Rifles for Watie | Themes

Rifles for Watie Themes

Journey from Young Adulthood to Manhood

Jeff begins his journey with a decent upbringing and certain good qualities of character that he refines along the way. Jeff is considerate of his family and animals, he is loyal to his beliefs, he is an individual thinker, and he is a hard worker with proven leadership skills. As a teenager, he has feelings of invincibility, anxiety, and vengeance. Jeff also has a teenaged know-it-all attitude. Jeff has led a rather sheltered existence up until the point he decides to enlist in the Union army. He does not understand the true nature of some men, and some of his beliefs are general assumptions that do not stand the test of an expanded horizon.

Jeff proves to himself and his parents his courage to fight back when two proslavery Missourian men attempt to arrest and kill his father at their family farm. Jeff begins to fight one of the men...
(read more)