Problem: The main problem in this novel was that Homer's brother, Harold, was sold to the army underage and Homer wanted him back as his companion instead of fighting the Civil War.
Themes:
Family: the family bond between brothers drives the entire story line. Homer's quest to find his brother,Harold, is driven by his love. Because Homer and his brother lost their parents at a young age, so they could only rely on each other. Even though Homer never knew his mother, Harold does a good job teaching him about her values and principles, and Homer refers to his parents often throughout the book. In this book, family has close associations with kindness and love; even though their uncle, Squint, is technically their family member.
War: The novel is set during the American Civil War, and Homer sees the varied impacts of the war everywhere he goes. He sees the hardship the fugitives undergo to escape to freedom;he sees the farms left empty when soldiers leave home to fight; he experiences the fear and sorrow felt by family members when their relatives become soldiers; he sees the blood and slaughter that accompany the actual fighting. And he sees the many positions people take such as spying and conscripting young boys on the sidelines of the battle itself.
Quote: "Imagination is a muscle -- the more you use it the stronger it gets"