THE WAR PRAYER

Mark Twain
"The War Prayer" is a short story containing two prayers for victory in war recited by two
characters in the story including one prayer followed by an answering prayer. Mark
Twain incorporated his view on war and the destruction it caused into the story.
The story is told in past tense.
CHARACTER
The stranger: The stranger is outspoken and thinks the minister's prayer for victory in
the war is not comprehensive. He tells the congregation his own prayer that describes the
horrors of war. He is graphic and describes wanting the enemy to suffer. He is described
as insane because he sees the reality of war.
The minister: The minister gives a sermon and prayer concerning the current war and
wants the country to be victorious. He is absorbed in his sermon and is startled when the
stranger interrupts him. His shock at being interrupted allows the stranger to take over the
service and give his prayer.
Summary
The speaker describes the mood in the country during an unidentified war. Everyone is
proud of family members who are soldiers. Everyone is happy and patriotic.
Ministers center their sermons on the war and how God will help them to be victorious.
The minister gives his sermon on a Sunday morning. He reads a passage about war from
the Christian Bible's Old Testament and then gives a short prayer and a longer prayer.
The minister's prayers ask for God's help as well as aid and comfort for the soldiers.
The stranger enters the church and walks to the pulpit silently. He interrupts as the
minister finishes his prayer. The minister is startled and steps aside. The stranger tells the
people that he is a messenger from God. He says that there are actually two prayers. The
minister has already given one but God gave him the responsibility of speaking the
unspoken prayer. He tells the people that asking for help in any way also asks for God to
punish someone else and that is what his prayer is about. The stranger's prayer asks for
God to give misery to both the enemies' soldiers and civilians. He asks God to break their
spirits and cause grief to the enemy. He ends the prayer by stating that God is a god of
love and is a refuge to anyone who seeks his help. The people later believe that the
stranger was crazy.
SUMMARY PT.2
Mark Twain in this narrative essay vividly described the passion of people when their
country was engaged in war. A group of volunteers, ready to go to the war, marched on
the road in their new uniform and their families felt proud of them. Every evening
passionate oratory in the church moved the people's heart and ignite the holy fire of
patriotism in their souls. A few persons who dared to talk against the war were given
such a stern warning that they did not talk against it anymore. A day before the leaving of
battalions for the front, all the people with the volunteers gathered in the church for the
prayer. The young soldiers' faces were bright with military dreams of defeating the
enemies and achieving great glory. The prayer uttered by the pastor was full of moving
and patriotic statements. He requested God to be the protector of their beloved soldiers,
"to crush the foe" and to grant them dignified victory. While he was thus praying with
closed eyes, a strange looking stranger with unnatural light in his eyes entered the church
and went towards him. He stood there patiently waiting for the pastor to finish. After the
pastor's prayer was completed, the stranger took his place and told the audience that he
was the messenger of God. He told them that God had listened to their prayer which was
not one but two prayers. One was spoken and the other was unspoken. He was ordered by
God to tell them the unuttered part so that they could understand the essence of their
prayer. By asking victory for their army, they were indirectly asking for the painful death
and humiliation of the opposite army. They prayed that their enemy’s fields be filled with
the dead bodies of their young soldiers. They wanted their happy homes to be filled with
the wailing of their mothers and widows. They secretly prayed for the endless suffering
of their widows and orphans. The stranger then asked them if they still persisted in their
prayer. "It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense
in what he said"
Analysis
When Mark Twain wrote "The War Prayer," he was reportedly disgusted with the most
recent wars: the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine-American War (1899–
1902). The Americans won both of these wars but they killed many Spanish and Filipino
soldiers and civilians. Twain wrote "The War Prayer" to voice his opinion of the wars but
it was not published until several years after his death. "The War Prayer" describes
patriotism and the happiness of the citizens who are sending their families to war. They
hope for victory and celebrate with firecrackers and parades. The few people who oppose
the war are criticized by their neighbors. Even the minister happily gives a sermon and
prayer about the glories of war. He refers to "God the all-terrible" and asks that the
country's soldiers are able to "crush the foe." The minister focuses on the glory of war
and does not talk about anything except his own country's victory and the honor the
soldiers will receive when they win. He does not mention how the war will affect the
country they are fighting except to refer to their general defeat. Mark Twain uses the
minister's prayer to show what he viewed in the United States and in European countries
the Spanish-American (1898) and the Philippine-American Wars (1899–1902). His
perspective is that United States citizens focused only on their own glory and victory.
They ignored the violence just as the minister ignores the reality of what will happen
during war in "The War Prayer." The stranger tells Mark Twain's true opinion of the war
in a satirical way through his prayer. He states before the prayer that the people should
think twice about asking for the blessings of war "lest without intent you invoke a curse
upon your neighbor at the same time." The stranger's prayer shows the horrors of war that
the patriotic citizens ignore. He wants God to help "tear their soldiers to bloody shreds
with our shells." The stranger's prayer is the opposite of the minister's prayer because he
asks specifically for destruction of the enemy instead of only glory and honor for the
victors. The Spanish-American (1898) and the Philippine-American Wars (1899–1902)
were fought outside of the United States and U.S. casualties were far less than the enemy
casualties. The U.S. civilians rejoiced about their victories without recognizing the
atrocity happening to the Spanish and Filipinos. The Spanish and Filipinos lost thousands
of people during these wars and many of those casualties in the Philippines were
civilians. The stranger's prayer provides a more realistic view of war and the aftermath of
these battles.
Intro: The speaker describes the country's excitement for the war.

