the Song of Tra Bong as Metaphor The Vietnam War is a strange and unexplainable event in American history. The controversies surrounding the American involvement in Vietnam and the need for Vietnam veterans to tell their stories of the war are prevalent in the post-Vietnam culture of America. "The stories that will last forever are those that swirl back and forth across the border between trivia and bedlam, the mad and the mundane"(89). The story of the sweetheart of the Song of Tra Bong explains
In the short story, “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong,” by Tim O’Brien, the author shows that no matter what the circumstances were, the people that were exposed to the Vietnam War were affected greatly. A very young girl named Mary Anne Bell was brought by a boyfriend to the war in Vietnam. When she arrived she was a bubbly young girl, and after a few weeks, she was transformed into a hard, mean killer. Mark Fossie decided he was going to sneak his girlfriend onto his base in Vietnam. When she arrived
Desertion in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong The "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" is a story of many things when looked at from the right perspective. The validity of the story actually has nothing to do with its main purpose, which is to explain how Vietnam changed the American soldiers who were a part of the conflict. O'Brien's purpose is to inform his readers of the effect that Vietnam had on American GI's. Told by Rat Kiley, the "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" can be seen as a touching love
Transformation in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong In Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong, Tim O'Brien gives a dynamic example of how even the deep roots of ones culture can be modified. The focus is on the young lady, whose boyfriend manages to have her shipped over to Vietnam from the U.S. She is then thrown into a completely foreign culture that thousands of American GI's were experiencing. This change in culture affected the strongest and most skilled of America's ground troops. The affects on
Metamorphosis in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong The story of the "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" is no typical Vietnam war story. It is a story that involves no bloods, guts or glory. This story isn't so much about the physical damage caused by war as much as this story is about the emotional changes that effect not only the males. This is a story that with it's elaboration and ornamentation shows the destruction of innocence. This story is about an impossible that came true. The story
Gender Swaps in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong Innocense has a potential to change. While we are innocent in the life that we lead, a war can take it away in a flash of an eye. Mary Anne and Fossie both undergo stereotypical role changes after they enter the Vietnam War. These so called "gender swaps" had a major effect on the lives from that moment on. The story "Sweetheart" vividly displays how a war, such as the Vietnam War, can be a life changing event. A war can destruct purity. When
Gender, Power, and Isolation in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong The cultural studies approach to an open text allows the reader to focus on the culture of a specified society. He/she can study the use of social effects and construction of reality on the people or land. "According to the Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature "cultural studies involve scrutinizing a cultural phenomenon and drawing conclusions about the changes in that phenomenon over a period of time" (Geurin 240)." When
Exposing the Truth in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong "Dear Mom and Dad: The war that has taken my life, and many thousands of others before me, is immoral, unlawful, and an atrocity," (letter of anonymous soldier qtd. In Fussell 653). Tim O'Brien, a Vietnam war vet, had similar experiences as the soldier above. Even though O'Brien didn't die, the war still took away his life because a part of him will never be the same. Even in 1995, almost thirty years after the war, O'Brien wrote, "Last
Society's Beliefs Revealed in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong One steamy, humid afternoon in 1961 the first United States helicopter landed in Vietnam dispensing immature boys onto the soggy marshlands. Some would return to that same helicopter one day, whether it be wrapped in a poncho about to be taken to the morgue, lying strapped to a stretcher about to report to the hospital, or standing tall holding their heads high because they were about to return to their homelands. Tim O'Brien, one of
Comparing Mary Anne in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong and Kurtz in Apocalypse Now In 1979, Francis Coppola released a film that he said he hoped "would give its audience a sense of the horror, the madness, the sensuousness, and the moral dilemma of the Vietnam war" (as quoted in Hagen 230). His film, Apocalypse Now, based on Joseph Conrad's 1902 novel Heart of Darkness, is the story of Captain Benjamin Willard's (Martin Sheen) journey to the interior of the jungle of Southeastern Asia for the
“And then one morning, all alone, Mary Anne walked off into the mountains and did not come back” (110). Tim O’Brien’s short story “The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” presents an all-American girl who has been held back by social and behavioral norms – grasping for an identity she has been deprived the ability to develop. The water of the Song Tra Bong removes Mary Anne’s former notion of being as she, “stopped for a swim” (92). With her roles being erased Mary Anne becomes obsessed with the land and
One of the most talked about stories from the novel The Things They Carried is “Sweetheart of The Song Tra Bong”. The story is about a girl who comes into the war very sweet and innocent and as time progresses she loses her innocence. This is a feminist concept. What is feminism? According to Boundless, “The core of feminist sociology is the idea that, in most societies, women have been systematically oppressed and that men have been historically dominant” (Boundless Para. 1). In simplified terms
In the story “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” by Tim O’Brien, the story is taking place during the beginning of the Vietnam war in the Quảng Ngãi Province of Tra Bong in Vietnam. We are introduced to Mark Fossie,a member of the medical corps that are stationed in Cui Lai or also known as Danang. War time is hard on everyone, and it can have a hard impact on the soldiers that are stationed in the various places. This story explains the fact that war can be a terrible and feared place to be by showing
Surrealism in The Things They Carried In the novel, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, in two of his stories, “How to Tell True War Story” and “The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong,” O’Brien writes about surreal events that are unknown to the average citizens that have never experienced war. Soldiers are forced to go through events that people who have never experienced war could never imagine going through. Soldiers have to risk their lives every day that they're at war to protect U.S. citizens
the best way, but he certainly has a way that not only keeps the men of the Alpha Company intrigued but also the readers of his overly exaggerated story. With intense devotion and commitment to the tale, Rat Kiley gives us “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” through the genius writings of Tim O’Brien. With layer upon layer of uncertain emotion and continuing conflict, the story hooks the reader in with pure joy, sadness, anxiety and shock, never knowing which way the plot could twist next. O’Brien
The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong Analysis There are over thirty genres of books in the world. All of stories are told and written in many different forms from written to spoken, action to romance, or fiction to non-fiction. But, all stories have something in common--a theme that is intended to make a difference to the reader. No matter what the story is about, it is centered around a strong theme. The author of The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien., uses a separate theme in each of his vignettes
In “The Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong,” Rat Kiley recounts the time when Mark Fossie brought in his girlfriend, Mary Anne Bell, from Ohio to Nam. Mary Anne is a curious and very friendly seventeen-year- old girl who just graduated from high school. She constantly asks questions about the war. Tension grows between Mary Anne and Mark when Mary Anne starts to become more involved in the war. She helps with taking care of the injured soldiers and learns how to operate an M-16. Mark suggests that
inherently subjective, as individuals perceive morality through the kaleidoscope of their own viewpoint. The short stories The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, The Geranium by Patricia Grace, The Lamb To The Slaughter by Roald Dahl, and Sweetheart Of The Song Tra Bong by Tim O'Brien explore the subjective nature of morality. This is revealed through exploring how tradition can blind us from discerning morality, and how decisions or actions can warp a person’s perception of morality. The Lottery and The Geranium
In “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”, Maryanne is initially described as “A tall, big-boned blonde… seventeen years old, fresh out of Cleveland Heights Senior High. She had long white legs and blue eyes and a complexion like strawberry ice cream. Very friendly, too.” which symbolized
feminism implied within the text. In Tim O'Brien's, The Things They Carried, the story, "Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong," is a story about the changes in a female when she is exposed to war. But, more importantly it is a story that illustrates how women are more than sex objects. "Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong," proves that female and male stereotypes do not always apply. "Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong," is a story being told by Rat Kiley to Mitchell Sanders, two soldiers of the Vietnam War. Mark Fossie's