A Rumor of War is a memoir written by Philip Caputo describing his experiences as a soldier in the Vietnam War. Since one can read about his experiences first hand, one can also witness him change as a person. Throughout the text, Caputo undergoes a change in his personality. He starts off as a young man who is eager for adventure, but as he experiences through combat, a new metamorphosis of Caputo forms. The beginning of the text starts with the narrator, Caputo, describing his current life. He had grew up in a suburban area, and this certain lifestyle bored him. “...I was sick of the safe, suburban existence I had known most of my life.” (Rumor, 4) Caputo also states, “This is what I wanted, to find a commonplace world a change to live …show more content…
“I felt uneasy doing this, like a burglar or one of those bullying Redcoats who used to barge into American homes during our Revolution.” (Rumor, 88) This specific quote was said by Caputo when he and his squad were to search through a village. Despite his emotions, he followed through with his task. When Caputo searched, he encountered a woman. “I expected her to show anger or terror. I wanted her to, because her passivity seemed to be a denial of our existence, as if we were nothing more to her than a passing wind that had temporarily knocked a few things out of place.” (Rumor, 89) These two quotes in a way contradict each other. Caputo first felt uncomfortable searching these villagers' homes; he felt as if this was wrong to do. However, when he encounters this woman not making a scene, he is bewildered. He was irritated at the fact that she did not make a fuss watching these men making a mess in her home. He knew that they were turning her home upside down, and he wanted her to show some sort of emotion towards them whether it be fear or anger. The first quote stated relates to his innocent morals about what is wrong and what is right. The second quote, however, shows that Caputo wants her to feel something. Here, one can see Caputo's personality start to slowly change as he wishes the woman to feel some sort of pain to what they are doing. He is aware of the immoral behavior, but he will do it …show more content…
The reason behind shooting this village was that someone discovered that this was another ambush site. Here, one can agree that Caputo definitely undergone a change in morals. He felt nothing as he saw the dying civilians in the flames, unlike the man who first enlisted in the
The story begins with the narrator’s use of dramatic irony which already tells the reader that something is suspicious about her. “John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage” (508 Gilman). The narrator, which is unknown, states
The first three words of the chapter “How to Tell a True War Story” are, “This is true” (67). Although Tim O’Brien begins this chapter with such a bold and clear statement, throughout the chapter he has the reader thinking and confused when he contradicts himself by stating things such as, “In many cases a true war story cannot
Capote’s description of things is also different from the typical person’s description. For example, to the laymen, the sun is a big, bright, shiny ball of fire. To Capote, the sun rises "…round as orange and orange as hot weather moons, balanc[ing] on the horizon, burnish[ing] the silvered winter woods." His word choice elicits more than just a visual sense of what he is describing; they entice all the senses to jump into his memory. It is distressing that the friends lack any real interaction with the others in the household other than to be scolded. The reader feels as if perhaps the neglected ones should be pitied. Yet, it is comforting that they find consolation in each other and can appreciate each moment for its beauty. In the end, Capote recalls his friend looking upon the land in front of them
1. “In any war story, especially a true one, it’s difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen. What seems to happen becomes its own happening and has to be told the way. “ (71)
This quote shows how a father at that time would wish to have no part of his daughter for committing such acts because he knows of the dishonorable reputation he will receive as a result.
Capote starts his novel describing the small town of Holcomb, setting the stage for how the murders will change the town. Capote wants to make the readers understand that the small town
In this passage from the book In Cold Blood, the author Truman Capote introduces a small town in Kansas. He states that Holcomb is a small, lifeless town with run down shops, restaurants, and many other buildings crumbling at the base. Capote makes the readers think that this place seems pretty normal and nothing really happens there, but in the last paragraph he makes it very clear that something strange will happen. Within the first few paragraphs of the passage, he begins to draw the readers in with the tone and imagery he uses.
O’Brien’s unification of fact and fiction is to illustrate the idea in which the real accuracy of a war story is less significant than storytelling. The subjective truth about what the war meant and what it did to change the soldiers is more meaningful than the technical details of the
Some were true while some were just to portray heroism and were filled with false facts. The story “How to Tell a True War story” written by Tim O’Brien illustrates the difference between true and fictional war sorties. To show this O’Brien used two different stories and compared them. In both the stories, the common theme is that war brings melancholy and pain to everyone. The first story was about two friends Curt Lemon and Rat Kiley. Curt Lemmon accidently dies by stepping on a barbed wire. The second story was about a military troop which was sent to check the enemy movements. Both the stories are based on real war situations. The book was published after the Vietnam
First, the reader must understand just what makes a good "war story". The protagonist of the novel, Tim O'Brien, gives us his
However, as the reader is to realize soon, by having his fictional characters tell stories and then recant the truth of those stories, O’Brien certainly calls into question the possibility of ever telling a true war story. The result of
Throughout Tim O'Brien's short work "How to tell a true war story" O'Brien has two reoccurring themes. One is of the desensitization of the troops during their hardship regarding the events of the Vietnam War, and the other is of the concept of truth. Truth may seem simple enough to explain, but is in fact endowed with many layers. The story is chalked full of contradictions, as well as lies, and embellishments, and yet O'Brien claims that these are the truth. The truth, whether it be war or society's, is in fact a concept that can be conveyed many times and in many ways. Whereas each is independently untrue, the combined collaboration of these half-truths is in essence the only real truth.
A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo, is an exceptional autobiography on a man's first-hand experiences during the Vietnam War. Philip Caputo is a Lieutenant during the Vietnam War and illustrates the harsh reality of what war really is. Caputo's in-depth details of his experience during the war are enough to make one cringe, and the eventual mental despair often experienced by soldiers (including Caputo) really makes you feel for participants taking part in this dreadful war atmosphere. Giving way to the parties and the common fun associated with college kids, Caputo failed out of college and realized what he really wanted to be was a Marine. He joined the Marines and went through a
One of the reasons that Lewis’s works are so significant is that he has a unique style of writing and a very revolutionary way of thinking. It is obvious from the book Main Street in which the story takes place on the Main Street in Gopher Prairie, a small town. People in the story are old-fashioned, very religious, and have little interest in their government. In this story, Carol tries to reform the village so that it can become more modern and beautiful, but as she tries to introduce new traditions to the town, she starts to realize that many of the people who live there are not very welcoming of the social reforms, and they think it is better to settle down and enjoy small town life (“Main Street”).This work by Lewis satirizes the duplicity, intolerance, and resistance to change in small
and that he believes them. The poem also translates into how living in the city is toilsome and that the city is unrelenting. On the other hand it shows how the city can be prosperous and happy with the city’s disadvantages. in the second half of the poem it’s telling how nomatter what is wrong with the city, the people are still proud of who they are.