Rising Action:

1. The minister gives his sermon.

2. The minister prays for victory in the war.

3. The stranger interrupts the minister.

Climax: The stranger states that their blessing curses others.

Falling Action: The stranger prays for a curse on the enemy.

Resolution: The people think the stranger is crazy.

SYMBOL

The Stranger's Robe: The stranger's robe is a symbol of truth. Robes were not
commonly worn in the time Mark Twain wrote "The War Prayer" and it shows that the
stranger is different from everyone else in the church. Scholars and artists depict prophets
from the Christian Bible wearing robes since that was common clothing in Biblical times.
These prophets told the truth but were often dismissed as insane. The stranger in "The
War Prayer" wears a robe and states that God chose him to give the people in the church
a message. The people in the church believe that the stranger is crazy but he speaks the
truth that they do not want to hear.

The Minister's Prayer: The minister's prayer is a symbol of patriotism. The minister
preaches a sermon about war and how God will help them to win the war. The minister's
prayer continues the same theme. He asks for God's help and protection for the country.
His sermon and prayer reflect the mood set in the opening description of "The War
Prayer." The people in the country are consumed by patriotism. They celebrate the new
war and their country's predicted victory. The minister's prayer is hopeful and concerns
only the blessing the country requests from God.

The Stranger's Prayer: The stranger's prayer is a symbol of violence and pain. The
stranger says that the minister's prayer is a good prayer, but it asks for more than what it
says. He says that by asking for a blessing, the people may also be asking for a curse on
someone else. The minister's prayer was the request for a blessing but the stranger's
prayer requests the curse that the minister's prayer leaves out. The stranger's prayer
describes the death of the enemy. It asks for God to make the widows and orphans of the
enemy suffer. The stranger's prayer tells of the violence and pain war will bring.
Themes
Patriotism: Patriotism is a major theme in "The War Prayer" but Mark Twain does not
celebrate patriotism. The people in the country are patriotic to the point that they are
happy about the war. They believe that they will be victorious and they are happy to send
family members to join the war as soldiers. The speaker speaks of the soldiers' "proud
fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with
happy emotion." Everyone is excited about the war and pending victory. Patriotism and
love for country are good in a general way. They bring people together. Patriotism can
give people a sense of togetherness and it can drive people to help each other. Patriotism
can also cause blindness to the suffering outside of the country. The loss of lives and
suffering of others should be viewed as sad and something to be avoided but people tend
to ignore that when it is for the cause of patriotism and victory for themselves. The
stranger tries to tell the congregation about the downside of patriotism in his prayer but
the congregation thinks that he is crazy.

The Horrors of War: "The War Prayer" highlights Mark Twain's own feelings about the
horrors of war through the stranger's prayer. The stranger describes tearing the enemy
soldiers to bloody shreds and asks God to "help us drown the thunder of the guns with the
shrieks of their wounded." He also prays that they create widows and orphans who grieve
the loss of their men. Two wars inspired Twain to write "The War Prayer." The Spanish-
American (1898) and the Philippine-American Wars (1899–1902) caused destruction,
especially in the Philippines. Twain believed that war was an excessively violent way to
solve conflict. He noticed that the people of the United States focused only on their own
victory and ignored the devastation the U.S. military caused in the enemy countries. The
stranger tells the people that they are cursing others through asking for blessings for
themselves and then he elaborates on the horrors their victory will cause the enemy.

