The Mark Of War Analysis

The Mark of War What is war? When I first started this course, I had a very vague idea of what “true” war was. I have never been in war and neither have I had family members or friends experience war in any way. War is often incomprehensible to people such as me and yet I realized that war carries with it an unbelievable amount of tragedy. I used to always be under the impression that war is an evil that ends once the war finishes. What I realized about war however was that not only is there pain and death but also a trauma that lasts forever. This lasting affect can range from crazy Vladek to drunk Kien and even sorcerer John. War leaves scars on people she has touched, a “mark” that never goes away and becomes a constant remainder …show more content…
This work illustrates how the mark affects even our perceived enemies. Kien is the enemy of the Americans and yet because of war, has become a ghost. He struggled with just as much as any American did and perhaps even more. Kien creates for himself this intense need to finish his book. He discusses how it is divine will (Ninh 56-58) that is pushing him onwards but those are simply reasons to justify this obsession. Kien also has given into his addictions. He is addicted to smoking and drinking (Ninh 229). The mark has left Kien’s life in tatters. It has ruined him beyond comprehension. The war never ended for him and in the novel he lives the war every single day while struggling to let go of his past by writing his novel and feeding his addictions. He is searching for ways to cope with the sorrow of war and the readers are left asking if he ever finds …show more content…
This book shows how hard the mark can influence families not directly participating in war. From the very beginning John Wade’s family has been affected by war. His father deals with PTSD by drinking and eventually commits suicide (O’Brien 14). In response to this John creates his interest in magic as a way of coping (O’Brien 31). After returning from his own war, he began to change even more. John starts to create different personalities in an effort to understand what is happening (O’Brien 37). Without these “mirrors” he would see the world for what it truly is and would have to take responsibility in the sorrow he caused. The changes not only affect his political career but also his wife. He loses eventually ends up losing both from the stress and pain the mark placed upon him. John Wade made for himself a way to forget in part about the war but it was never a perfect solution. John Wade’s war never ended, it simply evolved into something