The Character of Kien in The Sorrow of War Essay

How the war affected them physically, as well as mentally. Many of the soldiers suffered from PTSD, some were haunted by the terrible things that had happened to them or others while in the war, and some even committed suicide because of the pain they felt after the war. From the perspective of an American this could just be seen as something that is natural that comes from war, and with such a devastating and traumatic war cases like this are to be expected. Although; to look at this from the point of view of the Vietnamese it could just be seen as a way to sympathize with the soldiers who invaded Vietnam. To be Vietnamese and to interpret the text in this way would be outrageous and could probably infuriate them to no extent. The north Vietnamese at the time were trying to raise a new country under communism that would have connected all parts of Vietnam, but because the United States of America was afraid of the spread of communism they decided to invade Vietnam and prevent this from happening. They evidently failed and the war was lost, so this book could be seen as a way to forget about how horrible the loss in Vietnam was and how terribly the U.S. soldiers suffered from having to fight in the

In the beginning of the story we are introduced to the dead soldier named Kiowa. Kiowa was a native American, which in this story is ironic because he died for a country that didn’t socially accept his cultural background but there he was fighting a war that was unnecessary for them to be fighting. However, as readers we picture Kiowa as a model citizen because Jimmy Cross said, “what a fine soldier Kiowa has been, what a fine human being, and how he was the kind of son that any father could be proud of forever,” (O’Brien 3176). This passage shows the reader that Jimmy Cross thought highly of Kiowa and that it was a great lost to his platoon. Not only that but O’Brien also wanted to highlight Kiowa’s innocence and show that the Vietnam war was stripping our youth of their innocence’s. However, it’s not until Jimmy Cross says, “he should’ve taken one look and headed for higher ground. He should’ve known. No excuses” (O’Brien 3178), that we could see that Jimmy Cross felt that Kiowa death was his fault and that it was a loss of a good

It is extremely difficult for Ha’s family to leave Vietnam because this is their home. First of all,”How can we scramble away like rats,without honor…”(44). If Ha’s family leaves Vietnam and there home doesn’t end up getting destroyed will they have enough money to get back to Vietnam. If it does get destroyed, will they be able to rebuild their life. Second, “No matter what Mother decides, we are not to leave…”(46). Brother Khoi wants to stay home and protect his chick and Ha wants to protect her papaya tree. Her tree is part of her.Lastly, “What if Father returns…”(44). If Ha’s dad returns and his family is gone, what will he do. Ha’s family have a very difficult choice to either leave or stay in

In Vietnam, independence is far from desirable, much less respected. Family connections are so powerful that it is not unheard of for as many as three generations to live in the same household (often the direct result of grown children’s desire to do whatever necessary to care for their aging parents). Someone’s success or failure is never seen as theirs alone, but is directly credible to the family. If one wished to insult a

“Shrugging, Kiowa pulled off his boots. He wanted to say more, just to lighten up his sleep, but instead he opened his New Testament and arranged it beneath his head as a pillow. The fog made things seem hollow and unattached. He tried not to think about Ted Lavender, but then he was thinking how fast it was, no drama, down and dead, and how it was hard to feel anything except surprise. It seemed unchristian. He wished he could find some great sadness, or even anger, but the emotion wasn’t there and he couldn’t make it happen. Mostly he felt pleased to be alive. He liked the smell of the New Testament under his cheek, the leather and ink and paper and glue, whatever the chemicals were. He liked hearing the sounds of night. Even his fatigue, it felt fine, the stiff muscles and the prickly awareness of his own body, a floating feeling. He enjoyed not being dead. Lying there, Kiowa admired Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’s capacity for grief. He wanted to share the man’s pain, he wanted to care as Jimmy Cross cared. And yet when he closed his eyes, all he could think was Boom-down, and all he could feel was the pleasure of having his boots off and the fog curling in around him and the damp soil and the Bible smells and the plush comfort of night. (O’Brien, 17-18)”

Kierkegaard explains that a tragic hero is one who sacrifices a loved one in order to save other people. Since this tragic hero is choosing what is best for society over what is best for themselves, this is deemed an ethical act regardless of the fact that it is a sacrifice. Kierkegaard reasons that Abraham is not a tragic hero because he does not fit the standards of benefiting society with his sacrifice. When he sacrifices his son Isaac, it is for his own sake as well as God’s. Kierkegaard explains that if the ethical is universal (based on Hegel’s explanation), then Abraham would be considered a murderer because of his underlying intention and non-existent value of the act to society.

