Friday, January 27, 2012
Sweetheart
Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong. Where do you begin with a chapter with so much in it. The chapter was a total surprise to me. While reading it I thought I had it figured out right at the beginning. I thought Mary Anne was going to get too comfortable and get herself or someone else killed. It was like getting hit with a sledge hammer when she went totally over the edge and started singing and wearing the ears as a necklace. This chapter shows that war and even life itself can drastically change a person. Mary Anne is my favorite character in this chapter and like Mary Anne with her war, I lost my innocence when I went to work at a prison. I can see myself in her where O'Brien wrote ("Listen, the guy sends her the money. Flies her over. This cute blonde-just a kid,just barely out of high school-she shows up with a suitcase and one of those plastic cosmetic bags, Comes right out of the boonies. I swear to God, man, shes's got on culottes and this sexy pink sweater. there she is.") (O'Brien 90) I can see myself in the same position, wearing a new and pressed uniform, carrying my lunchbox, and wearing my shinny boots. After a time Mary Anne looses her innocence and is found with a necklace of ears. I lost my innocence in that prison and like Mary I sometimes wear my 15 years experience as a grotesque badge of honor.
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Out of the entire book, this is the one chapter that stuck with me since high school. It is so powerful and creepy that it is almost overwhelming. It gets the message across that anyone could be "taken" by the war.
ReplyDeleteWow this post has some meaning to it. It is nice when you can relate to what you are reading and be able to put yourself right in the story. I think this is true for a lot of people and I believe that putting yourself in the story really can make the story a lot more meaningful to you and more enjoyable.
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