One of the most prevalent themes on Tim O'Brien's writings is the significance of the alienation between soldiers and civilians. In several of the stories in The Things They Carried there is a clear sense of resentment on the part of the soldiers towards civilians, for their ignorance of the war, and the feeling of isolation and abandonment by the people in the 'real world'. Examples of this animosity can be seen in several of O'Brien's stories.
One of the clearest examples is in "How to tell a true war story". The somewhat bitter division can be seen in several instances: Rat Kiley's referring to Curt Lemon's sister as a 'cooze' after she does not write him back after his own letter. Which was to him was a heartfelt message of her brothers bravery. Another is the reaction of O'Brien to the old woman's criticism of his story towards the end. In both cases there is a sense of misinterpretation: Neither Curt Lemon's sister nor the woman in the book store understand what it is either soldier is trying to express, as they have not had the same experiences. They can never fully comprehend the ordeal of war and O'Brien seems to express the sentiment that they are unwelcome to try.
It is for this reason that the idea of Mary Ann in the "Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong" is so appealing to the soldiers. Even if she is merely a story the notion of a woman who understands both civilian and soldier mentality is incredibly attractive, as is seen in Rat Kiley's words "I loved her... we all did, I guess.... she was there. She was up to her eyeballs in it. After the war man, I promise you, you won't find nobody like her" (O'Brien, 113-4).
I enjoyed that you discussed how Mary Ann is seen as this unique creature to the soldiers mainly because she lies in this middle ground of soldier/civilian. She also is the only woman who will ever understand Vietnam for what it was. I truly believe that Rat loves her because in his mind Mary Ann is a representation of both a vessel of understanding and a vessel of comfort.
ReplyDelete^ I completely agree with you, Lindsey. Since there were little to no female soldiers in the war, a character like Mary Anne only sparks interest for all the soldiers because, as you said, Lindsey, she is the only one who will understand what it is like.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I think the story is fake and was created as a means of a sexual fetish for the soldiers. During war, it seems that the ultimate fetish for a male soldier was a female that could endure the conditions of the war. In effect, Mary Anne would have been all the soldiers' dream-girl while at war which supports why "I loved her...we all did..."
Interesting comment about Mary Ann's story being made up as a sexual fantasy for the soldiers. I completely expected this story to be more sexual and was surprised that the soldiers in the story respected that she was with Fossie and didn't even try to touch her. Maybe I'm being too cynical, but I got the feeling that Rat may have left out a few less honorable parts of the story (assuming that Mary Ann was real).
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