Throughout history, people have turned to Christian theology to both justify and reject war. In Gilead, these two poles are front and center: Ames's grandfather supports war, while Ames's father is against it and feels that encouraging people to go to war is a betrayal of the meaning of Jesus. Both men were preachers, and both of them preached about the war—but in different ways. Ames himself has taken more after his father, at least in terms of his views on warfare; he believes that peace can come only if war is rejected.
Questions About Warfare
- Why does Ames's father sit with the Quakers?
- Which wars are mentioned? How do these wars affect Gilead?
- Why does Ames detest war?
- Why did Ames's grandfather preach with his pistol showing?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Gilead is an anti-war novel.
Gilead is not an anti-war novel.