The Generic Story of "The General"

The typical American war story tends to go something like this: a man gets drafted to go to war, is reluctant at first to go but eventually accepts his fate, spends some time learning the truths of war and life, then dies a hero. According to Tim O'Brien, in his novel The Things They Carried, a war story that follows these lines is most likely false. O'Brien argues that if a war story is moral and leaves one feeling uplifted, there is a high possibility that the story isn't true. 

At first glance, the song "The General" by Dispatch seems to tell a unique story about a general who "tossed in his sleep and wrestled with its meaning" and then decides to send all of his men home because of his vision about the upcoming battle. Upon further examination, however, it is clear that this story is just another generic war tale.

For starters, the song starts out by describing the general as a "seasoned veteran" and "with a heart of gold", which hints that the song is false because the general is painted as a man who has been at war for a long time and has learned and accepted the truths of war. According to O'Brien, this would make the story false because the word "seasoned" implies positivity, which is not an aspect of a true war story. 

The song then goes on to paint the general as a hero because he saves the innocence of the boys that he is commanding. The general tells his men that they "have no time to lose" and that they're "young men you must be living", which hints at the underlying falseness of the story because the general is saving the boys' lives and putting his own on the line at the same time. The song concludes with the general "preparing to fight" all on his own, the typical American war hero. Although this song appears unique from the outside, after digging deeper it is obvious that the story is yet another take on the stereotypical war story.