Women’s Roles
The novels, Going After Cacciato, by Tim O’Brien and Girl by the Road at Night: A Novel of Vietnam, by David Rabe, both tell stories of young men thrust into the Vietnam War. During each man’s experience in Vietnam they are pushed to shirk their duties to the military by the women they encounter. O’Brien’s main character, Paul Berlin, deals with the tough times of war by escaping into his imagination, where he creates a young girl named Sarkin Aung Wan. Sarkin constantly pushes Berlin to continue away from the war, and to live with her in Paris where they can fall in love. As for Rabe’s character, Joseph Whitaker, he becomes enamored by a Vietnamese prostitute named Lan, who always urges Whitaker to spend the night with her …show more content…
Since Sarkin is just a girl made up inside of Paul Berlin’s mind, she symbolizes his inner struggle with deserting the war. Since his first encounter with her, in his made up story of chasing Cacciato to Paris because he is deserting, he finds ways to keep her in the story. When he tells her that she cannot come with them on the journey to Paris, she says to him that he will find a way to make it work, and he does; a giant hole opens up in the earth and Sarkin’s aunts conveniently disappear during the group’s fall. As the group moves on throughout a handful of countries, Sarkin continually distracts Paul Berlin from his duty to find Cacciato, and he spends most of his days with her rather than with his fellow soldiers. Sarkin even asks what will happen if they do manage to capture Cacciato, and when Berlin’s answer includes returning to Vietnam, she becomes cold toward him until he “made amends and promises: Paris was still possible,” (O’Brien 115). Sarkin tends to become uneasy when the group becomes close to finding Cacciato, and the only way to calm her down is to reassure her of the possible adventures in Paris. Interestingly enough, once Sarkin resumes her previous state of grooming Berlin, he chooses to imagine it as she has …show more content…
When Whitaker is forced to go to Vietnam, he is lonely and wants for attention, especially the attention of a woman. When Whitaker stumbles upon Lan and a few other prostitutes, it is already close to curfew and “Out beyond that time will mean he must stay out all night or risk being reported,” (Rabe 125). Lan urges Whitaker to stay all night with her, this way she will be able to get more money out of him, but he could be considered AWOL if he doesn’t return that night. Lan manages to persuade Whitaker to stay with her, pulling him away from his duties, which results in her beginning to represent leaving the war behind. Although Lan is a prostitute, Whitaker forms an attachment to her, and finds himself sympathizing with her when he witnesses her being hit by another soldier. He also puts her at risk when he lets her choose between staying with him and going with two Vietnamese men, she chooses Whitaker. After this she asks him again to stay the night, “‘ Go house me, no money.’“, although strangely enough she does not want to be paid (Rabe 188). She asks him to leave behind his obligations to the army to spend a night with her, even though he could be punished if he were discovered. He agrees to go with her, but after being at her house for a short time, he changes his mind, “once curfew comes and goes he will be AWOL.” (Rabe 193). She is
The novels, Going After Cacciato, by Tim O’Brien and Girl by the Road at Night: A Novel of Vietnam, by David Rabe, both tell stories of young men thrust into the Vietnam War. During each man’s experience in Vietnam they are pushed to shirk their duties to the military by the women they encounter. O’Brien’s main character, Paul Berlin, deals with the tough times of war by escaping into his imagination, where he creates a young girl named Sarkin Aung Wan. Sarkin constantly pushes Berlin to continue away from the war, and to live with her in Paris where they can fall in love. As for Rabe’s character, Joseph Whitaker, he becomes enamored by a Vietnamese prostitute named Lan, who always urges Whitaker to spend the night with her …show more content…
Since Sarkin is just a girl made up inside of Paul Berlin’s mind, she symbolizes his inner struggle with deserting the war. Since his first encounter with her, in his made up story of chasing Cacciato to Paris because he is deserting, he finds ways to keep her in the story. When he tells her that she cannot come with them on the journey to Paris, she says to him that he will find a way to make it work, and he does; a giant hole opens up in the earth and Sarkin’s aunts conveniently disappear during the group’s fall. As the group moves on throughout a handful of countries, Sarkin continually distracts Paul Berlin from his duty to find Cacciato, and he spends most of his days with her rather than with his fellow soldiers. Sarkin even asks what will happen if they do manage to capture Cacciato, and when Berlin’s answer includes returning to Vietnam, she becomes cold toward him until he “made amends and promises: Paris was still possible,” (O’Brien 115). Sarkin tends to become uneasy when the group becomes close to finding Cacciato, and the only way to calm her down is to reassure her of the possible adventures in Paris. Interestingly enough, once Sarkin resumes her previous state of grooming Berlin, he chooses to imagine it as she has …show more content…
When Whitaker is forced to go to Vietnam, he is lonely and wants for attention, especially the attention of a woman. When Whitaker stumbles upon Lan and a few other prostitutes, it is already close to curfew and “Out beyond that time will mean he must stay out all night or risk being reported,” (Rabe 125). Lan urges Whitaker to stay all night with her, this way she will be able to get more money out of him, but he could be considered AWOL if he doesn’t return that night. Lan manages to persuade Whitaker to stay with her, pulling him away from his duties, which results in her beginning to represent leaving the war behind. Although Lan is a prostitute, Whitaker forms an attachment to her, and finds himself sympathizing with her when he witnesses her being hit by another soldier. He also puts her at risk when he lets her choose between staying with him and going with two Vietnamese men, she chooses Whitaker. After this she asks him again to stay the night, “‘ Go house me, no money.’“, although strangely enough she does not want to be paid (Rabe 188). She asks him to leave behind his obligations to the army to spend a night with her, even though he could be punished if he were discovered. He agrees to go with her, but after being at her house for a short time, he changes his mind, “once curfew comes and goes he will be AWOL.” (Rabe 193). She is