Shane Keough
Mr. Colgate
English IV: Stories of War
4/12/2024
Trauma and Forgiveness
All wars, no matter how they are fought, leave behind profound scars on the men and women who participated. This truth particularly holds for the Vietnam War, where countless American soldiers experienced emotional trauma as a result of the brutal conflict in the dense jungles of a foreign country. Consequently, many veterans struggle to reintegrate back into society, as this trauma accompanies soldiers long after leaving the battlefield. Da 5 Bloods and The Things They Carried, both works of fiction, tell the story of numerous men who faithfully served America in the Vietnam War. Da 5 Bloods and The Things They Carried explore the severe emotional effects …show more content…
On top of the standard emotional scars that most soldiers are left with, American soldiers were not celebrated upon returning home. They were seen by their compatriots as “baby killers” who fought an unjust war, not as heroes. This lack of acceptance exacerbates the trauma of Paul and Norman Bowker, in Da 5 Bloods and The Things They Carried, respectively. Paul, decades after losing Norman and returning home, still feels guilty for surviving while Norman died. Paul’s lingering guilt is shown through his hallucinations with Norman in the jingle. Norman and Paul hug, and Norman assures him “it was an accident... I forgive you... I forgive you” (Lee). This imagined interaction shows that Paul had felt responsible for Norman’s death for decades. Paul’s mind, though he was not aware of it, forced him to create this image of forgiveness through a hallucination, in order to finally reconcile his role in Norman’s death. This realization comes too late for Paul, however, as his trauma had driven him crazy, resulting in his gruesome death at the hands of the Vietnamese …show more content…
In Da 5 Bloods, when the bloods are in the restaurant, a group of older Vietnamese men nod politely and offer them drinks. As Vinh informs the bloods, the men “are former Viet Cong and wanna welcome you all back to their country” (Lee). The bloods returned the gesture, raising their glasses to the men. This show of mutual respect is a clear depiction of the lack of animosity between the American and Vietnamese sides. In Things They Carried, when Tim O’Brien returns to where Kiowa died, he sees what is likely a former Vietnamese soldier. This soldier does not present anger or resentment toward O’Brien, but rather the man “was dark and solemn” (179). The lack of animosity between each side, as depicted in both works, highlights the unique nature of the Vietnam War. The soldiers, at least in both works, on each side were not driven by anger, and did not see the enemy as evil. Instead, they fought the enemy merely because that was their duty. For example, when asked by his daughter why he fought in Vietnam, O’Brien responds “it’s a mystery, I guess. I don’t know” (175). As the attitude of the soldiers who served suggests, the Vietnam War, which claimed millions of lives, had little moral justification, and thus those who died fighting essentially died
Mr. Colgate
English IV: Stories of War
4/12/2024
Trauma and Forgiveness
All wars, no matter how they are fought, leave behind profound scars on the men and women who participated. This truth particularly holds for the Vietnam War, where countless American soldiers experienced emotional trauma as a result of the brutal conflict in the dense jungles of a foreign country. Consequently, many veterans struggle to reintegrate back into society, as this trauma accompanies soldiers long after leaving the battlefield. Da 5 Bloods and The Things They Carried, both works of fiction, tell the story of numerous men who faithfully served America in the Vietnam War. Da 5 Bloods and The Things They Carried explore the severe emotional effects …show more content…
On top of the standard emotional scars that most soldiers are left with, American soldiers were not celebrated upon returning home. They were seen by their compatriots as “baby killers” who fought an unjust war, not as heroes. This lack of acceptance exacerbates the trauma of Paul and Norman Bowker, in Da 5 Bloods and The Things They Carried, respectively. Paul, decades after losing Norman and returning home, still feels guilty for surviving while Norman died. Paul’s lingering guilt is shown through his hallucinations with Norman in the jingle. Norman and Paul hug, and Norman assures him “it was an accident... I forgive you... I forgive you” (Lee). This imagined interaction shows that Paul had felt responsible for Norman’s death for decades. Paul’s mind, though he was not aware of it, forced him to create this image of forgiveness through a hallucination, in order to finally reconcile his role in Norman’s death. This realization comes too late for Paul, however, as his trauma had driven him crazy, resulting in his gruesome death at the hands of the Vietnamese …show more content…
In Da 5 Bloods, when the bloods are in the restaurant, a group of older Vietnamese men nod politely and offer them drinks. As Vinh informs the bloods, the men “are former Viet Cong and wanna welcome you all back to their country” (Lee). The bloods returned the gesture, raising their glasses to the men. This show of mutual respect is a clear depiction of the lack of animosity between the American and Vietnamese sides. In Things They Carried, when Tim O’Brien returns to where Kiowa died, he sees what is likely a former Vietnamese soldier. This soldier does not present anger or resentment toward O’Brien, but rather the man “was dark and solemn” (179). The lack of animosity between each side, as depicted in both works, highlights the unique nature of the Vietnam War. The soldiers, at least in both works, on each side were not driven by anger, and did not see the enemy as evil. Instead, they fought the enemy merely because that was their duty. For example, when asked by his daughter why he fought in Vietnam, O’Brien responds “it’s a mystery, I guess. I don’t know” (175). As the attitude of the soldiers who served suggests, the Vietnam War, which claimed millions of lives, had little moral justification, and thus those who died fighting essentially died