The author, Tim O’Brien, continues to inform the reader of
stories and events that he endured during the Vietnam War. His stories continue
to add to his purpose of writing the book, in order to inform citizens about
the physical and emotional difficulties that a soldier encounters during a war.
To begin with, O’Brien discusses the story of when he was
first drafted for the war. He was not particularly in favor of wars; especially
having to fight in one that he does not even believe is worth fighting. How are
you supposed to fight for your country when you don’t believe it is worth
fighting? On page 44, after he found out that he would be drafted, he talks
about how worried and afraid he is. O’Brien wrote, “Beyond all this, was the
raw fact of terror. I did not want to die. Not ever. But certainly not then,
not there, not in a wrong war… I imagined myself dead. I imagined myself doing
things I could not do—charging an enemy position, taking aim at another human
being.” Just the thought of having to be in the war scared him, so how is he
expected to fight? He is already having fears of the war and he hasn’t even
started fighting yet.
Around the same time as being drafted, O’Brien had a job at
a meatpacking plant. On page 43 he writes, “At night I’d go home smelling of
pig. It wouldn’t go away. Even after a hot bath, scrubbing hard, the stink was
always there.” This particular line in the book seems to compare his job to the
war. A soldier, no matter how hard they try, cannot erase the horrible memories
and losses they experienced in the war. Similar to trying to erase the pig
smell after work, it was impossible to erase the emotional hardships from the
war. He mentions the pig smell again on page 53 and tells, “and how the smell
had soaked into my skin and how I couldn’t wash it away.” He repeats this story
and memory to once again help the reader understand how truly difficult it was
for him to erase the memories—he couldn’t. They did not have the ability to be
washed away.
On page 80, the author uses a polysyndeton, saying, “War is
hell, but that’s not half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and
adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and
longing and love. By using the polysyndeton, he creates the effect of the war
dragging on and how many effects it truly has on a soldier. War is more than
just fighting; it comes along with all of the aspects he listed.
One final part of this reading that seemed to strike me was
the story about Mary Anne. The story was about a relationship between Mary Anne
Bell and Mark Fossie. They began in love, but in the end their love did not
work out. Mary Anne came to visit Mark while he was at war. One night, he
realized that she was no longer around. He searched for her, but nobody could
find her. Page 116 reads, “She [Mary Anne] had crossed to the other side. She
was part of the land. She was wearing her culottes, her pink sweater, and a
necklace of human tongues. She was dangerous. She was ready for the kill.” This
story also helps those Americans who never fought in war how easily things will
change. The war can change everything, including relationships. Mary Anne wasn’t
even fighting in the war, but was still changed by it. Wars can change others
besides just soldiers.
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