Analysis Of Bao Ninh's The Sorrow Of War

When one ponders vital characteristics, one of the initial traits that comes to mind is bravery. Raised in a culture swarming with images of brave acts, children hastily develop a desire to express bravery themselves. They yearn to show courage in the face of danger; to stand up for their beliefs. It is due to this culture that war is consistently glorified; fighting for peace appears to be the most honorable thing for a man to do. As a result, war may often have a robust backing as a powerful tool for change. The Vietnam War, perhaps the most controversial war in history, according to Bao Ninh’s The Sorrow of War, however, was not meritorious, rather it was a grievous calamity. The war had a malign effect on a plethora of aspects

None demonstrates the impact the war had upon women better than Phuong. The once innocent Phuong was brutally taken during the war; and it stimulated a deep psychological shift in her as well as the physical and emotional harm caused by the rape. She went from sweet to shrewd; no longer caring about modesty or morality. Rape was a common occurrence throughout the war. Can tells Kien “In all my time as a solider I’ve yet to see anything honorable.” (22) Later in the novel, on V-Day, lies another example of the humiliation women had dealt with during the war. Kien, having a nightmare about the naked corpse of the girl, thought “This was a human being who had been killed and humiliated, someone even he had looked down upon.” (108) This passage helps to clarify the horrendous treatment of women in Vietnam. They consistently had to worry about facing ignominy. Kien poignantly thought “Those who had died and those who lived shared a common fate in this war.” (108) He implies that, like the dead, women suffered a spiritual loss at the hand of the war; that they lost their

Tran Son declares “What? Peace? Damn it, peace is a tree that thrives only on the blood and bones of fallen comrades. The ones left behind in the screaming souls battleground were the most honorable people, without them there would be no peace.” (42) Son claims that there could be no peace had there not been war, yet in the process Vietnam lost their best men. Peace was intended to grant people decent lives; however, the cost of securing peace was too vast. Not only were loved ones lost or marred, but schools were destroyed, and the environment ravished, making post war recovery even more cumbersome. For a myriad of Veterans the very peace they had fought so hard for could not be obtained, as they were continuously haunted by the war. Kien asserts “There are…so many survivors now trying to live decent lives. Otherwise it’s not been worth it. I mean, what’s peace for? Or what’s fighting for?” (42) Kien proclaims that peace is worthless if society cannot even obtain a modest life having finally procured it. He implies that the Vietnam War was a waste; that the peace brought to Vietnam was not worth the lives lost, was not worth the sorrow of