The War Prayer

“The War Prayer” is a short story by Mark Twain. Written in 1905, the story remained unpublished in his lifetime, not appearing in print until 1916. Twain is widely regarded as one of America’s greatest writers and is best known for works like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). Twain’s output was prolific and included novels, including Roughing It, The Prince and the Pauper, and The Mysterious Stranger, short stories like "A True Story," "The Invalid's Story," and "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," articles, essays, speeches, and criticism.

“The War Prayer” is primarily set in a church, where a minister prays for victory as a country prepares for war. A mysterious stranger arrives urging the congregation to consider the true meaning of their prayer. The story was likely written as a reaction to the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars, employing Twain’s hallmark satire to tackle themes of nationalism, religious hypocrisy, and war. This guide refers to the text of “

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