An Analysis Of Bao Ninh's The Sorrow Of War

In the novel, The Sorrow of War, author Bao Ninh looks at the events of the Vietnam War through the documentation of the protagonist, Kien. As the narrative continues, story after story unfolds as new ideas begin to emerge from the text, and early on the question is asked, why write? For Kien, it was writing that kept his mind and his body at ease. It was indeed a way to cope with the more haunting events stuck in his memories, but more than anything else, the writing became stories that touched upon both love and sorrow alike. For that reason, The Sorrow of War brings a new meaning to war: that of normality where past and present often seem to overlap. This meaning and with it the novel itself is built upon the individual stories of several characters including Hoa, Lan, and Can, developing the major themes of sacrifice,

The emotional impact of war had overpowered his will to live, causing him to choose the path of desertion, and later becoming an empty corpse at the base of a nearby mountain. Before leaving, Can explained, “I’m not afraid of dying, but this killing and shooting just goes on forever. I’m dying inside, bit by bit” (20). Similarly to Kien, the war had slowly numbed him and taken away his identity and his conduct. The only difference is that Kien had come to terms with his fate, whereas Can could never accept who he had become. The war had also desensitized Can to the sickness of war, himself saying “remember the pile of corpses in the men’s quarters? We were up to our ankles in blood, splashing through blood. I used to do anything to avoid stabbing with bayonets or bashing skulls in with my rifle, but now I’ve gotten used to it” (20). The perspective of Can shows the cruelty of war, where the emotional response to the gruesome environment is nothing more than recognition. All humanity is lost when the line between acceptable and inacceptable is no longer