English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 17

English - Essay Example In any war, the soldiers get paranoid; they are dispossessed of the sense of justice and morality, once they are part of the war. The solider will never be the same individual again.War is a terrible evil exercise for humanity. The victor is also a loser! Political leaders plan the war, but the soldiers fight it at the ground level. When one soldier is killed, the immediate family members suffer and the well-wishers go through an agonizing experience. The soldiers have no personal enmity and yet they are compelled to plan to eliminate each other. The only mantra for a soldier is, kill or get killed! Each day is a tough survival option for the soldier and no one at home is able to understand their predicaments. Tim illustrates a story of a soldier who brings his girlfriend to Vietnam. When she arrives, she is fresh and exuberant about the country that she is going to visit. But soon, the jungle life fascinates her; she loses attachment to her old city life. She disappears into the jungle. Tim explains this incident thus: "Tone? I didnt know it was all that complicated. The girl joined the zoo. One more animal--end of story." (O’Brien, p.107)Tim recalls a moment, how he killed a soldier who was walking down a trial. Tim threw a hand grenade at him and his face exploded†¦. He also narrates about the image of a young girl dancing outside her destroyed village, as American soldiers take the dead family away. ---One cries when one is sad; one doesn’t, when mad! Many such stories circulate. But, "Its safe to say that in a true war story nothing is ever absolutely tr ue." (O’Brien, p. 82) In Louise Erdrichs short story, "The Red Convertible," she communicates the emotional disturbances, war creates for a soldier and his relationships through symbolism of car between two brothers, Henry and Lyman. Their great attachment to the joint property, the symbol of their mutual affection during the pre-war days has vanished. Henry realizes that his