This was a very interesting story. It gave an insightful, clear perspective on a soldiers mentality. One thing I thought while reading the story was that in several places, mostly when the narrator was referencing civilians- such as the section near the end with the conversation with the old woman - there was a similar sentiment to the poem Dulce et decorum est- that civilians have no idea of the impact of war, and the kinds of terrible things faced by soldiers. In this story there is a palpable sense of resentment towards civilians- referring to the falling soldiers sister as a ‘cooze’ etc’. This kind of separation- of treating those in war and those not- as totally separate entities, gives the reader the idea of a sense of isolation experienced.
The use of repetition in this story- how the author constantly refers back to the letter written by Rat Kiley to the dead soldiers sister- and how a great deal of the story’s events are influenced by this death, most notably the scene with the buffalo - conveys a great deal about the stress of war. The repetition if reminiscent of some symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder- flashbacks and night terrors. This use of repetition to demonstrate some of the psychological effects is a very creative method of showing the repercussions of war on those involved.
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