In the article in question, the author presents several soldier characters to portray the situation in which they usually experience or find themselves when out of the country for war. Notably, O'Brien, the author offers a description of the several things that are carried by these men as they head to or as they are in the process of war. Furthermore, O’Brien employs the skills of introducing certain characters in his articles which later or immediately after being introduced succumb to death mostly as a result of the war. Therefore, he uses emotional scenes to pass the messages of the manner in which the soldiers sacrifice while in the field as well as the transformations that may come as a result of the war. This essay explains the portrayal of emotions, transformation as well as sacrifice as employed by the author through the various characters in his work.
The novel in question revolves around various emotions that are strongly felt by the different characters throughout the war. The comparison of the war to hell by the author depicts the intensity and recurrence of the painful emotions therein. In as much as he does not have any belief in battle and sees no sense in being part of the war, O’Brien does the very antithesis. O’Brien’s resolution to go to war results from the thought of having to undergo the feeling of shame because of being viewed as a coward. Notably, O’Brien goes through an immense emotional period at the boat while with Berdahl, which influences his decision of going to war. The author again introduces the readers to another emotional scenario where O’Brien is shot twice, and the doctor in charge fails to perfume his duty effectively making the former escape death narrowly. Throughout the story, the author exposes the reader to an emotional journey by narrating the painful experiences of the soldiers while at war and how the survivors escape death greasily while the unlucky meet their painful deaths. Besides, the emotional burden in these men at war is also represented by the physical things that they carry along. Further, the war prompts the soldiers like Cross to lose the team members that hurt them and compels them to sacrifice other things that occupy their mind to avoid any mistakes and deaths of the platoon. Cross later leaves with the emotional feeling of guilt because he feels the death of Lavender resulted from his inability to save him.
Through the experiences of Cross, the author of the novel exhibits the manner in which various soldiers sacrificed whatever things they loved the most to go and protect their country. Cross is in love with Martha who is compared to his church; however, when he is drafted for the war, he leaves Martha behind, and he can no longer physically express his love for her in as much as she was never interested in Cross. The former is only left with fantasies while at the, and he uses Martha as his distraction of getting away from the scaring reality of the ongoing war. The character at some points goes ahead to burn the most valuable things left of him that were Martha's letters as well as the two photographs that he had with him. Cross decides to take the safety of his platoon as his responsibility and suffers on their behalf during atrocities. For instance, he bears the grief associated with the death of Lavender at the expense of other members like Kiowa who are unable to mourn.
Markedly, throughout the novel, various characters are presented as they progress in their journey of transformation from a person which certain traits to a person with different characteristics. For instance, Cross goes to war when he is obsessed with the love to Martha, but as Lavender dies, he decides to put the girl behind him and transforms to the most responsible soldiers taking responsibility for the platoon. Furthermore, O'Brien confesses to having transformed into a mean individual inside as after the seven months at war as opposed to the thoughtful and quiet person that he was when he first arrived at the battlefield. He also notes that the transformation is brought about by the daily experiences as well as realities that they went through as soldiers away from home. Besides, Marry Anne who was the sweet Fossie’s girlfriend is transformed into a killer who dares to join other bGreen Berets into the jungles to face the opponent.
In conclusion, the author depicts the three effects as mentioned above that are brought about by the war through the use of experiences as well as the changes that the characters at war undergo. For instance, the transformation is seen in Marry Anne from a mere girlfriend to a courageous soldier, Cross who burns his obsession to take care of the platoon as well as O’Brien who becomes mean. Emotions are portrayed in the death of Lavender which pained the platoon and led to adjustments, while the best example for sacrifice is seen in the manner in which Cross burns both the letters as well as the pictures sent by Martha.
