The male protagonist, Harry (Heath Ledger), comes from a military family! Follow your father's wishes and join the army as a soldier! During his time in the army, he had a lot of achievements and was already an officer at a young age! Leading an elite unit, his superiors have high hopes for him and expect him to achieve more!
The British army was suppressed by the enemy in the exchange of fire with the Islamic rebels in The town of Sultan, and the situation was in danger! Harry's regiment announces that they will go to Sultan Town immediately to support us! Hearing that the war was about to begin, the soldiers were very excited, perhaps the belligerent spirit in the bones of the soldiers, or the glorious heart of winning glory for the country.
Stills from Four Feathers
Unlike them, Harry felt fear, fear of death. Death means that everything will be lost. He still has that beautiful fiancée in his house, and yes, they've just got engaged! Harry is afraid of war, which means death!
When Harry applied to the regimental commander to leave the team, the whole regiment was shocked. No one had ever thought that Harry was such a person, that his aura, his glory, would be shattered from that moment on, and that shame would envelop him! The angry regimental commander immediately let him out, dismissed him from all his positions, and went from an officer to a civilian!
Equally angry were his three best friends, each of whom gave Harry a piece of white feather. White feathers symbolize cowardice. Their actions made Harry extremely uncomfortable, wondering whether his choice was right or not, and why it was the result! Fleeing from the battlefield is a big taboo for the army, and every soldier hates such a person and is ashamed of it!
When he returns home with mixed feelings, the behavior of his father and fiancée makes Harry even more upset! His father was a general who regarded the glory of a soldier as life. Harry's behavior humiliated him, severed the father-son relationship between the two, and no longer recognized Harry as a son!
My wife's father, who was also a soldier, died in battle! The wife is proud of her father and has the same sense of glory as a soldier! Annoyed, she gave Harry a fourth feather, representing disappointment!
The lonely Harry was always watching the news from the front, and the arrival of reinforcements still failed to recover the disadvantage, and a large number of casualties occurred every day. Guilt and heartache tormented Harry all the time! He felt that he should do something, not only to wash away the shame and honor of the soldiers, but he also hoped to help his former teammates and help his country!
He travels alone to the town of Sultan on a mission to rescue his teammates, although this is only a task for himself! What a danger it was to save people in the dangerous town of Sultan, but Harry did it, and driven by glory, he was fearless. Under the pressure of responsibility, he can do anything!
Harry at the end of the play is good, he returns the four feathers that represent shame and incompetence! He restored the glory of the soldier and was recognized and loved by everyone. At this time, he is no longer a soldier!
Soldiers not only represent an identity, but also a responsibility! Every soldier has a responsibility! They are disciplined and well trained! Maybe they don't want to have so many rules and regulations, so much training, but the responsibilities on them make them have to do it! They are the soul of the country, the symbol of the country, they are the patron saints of the country!
It is also these responsibilities that they overcome the fear of war and abstain from human inertia! They are all good looks!