Play for a Kingdom by Thomas Dyja - 1220 Words

Play for a Kingdom written by Thomas Dyja is a novel about men’s honor and true self-worth during a time of the American Civil War. This war cultivates a persons will to live and willingness to rely on the soldiers who fight next to him. This novel demonstrates that men fighting with each other may have a difference of religion or place of origin; including their heritage, social structure, speech patterns, and native language, however each man is fighting for the same thing. The northern troops were fighting the Rebels to regain a country and the confederate were troops fighting to build a new nation. The novel begins by introducing the men of the 14th Brooklyn, which was the 14th Regiment New York State Militia during the Civil War. The main characters were men named Newt, Burridge, Tiger, and Lyman. Some of these men were heroes trying to bring glory for themselves and their company like Danny who was Lymans friend who was killed early on. Some were cowards just trying to find a way out and make it home alive like Newt. In the end, both hero and villain were all soldiers fighting in a war. War brought out the good and bad in these men as they tried to survive and accomplish their goals of victory. Some of the men were heroes and would die in battle, and the cowards wouldn’t have a scratch on them and survive another day. The war also took a toll on the lives of soldier’s families. Soldiers not coming home is the worst kind of horror a family could face, fathers and sons