Sweetheart Of The Song Tra Bong Character Analysis

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Tim O’Brian’s powerful chapter “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” in his novel The Things They Carry explores the possibility of change, through the innocent character Mary Anne Bell, which intertwines in the movie Platoon which shows the main character Chris Taylor redefining himself with his new characteristics that he finds from within. Both characters seem fresh faced, innocent and naive upon arrival, though while one is eager for more, the other is overwhelmed to the point of mental instability, physical breakdown and is fearful of what is coming next. Chris finds himself at a tarmac in Vietnam in the opening scene, as they're dropping all the live fresh boots off, they're loading on just as many body bags of young men to send home. Horror …show more content…

entirely at home; the hostile atmosphere did not seem to register” something seemed to spark in Mary which required more burning material to flourish in this atmosphere, so she searched, she searched frantically and desperately like an addict looking for their next high, a toddler for her mother. Chris was slowly broken down, in order to be rebuilt in the eye of his superiors, to be fearless in the eye of the enemy, Chris was fearless of the enemy, but he has never been more scared of himself. Chris was put to a test, to kill or be killed when his staff SGT attempted to kill him, he could choose to kill or die, there was no option for him as there was for Mary. The killing of Chris Taylor’s Staff SGT had been a transformative moment, his metamorphosis to becoming himself, a true follower of the dark ways, much like Kylo Ren’s assasination of his father to prove his worthiness to the cause. Proving if there was not already even a thought, or a slight perceivable part of you, there is no possibility of that change

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