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A review by hopebrockway
The Man Without a Country by Edward Everett Hale
3.0
This short story was published during the Civil War and, because of this, it low-key resembles propaganda.
No offense, but this whole situation seemed a bit unrealistic to me. I mean, a man who, in his rebellious youth, was banned from stepping foot in his country and from even hearing of the United States ever again? It seems a bit too elaborate to me.
So Nolan lives out his life scuttling from ship to ship, always skirting around the U.S. but never setting foot on land again. He is also banned from hearing news from home. Any news pertaining to his former country is cut out of his newspapers. Like what?? Honestly who has the time and dedication to carry such a thing through?
At its heart, this short story is about patriotism and staying true to your country, no matter how flawed it seems. It discusses the idea of country identity and how, once stripped of that, life changes forever. It was quite sad to see Nolan spiral into depression once he realized the severity of his punishment. As I mentioned before, the whole situation seemed a bit unrealistic and unnecessarily cruel to me.
I do think that since this was written during the Civil War, this was written for the Confederates. Basically a "you better shape up or you're gonna be like poor Nolan here" threat. So that's fun.
Other then the aforementioned flaws, this story was quick and fairly easy to read. I was fortunate enough to read my great-great-great aunt's edition and I was enchanted both by her signature in the front cover (!!!) and the several pictures throughout.
No offense, but this whole situation seemed a bit unrealistic to me. I mean, a man who, in his rebellious youth, was banned from stepping foot in his country and from even hearing of the United States ever again? It seems a bit too elaborate to me.
So Nolan lives out his life scuttling from ship to ship, always skirting around the U.S. but never setting foot on land again. He is also banned from hearing news from home. Any news pertaining to his former country is cut out of his newspapers. Like what?? Honestly who has the time and dedication to carry such a thing through?
Spoiler
In the end, the poor man is so depressed. He is literally dying and they won't tell him anything. It was so sad to see old man Nolan almost crying when they finally spilled the tea about what happened to his country during this exile.At its heart, this short story is about patriotism and staying true to your country, no matter how flawed it seems. It discusses the idea of country identity and how, once stripped of that, life changes forever. It was quite sad to see Nolan spiral into depression once he realized the severity of his punishment. As I mentioned before, the whole situation seemed a bit unrealistic and unnecessarily cruel to me.
I do think that since this was written during the Civil War, this was written for the Confederates. Basically a "you better shape up or you're gonna be like poor Nolan here" threat. So that's fun.
Other then the aforementioned flaws, this story was quick and fairly easy to read. I was fortunate enough to read my great-great-great aunt's edition and I was enchanted both by her signature in the front cover (!!!) and the several pictures throughout.