Night Witch Themes

It is a well known fact that experiencing war changes people; there is an innocence that is forever lost. In Tim O’Brian’s, “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”, Mary Anne Bell is an unusual example of the innocence that is lost in war because unlike the rest of the soldiers, she is a woman. Mary Anne’s transformation from innocent “sweetheart” to fierce warrior left readers with mixed emotions because although Mary Anne felt at peace with her transformation, she was also disconnected from reality.

The author instills emotion in the audience by using many true cases to create a lasting impression on them about the reasons for “fears of putting women in the trenches” (Collins 2) that could contribute to the lack of respect they are getting for wanting combat roles because of them. She mentions a true scenario case involving “Shoshana Johnson, a cook [who] was shot in both ankles, taken captive and held for 22 days” (Collins 2).

In Tim O'Brien's narrative, The Things They Carried, characters are shown going through excruciatingly difficult war struggles. There are many intriguing themes that O’Brien is sharing in the text, but the most striking is the differences between the way each person handles war. People in the story cope by imagining things for motivation and pleasure. Imagination can help soldiers, but also does not help in war when the coping distracts one from important situations. The most common coping mechanism in the war stories has to do with women because they were used as security blankets during war. Soldiers use women, imagined and real, to offer an escape from war, but due to their inability to understand the war, the women cannot help them cope.

The detrimental effects of war on soldiers coming home has been an issue since the beginning of war itself. It has been known by many names; shell shock during WWI, battle fatigue during WWII, and PTSD in modern times. The effects of war is an age old issue addressed in The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. O’Brien uses women as a literary element by portraying women as fantasized for their innocence at first, but are really a metaphor to explain the changes that soldiers experience as a result of war, all to explore the damaging effects that war and PTSD have on the men fighting it.

In 1944-1945, thousands of women joined the German army. During World War II, more and more girls joined the Luftwaffe under German’s control (“The Role of Women in Nazi Germany”). They replaced men, who were transferring to the Army to bear arms instead of driving planes against the advancing Allied forces. In the Luftwaffe, women operated

Young women in particular face serious forms of abuse during this time. The author describes on multiple occasions when she was assaulted by Russian soldiers. While she describes how horrible this makes her feels, she knows that having the Russian officers around her does protect her in certain ways. She is the companion of Russian soldier by the name of Anatol. He and other soldiers

Around 6 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel was one of the few that managed to survive this terrifying period of time and wrote a memoir to relay his experiences to the rest of the world. Throughout the memoir Night, faith is a commonly explored theme. Faith is used as a marker showing the fluctuating levels of humanity and caring in Elie and the other Jews.

In Our Mother’s War, Emily Yellin provides a compelling and eye-opening account of the many roles of women during World War II. Our Mother’s War was inspired by Yellin’s mother, Carol Lynn, who had lived through World War II and had been a Red Cross volunteer in the Pacific. After Yellin’s mother had died, Yellin had came upon an old manila envelope which contained many of her mother’s letters and dairy. Through these writings, Yellin realized for the first time the sacrifices women made for the war, and after being inspired to know more about the roles of women during World War II, she set out on a mission to unearth stories which have never been displayed before. Being a journalist and daughter of a World War II woman uniquely qualified Yellin to paint a vivid picture of the accounts of women during the war. through the use of letters and writings.

During World War II, the United States had a shortage of pilots, and the leaders decided to train women to fly military aircraft so male pilots could be released for combat duty overseas. The group of female pilots was called the Women Airforce Service Pilots, WASP for short. Young women between the ages of twenty-one to thirty-five, all civilian volunteers, flew almost every type of military aircraft but were not considered to be formally militarized. The program began in 1942, and was closed by 1944. But within this time frame, the female pilots flew sixty million miles in every military aircraft and thirty-eight died while serving their country as Army Air Corps arsenal. It wasn’t until many years later that the WASPS were finally given acknowledgement of their services and recognized as veterans of war.

In the years after the Second World War, people created uncountable numbers of historiographical research on various topics related to the war, such as military tactics in battles, individual groups of men during their time in service, and other such subjects. Not much surprise exists then, that women’s actions in World War II eventually would also gain interest and publication for the public, though it did not gain an undivided focus until the advent of women’s and social history grew momentum. Women, despite being half of the world’s population, doubtlessly had acted during the war years, although limited by social gender expectations of the period. As time passes from 1945, more interest in the lives of women and their effect on the war

Many aspects of World War II are instantly recognized and known, such as the countries involved and the Holocaust. However, many vital particulars of the war are overlooked. One of these such topics are the parts women played in this fight. Women 's role in the war and their ordinary life varied depending on where they lived and their situation.

Jewish women fighting within the partisan groups faced an uphill battle in their attempt to gain respect and find their place within the group. Being both Jewish and women, just gaining access into the group was difficult but then once they were in, they faced being bound by traditional feminine role and the threat of sexual abuse. Many partisan women though, did not let racism, and sexism define them and proved themselves valuable through their work ethics, skills, and strength. Through several stories we have learned about, we can see the heroism that these women showed and how they broke away from the traditional roles that women were expected to play, shattering the stereotypes that were put on them. These women survived not only being a partisan but also the “evil twins of anti-Semitic and sexual violence (JPEF1).”

World War II was the most massive and murderous equipped combat in the history of humankind. Working women, within and outside of the military, quickly became a crucial part of the US’ armed forces during WWII. Women’s involvement evolved over this time and eventually led to women’s rights movements throughout the United States. From promoting war bonds to recording locations of aircraft, women played a major role in the war effort. Without women, the turnout of WWII may have looked very different.

Women served an important role in WWII. They not only took the challenge and stepped up to take the places of the men off fighting in the war to work in factories, but they also fought side by side with those risking their lives and fighting for their country. They were needed everywhere during the war. There were an unbelievable amount of job opportunities for women during the war and many supported the brave acts of voluntary enlistment. “‘A woman’s place is in the home’ was an old adage, but it still held true at the start of World War II. Even though millions of women worked, home and family we considered the focus of their lives” says Brenda Ralf Lewis. Without the help of those women who were brave enough to