As a peach blossom grows into a peach, a 14 year old boy named Joby must become a man overnight. He must learn to accept, carry out, and confidently fulfill his task as the drummer boy. In the "Drummer Boy of Shiloh" by Ray Bradbury, Joby hides from his job as the drummer boy. The General finds him and successfully comforts, and teaches Joby the importance of his job. As Joby gradually understands what he must do, a peach blossom develops and transforms with the story.
Thud. A falling peach stone roughly awakens Joby from his sleep. Startled, Joby is flooded with his responsibility. Here, the peach is shown as a graceless annoyance disturbing Joby's sleep: "At midnight a peach stone left miraculously on a branch through winter, flicked by a bird, fell swift and unseen; it struck once, like panic, and jerked the boy upright."(49) The peach stone is portrayed like a slap to the face; a yank back to the real world.
Joby reflects on his history under a peach tree; flitting between past and present. A peach blossom mistaken for a moth drifts down from the tree and brushes Job'y face. A peach blossom flutters down but it mistaken for a moth. This gives off a feeling of uncertainty. "A moth brushed his face, but it was a peach blossom. A peach blossom flicked him, but it was a moth. Nothing stayed put. Nothing had a name. Nothing was as it once was."(51) As joby's mind wandered, so did the blossom and the moth. Was it a good idea to join the army? Will he survive the battle? Does his family care? Joby and the peach blossom wove in and out of reality not sure about anything.
Joby catches the eye of the General. The General marvels at Joby's youth: "Do you shave yet boy? Even more of a fool. There's your cheek, fell right off the tree overhead. And the others here not much older. Raw raw, the lot of you."(51) Joby's unshaven face reminds the General of the smooth petal of a peach blossom. Joby, had just turned 14 when he ran away to the army. Joby hadn't reached adulthood yet. He is unready for war even though he is not fighting, He hides from the job looming over him waiting until the morning.
The General successfully teaches joby to stay strong and to overcome his fears. In other words, h comforts Joby like a father would have done and tucks him in to sleep. Joby rests as the peach blossoms fall from the tree: "He lay next to it, his arm around it, feeling the tremor, the touch, the muted thunder as all the rest of the April night in 1862, near the Tennessee River, not far form Owl Creek, very close to the church named Shiloh, the peach blossoms fell on the drum."(54) There, the falling blossoms hit the drum like a soothing a heart beat. Sometimes, the rhythm of life is comforting. Joby sleeps soundly with confidence and strength.
The General saw him as a little boy and gave him the courage of all the other men. When he woke up, he envied the other men's "shields" of pride and the General helped him find his. As the peach transforms from an enemy to a relaxing comfort, Joby's burden becomes a minor task. With the knowledge of his importance in the war mixed with a little pride, Joby found strength. I think that all of us would understand our jobs (including homework) better if someone clearly explained the importance of it in an engaging way. The story plays out to reveal that knowing the answer to the "why" question isn't enough motivation. Comforting parental support completed the hole in Joby's courage. We need someone to cheer us on when we loose out confidence.
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