War Stories

Trevor is obsessed with World War II video games, which feature as a frequent symbol of constructed glory and speak to the theme of The Glamorization of Warfare. Trevor’s perspective, built heavily on his gaming experiences, is constantly negated by Daniel, who strives to help Trevor grasp that war is not something to celebrate and enjoy. Even as Trevor protests that he understands this fact, he makes frequent and insensitive comparisons between battles fought online and the real locations where Jacob fought during the war.

Video games as a symbol in the novel force an awareness of how media shapes people’s understanding of key historical events. Trevor’s perception of warfare is profoundly shaped by his experience with video games. More than once, he expresses disappointment at how mundane the battlefields of Europe seem to him when he gets a chance to see them for himself. As Trevor advances farther into the past and into his great-grandfather’s experiences, however, he begins to substitute Jacob’s reality for the sweep and drama of the digital battlefield. With Juliette’s perspective, he also begins to grasp the bias inherent in his video games too, which aim to cast the United States in only the best light possible.

This change of heart ultimately manifests in Trevor’s criticism of his games after he gets back home. Though he still enjoys them, he has learned to approach them critically. He finds fault with the game design in a hedgerow battle in which Sherman tanks would never be deployed. Similarly, he thinks the way a Tiger tank explodes is unrealistic. More significantly, he lectures his two younger sisters about the realities of war versus their Barbie battles.