" BY HOWELLS AND "RECONCILIATION" BY WHITMAN

The story "Editha" by William Dean Howells and the poem "Reconciliation" by Walt Whitman
are part of a true "national literature." They are both told in a way that only we as
Americans could ever understand. They speak of war in all of its glory, and they speak of
all of the pain left behind.
"Editha" is a story about a woman who loves her country so much that she would be willing
to give up anyone who does not feel as she does. Her fiance George was not enthusiastic
about the war. To George the war was about senseless bloodshed, but to Editha it was
about taking pride in a country that she loved. She told George, "I call it a sacred war.
A war for liberty and humanity, if ever there was one"(Howells 363). Editha could not
understand how George or anyone could not see the importance of the war. Because of
George's lack of enthusiasm for the war Editha writes him a letter and says, "But the man
I marry must love his country first of all"(365). These words from Editha show how much
she believed in her country.
Editha was not alone many felt this way. The war was a sign of a better life for all if
victory could be had. George did fight in the war and like so many other young men who
went to war, lost his life. Editha was a symbol of what America stood for and what
America meant to so many people who could only dream of having the opportunity to live
here. George was a symbol of all the young men who fought for this country to make it
what it is today. They fought for a country they believed in. They fought for us, and for
our freedom. This story shows the greatness on which this country was founded. Nobody
except Americans could 
understand the dedication to a country that today, stands strong because of the love that
the people felt for the land they lived on. Howells tried to show the depth of that love
through Editha and George, which makes this a part of true "national literature." 
"Reconciliation" is a poem that was meant to open the eyes of the reader to the effects
the war had after it was over. It is written through the eyes of a dead soldier who has
seen what the war has done. This soldier has the blood of many men on his hands and will
always remember the death. Where "Editha" showed the significance of war in relation to a
person's love of their country, "Reconciliation" tells in a few strong lines, the somber
mood of a country that has lost many lives. Whitman writes, "For my enemy is dead, a man
divine as myself is dead"(Whitman 129). It is not said what side this "divine" man fought
for but it shows that no matter what side the men fought on they were fighting for what
they believed in. They fought for their rights, they fought for their country, and at the
end of it all they were left with death. 
This poem demonstrates that even after the war was fought, there was no real happiness
about what was left. The men that fought would live with the memories of the lives they
took and the lives of friends and family that were lost. The dead would never know how
important they were to this great land, and neither would those that lived. Whitman says,
"I draw near, Bend down and touch lightly with my lips the white face in the
coffin"(129). This line tells the significance of the title. By approaching the coffin
and kissing his enemy it was his way of confessing his sins. His way of apologizing to
the man he killed. What those men fought for allow us to live the lives we live today.
Only in America could we grasp the importance of the lives that were lost, but will never
know the pain those men felt.
"Editha" and "Reconciliation" are examples of the love for a country. They allow you to
see through the eyes of the writers that a true American loves his country and will fight
for it to the death. There is still conflict between us in this great land of ours, but
we are proud of what our country represents. We could never know the pain that our
forefathers endured to make us so strong. Through true works of "national literature" we
can get a sense of how brave and loyal the men who fought were, and can only honor their
strength by continuing to make this nation strong. 
Bibliography
McQuade, Donald. The Harper American Literature. Vol.2 Harper Collins College Publishers.
1993