Innocence...Forever Lost

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Recommended: Innocence in american literature

A beautiful flower with delicate petals sits in a lush green jungle. As a violent storm with fierce winds surfaces on the horizon, the flower yields with each gust. Unable to withstand the torrential downpour and harsh winds, it loses its petals and snaps from the intense pressure. This exact thing happens to Mary Anne as “The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” unfolds. Even though people have the capacity to endure great tragedy, suffering and violence, the sheer brutality of war permanently strips the innocence from Mary Anne and the devastation becomes engrained to her soul. The Vietnamese culture and the graphic scenes enliven and empower Mary Anne and as “she enters the wild, uncivilized jungle and becomes irrevocably enthralled by the forbidding world so different from her own”. Just like a drug addict, she is hooked and changes the course of her life forever.

Innocence is such a precious gift. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines innocence as, “freedom from guilt or sin through being unacquainted with evil.” Innocence is most easily associated with youth, as there is little guilt or worries to be concerned with. Mary Anne arrives in Vietnam with a bubbly personality and a happy smile. Her character represents youth and innocence as Tim O’Brien describes her. She isn’t perfect, still rough around the edges, like a child always is. Like most teenagers with over active minds, they are anxious for knowledge. They long to be mature and experienced in the ways of the world. Mary Anne was true to form. She was not timid and immediately started asking questions. Within a few weeks she was learning Vietnamese, asking about trip flares, and getting her hands bloody helping with the incoming wounded. The more Mary becomes invo...

... middle of paper ...

...t can never be regained. Mary Anne once was this vibrant and bubbly young girl. She was the beautiful flower that accidentally landed in the jungle of Vietnam. She tried with every ounce of her spirit to tread the waters and wind of the storm but wasn’t strong enough. She lost her petals, her luster and eventually her stem cracked and broke. Another thing lost, another who fell victim to the strain and strife of a pointless war. The innocence of young person washed away forever as a casualty of war.

Works Cited

"innocence." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2011.Web. 20 Oct 2011.

Stan Tian. "The Emotional Effects of War on Soldiers." http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/11261/1/The-Emotional-Effects-of-War-on-Soldiers.html. 19 Oct 2011

"Thousand -yard stare." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 29 September 2011. Web. 23 Oct. 2011.

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