Civil Peace

Overall, "Civil Peace" implicitly praises the power of positive thinking through Jonathan's success. Jonathan’s optimism is introduced in the very first sentence of the story, when it is revealed that he considers himself as extra-ordinarily lucky. Few would describe a man who lost his son in a civil war as lucky, but Jonathan continues to deeply appreciate the “blessings” he has received, among them the lives of his other family members, his resurrected bicycle, his damaged but still standing “little zinc house”, and the ex-gratia money. Though he has suffered immeasurable losses in the war, his ability to set aside the past and hope for the future allows him to successfully manage the difficult post-war landscape. Figures in the story who despair, like the man robbed in front of the Treasury, are portrayed as helpless.