Farquhar's Patriotism

No, not misreading at all--- I'm glad you brought this up. I do think it's significant that Farquhar is a Southern Confederate (even if not a soldier), and it's clear that he's willing to risk his life for the Confederate cause-- especially because he was unable to serve as a soldier. Was his plan to be killed, or was his plan to escape? I suppose either way he would feel like he had done his duty...

In a sense, then, he may have fulfilled his goal and achieved meaning in getting killed for his cause.

And yet, a lot of existentialist thought suggests that pre-given ideas like patriotism, glory, honor, morality, duty, etc. -- and especially war!-- are just empty vessels that must be abandoned in the modern age. Especially after World War 1 and World War 2, these didn't have a lot of currency for those who had actually seen war.

I suppose that makes this story anachronistic in a sense; it was published in 1890, well before those other conflicts and during the period in which the South was trying to resurrect the "Lost Cause" myth.

What do y'all think about this dimension of the story? How do we place Farquhar's valiant yet foolish deeds in this context?