The Vietnam War was a controversial conflict that plagued the United States for many years. The loss of life caused by the war was devastating. For those who came back alive, their lives were profoundly changed. The impact the war had on servicemen would affect them for the rest of their lives; each soldier may have only played one small part in the war, but the war played a huge part in their lives. They went in feeling one way, and came home feeling completely different. In the book Vietnam Perkasie, W.D. Ehrhart describes his change from a proud young American Marine to a man filled with immense confusion, anger, and guilt over the atrocities he witnessed and participated in during the war.

The men who were in Tim O’Brien’s platoon caught on quickly, if they talked about everything that was going on as if it was only a story, their lives became a little easier. It became easier even for the men who didn’t practically like the guy who died. In the war it wasn’t about liking one another, that didn’t matter, what mattered to them was expressing their grief without showing it. “In any case, it’s easy to get sentimental about the dead, and to guard against it” (82). Being able to guard against their grief was something that was hard for many. No matter how many stories they told, there was still a sadness that some of them never could get over. The death of Kiowa was one of those impossible to get over. His death impacted everyone in the platoon. Even though Kiowa was just their guide, they treated him like he was a part of their family of misfits. Every man in the platoon had a story for Kiowa. There was some who told people stories that had Kiowa never dying, there were two however where his death left such a huge impact on them. All they

The Vietnam War, as many know it as the secret war, because the United States consider it an “Extended Military Engagement”. It is the thread that stitch me to Tim O’Brien’s, “The Things They Carried”. The alliance of the Hmong’s to the American troops brought about the deaths of many, including my grandfather. My grandfather help guide the American troops through the jungle and as word got to the Viet Cong’s, they came for the whole village. They came in the still of night and raid the huts. The Viet Cong were after my grandfather and our family to punish them for being traitors. My father, the oldest and at 16 years old was now in charge. My father took my mother, my older sister, his mom, seven siblings and ran. My grandfather stayed

War is woven into the familial aspects of this novel. It not only separated families, but also separated Vietnam itself, dividing the people and therefore compromising the idea of unity and cultural identity. The Vietnam War left a residue of resentment

Itemized In Tim O'Brien's book, The Things They Carried, the gruesome Vietnam War involving loss of companions, witnessing countless deaths and engagement in repulsive incidents prove dehumanizing and withdraws purity from once innocent soldiers. Norman Bowker committed suicide 3 years after the chapter “Speaking of Courage” was written, and this proved difficult for O’Brien. Bowker could not live with his agonizing memories after the war, and the inhuman scenes he witnessed. Mary Anne, a woman who joins her lover in the Vietnam War, begins as an innocent young girl.

American soldiers who participated in the Vietnam War came into the war as young men experienced deaths of their loved ones and seeked escapism to cope with it. “From deep fear to a lack of trust, the death of loved ones presents the harboring of a constant remembrance of Vietnam and it’s cruelties” many years after the war (Kaplan 1). The Vietnam soldiers faced unique were severely impacted by the death of their fellow soldiers dying. For example, the death of Kiowa still haunts Lieutenant Cross’s mind and it will always replay back when he wonders if he could have saved Kiowa or not. “More than 50 percent of troops engaged in active disobedience”, much politically motivated (Bahr 2). The soldiers experience discontent for the war although many of the soldiers don’t seem particularly political.

The fact that Kiowa died on his watch still messes up his thoughts of living and life today. In like manner, the chapter ,“Ghost Soldiers”, is about guilt as well. During this chapter, the new medic, Jorgenson, fails to help O’Brien in his time of need. O’Brien tries to get revenge for his near death experience until O’Brien gets shot again.

This shows the effects of the Vietnam War and how it can cause separation between the family not just physically but also mentally.

Bao Ninh’s novel The Sorrow of War tells a very realistic and explicit story of Kien, a North Vietnamese soldier and writer, during the Vietnam War. Kien manages to survive, usually by luck, through battles and