The Drummer Boy of Shiloh is about a boy in a war. He doesn't feel like he belongs there until the General talks to him and tells him that he does belong in the war.
In the beginning, Joby is laying on the floor with his drum, counting the many shadows passing through the campsight. He starts to think about things like: he doesn't belong in the war, he only has "a drum, two sticks, and no shield,". This shows that Joby feels out of place and that he feels useless and that he is there with no protection from the harm that he can receive.
Thats when the General walks up to him and notices the emotion that Joby is showing.The general starts to talk to Joby, talking about the war. He then begins to tell him that Joby does have meaning to the war. That Joby is "the heart of the war" and that what he does matters too. Joby then realizes that what the General is telling him is right. He does matter and that what he does also has an impact on the war too. This shows that Joby is realizing that he really isn't out of place.
At the end, Joby is feeling happy again. He is feeling confident in himself, feeling like he has the power to change what happens in the war. In the story, it says that "he smiled, falling asleep with the drum at his side". This shows that what the General told Joby changed the way Joby thought about himself.
I think the theme Ray Bradbury wanted the reader to know is "Don't doubt youself: you are who you are". I think that this is the theme because in the beginning, Joby felt useless, but after the pep talk with the General, he felt confident.
The author shows us this by describing to us the way he felt throughtout the story. Ray also shows us that by giving us a mental picture of the scene that is happening. Ray gives us the scene and the reader would really feel like they are really there with Joby and the General in the war. The reader would feel like they are really experiencing the dialogue in real life.
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