The War Prayer

“Sunday morning came—next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their young faces alight with martial dreams—visions of the stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender!—them home from the war, bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory!”

People gather at the church and Twain provides a small glimpse into the thoughts of the soldiers. They focus only on the glory of war, with no thoughts of bloodshed and death entering their minds. They imagine their enemies fleeing the battle and surrendering rather than putting up a fight. The use of multiple exclamation points underscores the excitement of the soldiers.

“The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said; it was followed by an organ burst that shook the building, and with one impulse the house rose, with glowing eyes and beating hearts, and poured out that tremendous invocation […] !”

Twain describes the church’s liturgy, which includes references to the Old Testament but neglects to mention the New Testament or the idea of Christian love. The congregation standing and reciting the invocation together illustrates the lack of individuality within the church and the collective mindset of the churchgoers.

“The burden of its supplication was, that an ever-merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers, and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work; bless them, shield them in the day of battle and the hour of peril, bear them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident, invincible in the bloody onset; help them to crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory […] .”

This is the summation of the minister’s prayer, which is heavy with irony as the minister praises a merciful God yet asks for that same God to help the soldiers kill their enemies. The prayer demonstrates the church’s belief that God is subservient to the country and should act in the country’s best interests.

“An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness.”

The stranger arrives. Twain describes him as if he has an otherworldly presence, moving silently and looking unnaturally pale. With such a description, the stranger might be an angel, a prophet, a ghost, or a madman. No backstory or name is given, making his presence all the more mysterious.

“He has heard the prayer of His servant your shepherd, and will grant it if such shall be your desire after I, His messenger, shall have explained to you its import—that is to say, its full import. For it is like unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who utters it is aware of—except he pause and think.”

Here, the stranger explains his mission to the church. The phrase “pause and think” suggests the church has not taken the time to do so. Twain points out how nationalism can make one act rashly and ignorantly.

“If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor’s crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it.”

The stranger uses the example of praying for rain to demonstrate the power and danger of prayer. Twain illustrates the importance of pausing to think about the full consequences, be they intended or unintended. The aspects of war that the minister celebrates are inextricable from injustice and suffering. Thus, the minister cannot invoke God’s help in victory without simultaneously asking God to cause unnecessary suffering.

“I am commissioned of God to put into words the other part of it—that part which the pastor—and also you in your hearts—fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly?”

Again, the stranger explains his purpose to the church. His question is one of the most direct critiques of the church in the story, highlighting its ignorance. In some ways, the stranger grants the church grace with his question, allowing that their prayer was born from ignorance rather than malice. But to truly reform, the church would have to admit its flaws, cutting to the heart of Twain’s message about the hypocrisy of organized religion.

“O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle—be Thou near them!”

The stranger opens his prayer by praising not God but the country’s soldiers, calling them “idols of our hearts,” demonstrating that the church idolizes their military rather putting God first. The word “young” is also used, which is one of the several references to the young age of the soldiers. Rather than saying what it is—boys going off to kill other boys—the word “patriots” is used, making it seem that going to war is an honor rather than a travesty.

“With them—in spirit—we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe.”

Twain takes a sarcastic jab at the ruling class that sends soldiers to war. The stranger speaks of the people unable to go to war, saying they are with the soldiers in spirit while sitting in comfort at home by their fireplaces. This passage emphasizes that many of the people praying for and advocating war will face none of the danger and suffering that war creates.

“O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain […] !”

The imagery concerning war is vivid. The stranger describes the effects of military action with graphic detail. Whereas the story’s first half makes little mention of war’s death and destruction, the stranger does not hold back. The reference to “their patriot dead” suggests that both sides in the conflict have patriotism on their side, meaning that patriotism alone does not indicate righteousness in war.

“[H]elp us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter […] !”

The stranger’s prayer continues with this horrifying imagery of war. Twain makes use of alliteration to illustrate the hardships of those left homeless by war. The “s” sound in “sports of the sun flames of summer” brings to mind sizzling heat, while the “w” sound in “icy winds of winter” echoes the freezing wind.

“We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts.”

The stranger closes his prayer with this ironic passage that reminds the congregation they have asked for these things in the name of love. The stranger’s prayer is designed to show that the church is neither humble nor contrite, yet the churchgoers believe they are, tying once more back to the story’s theme of religious hypocrisy.

“Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits.”

The stranger demands action. The churchgoers have demonstrated an unwillingness to exhibit independent thought and to speak out against the majority. “[S]peak!” the stranger commands and then waits. Given the story’s allegorical elements, Twain asks the same of his readers. Twain does not offer any dialogue relating how the church responds to the stranger, suggesting no one in the congregation has the courage or conviction to acknowledge the truth in the stranger’s words.