Ignorance: Ignorance is a theme in "The War Prayer" because the patriotic people are
ignorant of the way the war will affect them and others. It is the beginning of the war and
they are inspired. They revel in the potential glory of the war and ignore anyone in the
country who opposes the war. The speaker describes "the half dozen rash spirits that
ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got
such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety's sake they quickly shrank
out of sight and offended no more in that way." The people who are ignorant about the
reality of war quickly quiet anyone who speaks the truth. Ignorance wins over reality.
The people do not consider what war does. Soldiers die horrible deaths. Civilians are
killed and injured. The survivors of those who die grieve. Everyone in "The War Prayer"
is ignorant of what will happen from the war. The stranger is the only person who
acknowledges the horrors that will come of the war and the people think he is crazy.

Theme Pt.2: The main focus of the essay is to criticize war. The writer exposes the
horrors of war through the second prayer. He shows how disastrous a war can be. He
critizes those who promote the cause of war including the clergy. He proves that the
lovers of war are cruel and selfish people who want to destroy innocent people. Mark
Twain effectively explores the selfishness of man through this narrative essay. Man, by
nature, is selfish and thinks only about his interests and wants to solve his own problems.
The rest of the humanity does not matter for him. He cannot comprehend how other
people can also have desires and problems. This limited vision of man is the ultimate
cause of sufferings in this world.

QUESTIONS
Q1. What contrast is the author drawing?
There is a sharp contrast between the two prayers. The first prayer asks for honor, glory
and greatness for the whole nation. The second prayer asks for the painful death,
devastation and humiliation of another nation. On one side there is patriotism and love of
their soldiers. On the other hand, there is extreme hatred towards the other nation and its
soldiers. The two prayers, which are in reality the two parts of a single prayer are in sharp
contrast to each other.

Q2: What effect does the second prayer have on the first?
Ans: The first prayer is asked in the spirit of love and patriotism. It shows the holy love
of people for their soldiers and country. The second prayer is asked immediately after the
first one. It uncovers the real intentions of the first prayer. It converted love into hatred,
patriotism into cruelty. It shows that the first prayer is asked not in the spirit of love but
in the spirit of enmity and hatred. It makes it clear that behind the veil of patriotism is the
hideous feeling of hostility and destruction. The second prayer nullifies the effects
produced by the first prayer.
Q3: What happened to the few people who dared question the noble purpose of
war? Why were they treated so?
Ans: The few people who dared to question the noble purpose of war were given stern
warning not to express their opinion against war. They were threatened with their lives
and thus they were silenced. They were treated in this manner because the love of war
was considered a symbol of patriotism. Fighting the enemy for the glory of their country
was an act of greatness. Those who talked against war were considered traitors.

Q4: What was the essential message of the first prayer?

Ans: The essential message of the first prayer was patriotism, love and kindness for their
country and its soldiers. The people uttering the first prayer seemed to be patriotic, kind,
loving and full of pious emotions. They asked for the victory of their soldiers, for the
glory and greatness of their country and for the victory of their country's great cause.

Q5: What was the essential message of the second prayer? What was its purpose?
Ans: The essential message of the second prayer was hatred, enmity and cruelty. Only
harsh, cruel and hard-hearted people could ask for such prayer. It asked for the utter
destruction and humiliation of another nation, of their soldiers and other innocent people.
It wished for the unending sufferings of widows and orphans of the confronting nation.
The purpose of the second prayer was to unveil the real nature of the first prayer. It
vanished the bright color of the first prayer. The second prayer was uttered to make the
people aware of their blindness and ignorance. It was uttered to make them realize the
cruelty behind their prayer. For the readers, the second prayer was a m…

Q6: What is the meaning of the final paragraph?

Ans: The final paragraph consists of one sentence. It is an ironic sentence showing the
selfishness and blindness of people who understand only those things that benefit them.
Humans are so self-centered that they cannot see the cruelty behind their words and
actions. The man uttering the second prayer was considered a lunatic because he tried to
expose the people's cruelty and selfishness.

Q7: What word functions as the dominant impression of the topic sentence in
paragraph 1? What details support this dominant impression?

Ans: The topic sentence of the first paragraph is "It was a time of great and exalting
excitement". The word "excitement" functions as the dominant impression of this
sentence. The writer gives vivid and physical details to support this dominant impression
and demonstrate the kind of excitement that prevailed in the country. There was an
excitement about war. Every heart had immense feelings about patriotism, "the drums
were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping" and there were unlimited
number of flags on the roofs. The young volunteers used to march on the broad roads of
the town and their families cheered and wept out of joy and pride. "In the churches the
pastors preached devotion to flag and country". These are the details that support the
dominant impression, that is, the word "excitement".