The Parallels Between Street Conflicts and the Vietnam War
The 1999 book Gods Go Begging by Alfredo Vea demonstrates the parallels between current street conflicts and the Vietnam War. When two countries are at odds, the word "war" is typically used to describe brutal battles. Instead of describing street activities that result in extreme violence and numerous fatalities, words are used to make gang conflicts sound commonplace and unimportant. Small Wars between civilians and troops on the battlefield are utterly comparable.This book has an interesting title that gets you thinking ‘why would a god beg?’ yet they have the power to do anything they wish to do. Alfredo in his story answers the question. The Gods are begging because War is a terrible way of conflict resolution; there are multiple ways to solve conflicts amicably. War not only leads to loss of lives but also scars the survivors’ lives; things are never the same after War. War between races, nations and social classes as shown in this book only lead to heartache and disconnections from people that we should instead hold closely to our hearts.
The Connection Between a Murder Mystery in San Francisco and Vietnam War Memories
In Vietnam veteran Jesse Pasadoble’s mind, the battle continues; the murder mystery in San Francisco where two women are killed, links with Jesse’s memories of when he served in the military. The two women that were murdered; Persephone and Mai, were married to men who killed each other while in the battle field. Persephone was married to an African American man who did not see the necessity of war while Mai was married to a Vietnamese soldier who believed that the war had to take place in order to wipe out the Americans. At the end of the novel, the mystery is unraveled; it was Reggie a young African American man whose record showed that he had a history of violence and incest that killed the two ladies. This shows that combat killings and violence were not only experienced during the War but also in the streets of present day San Francisco.
The Theme of Trauma and Its Effects on Soldiers' Lives
This novel brings out the theme of Trauma. The story unfolds in present day San Francisco where Jesse Pasadoble recounts the terrifying memories of the battlefields. The unforgettable thoughts of the War torment him day in day out; in the story, soldiers who served at War are rendered incapable of living and loving again despite the fact that they have survived the pangs of death while at War. They are considered to have ‘lost their humanity’. This book portrays how the mighty soldiers once trusted to fight for a whole nation are now battling Post-Traumatic- syndrome when they come home from War, and how it affects their environment and relationships with their loved ones. After War, Jesse is unable to connect with his girlfriend Caroline and his friends in a deep sincere way. This shows how his experiences at War have disconnected him from the people that are near and dear to him. Trauma controls Jesse’s past, present and future; in his dreams he kept in touch with two of his closest friends who died while at war; one was a black staff sergeant and the other was a soldier belonging to the enemy group they were fighting against. (Vea 74).
The Effects of Poverty on Calvin Thibault and the Injustice in the System
Trauma is also portrayed through the story of a little girl called Minney Skelley who was sexually abused by her relative but since she was traumatized she experiences memory lapses; and the only thing she could recall was that she saw an eagle when the whole incident happened. Her Uncle Bernard Skelley, a white supremacist has an American screaming eagle tattoo on his chest and for this reason he is accused of rape. Jesse is brought in as Bernard’s lawyer and later they discover that Minney was raped by her father Richard Skelley, who is also a white supremacist with a special love for weaponry and army stuff.
The Portrayal of Racism and Injustice in America
Alfredo Vea also shows the effects of poverty through the character of Calvin Thibault who also goes by the nickname Biscuit Boy. Calvin lives in abject poverty in the ghetto and has no access to good education. Biscuit Boy has been accused of the murder of two ladies; Persephone Flyer (black) and Mai Adrong (Vietnamese). Calvin’s illiteracy makes it easy for Inspector Normandie to coerce and trick him into signing a confession of his guilt. Calvin, tells the authorities that he was aware of Reggie’s intent and this incriminates him making him the prime suspect in the brutal murder. Calvin later gets a lawyer, Jesse Pasadoble who hands biscuit boy a book, A Gathering of Old Men, by Ernest J. Gaines after learning about the information his client gave the Inspector. He then asks him to pick one paragraph per week from the book, mail it to him, and when they met they would have a discussion on how the paragraph resonates with him. This was meant to show Calvin the value of words and the power they have to destroy his life. In all this Jesse noticed that just like in Vietnam, Calvin’s poor background plays a great role in inhibiting the will to better himself. The author describes the Ghetto as a place where any word, gesture, drive or reply is a manifestation of someone’s need to apply personal Force which warrants a violent response or aggression that is uncalled for. Poverty has created an environment which does not support much contemplation and self-examination. Jesse through the book that he gives to Calvin, hopes that eventually he knows the importance of choosing the right words and help him fight negative perceptual processes that land him in unfortunate situations such as being a suspect in a murder case.
The Racism and Injustices in the American System
The novel exhibits the racism and injustices in the system; In America, cultural differences are considered to be blasphemous hence creating a foundation for American racism. For example, when Jesse and his fellow soldiers were at the hill, he noticed that there were a variety of ethnicities at war; this was a move meant to preserve the lives of the white people. Also, Biscuit boy’s odds of being proven innocent are quite low as the jury is full of white people who had already made a conclusion that he was guilty based on the fact that he was black, from the ghetto, illiterate and could therefore not speak their language. This is a form of cold war against minority races; it is not articulated or even expressed but this silent war is the reason why the blacks feel discriminated. Failure to get fair judgement simply because you are from a minority group puts the wrong people behind bars and brings about more and more violence on the streets. The racial divide, when Jesse goes home from War is still present; at his workplace too there was a white colleague who was quite mean to him saying, “He would often think that his brown lawyer was his slave.”(Vea 61)
The Devastating Effects of War and the Inconsideration of its Consequences
As the story develops, the commanding arm of the government declares war on Vietnam and once the soldiers are given orders by the military officials they go to war. The American government declared war without putting into consideration the effect it would have on the soldiers and the innocent lives that would be lost on the battle field.
The Horror and Desperation Associated with the Hills
The hills described in this book are associated with a feeling of horror and desperation. The time when Jesse got caught in a gunfight during the Vietnam War, he was on a hill. The chaplain loses his mind while on a hill where he abandons his team. He later return to porter hill in San Fransisco. Just like the hill in Vietnam, this hill is not safe as there are so many criminal activities taking place and the people here are very poor.
The Call for Peaceful Resolution of Conflicts and the Effects of War on Soldiers
Conflicts and misunderstandings between people of different races, geographical regions and social classes are bound to happen from time to time. But, declaring War is not the way to go if we want to solve the problems. Women are portrayed as great communicators in the story. Mai and Persephone try their best to talk their husbands out of their desire to go to war as it only lead escalates the problems, and many more people will feel the need to fight their opponents. Soldiers going to War come back with post-traumatic stress disorder making it hard for them to have a normal productive life. For example, at the end of the story, Jesse feels very isolated despite the fact that he has friends, a girlfriend and a good job. This isolation makes him commit suicide as he feels it is not fair for the people that are always there for him. He takes away his life in an attempt to take away all the pain and the nasty memories from the Vietnam War.
Works cited
Vea, A. Gods go begging, Dutton, 1999
Haward, Allen. “Gods go begging review” Http://m.azdailysun.com/review-gods-go-begging/article_ff2b2bf0-1a16-50a4-8882-82ce47478436.html accessed 9 June 2017.
