Preston Fong
Mrs. Tanguis
English 3 3rd
11 November 2014
Going After Cacciato: A story of a Psychotic Soldier Imagine fighting in a war in which it was impossible to tell who the allies were and the enemies were. For many soldiers, a war like this was a reality and it was called the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was fought for 20 years from 1955 to 1975 between the Communist and Anti-communist forces to prevent the spread of communism. Since the war was not fought for land or religion, it was commonly thought as a waste of American lives. As a result of the lack of American support, soldier who fought in the war became crazy and lost touch with reality as illustrated in the book Going After Cacciato, by Tim O’Brien. Through his use of symbolism …show more content…
The most important symbol in the book is Paris. Even though Paris seems like a completely random and impossible place to chase a person to, it represents the perfect place for Paul Berlin. In Paul Berlins mind, Paris is the a place where he can escape the war just like Cacciato did, but as the tour guide mention, “Paris is not a place. It is a state of mind (298).” Paul Berlin does not actually want to go to Paris; he wants to get away from the war and live happily, just like most of the soldiers. Another powerful symbol that Tim O’Brien uses is Sarkin. Not only is she the archetype of someone who guides the hero, but also as a girl, which Paul Berlin based off his past girlfriend, Louise. Even though Sarkin only initial purpose was to lead them out of the hole they fell in to, she soon becomes a reflection of how Paul Berlin was before the war. For example, in Paul Berlin’s fantasy, he and Sarkin “pretended to make love,” but he could never imagine it since he has never experienced it before. In order to full understand the Berlin’s fantasies, the reader must first interpret all the symbols to understand how where the fantasy is coming
Mrs. Tanguis
English 3 3rd
11 November 2014
Going After Cacciato: A story of a Psychotic Soldier Imagine fighting in a war in which it was impossible to tell who the allies were and the enemies were. For many soldiers, a war like this was a reality and it was called the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was fought for 20 years from 1955 to 1975 between the Communist and Anti-communist forces to prevent the spread of communism. Since the war was not fought for land or religion, it was commonly thought as a waste of American lives. As a result of the lack of American support, soldier who fought in the war became crazy and lost touch with reality as illustrated in the book Going After Cacciato, by Tim O’Brien. Through his use of symbolism …show more content…
The most important symbol in the book is Paris. Even though Paris seems like a completely random and impossible place to chase a person to, it represents the perfect place for Paul Berlin. In Paul Berlins mind, Paris is the a place where he can escape the war just like Cacciato did, but as the tour guide mention, “Paris is not a place. It is a state of mind (298).” Paul Berlin does not actually want to go to Paris; he wants to get away from the war and live happily, just like most of the soldiers. Another powerful symbol that Tim O’Brien uses is Sarkin. Not only is she the archetype of someone who guides the hero, but also as a girl, which Paul Berlin based off his past girlfriend, Louise. Even though Sarkin only initial purpose was to lead them out of the hole they fell in to, she soon becomes a reflection of how Paul Berlin was before the war. For example, in Paul Berlin’s fantasy, he and Sarkin “pretended to make love,” but he could never imagine it since he has never experienced it before. In order to full understand the Berlin’s fantasies, the reader must first interpret all the symbols to understand how where the fantasy is coming