Readers Notebook

Literary Elements

Theme:

- Page1: As Lieutenant Cross moves through rigorous daily motions of combat duty, his mind dwells on Martha.

- The author introduces the primary themes of memory of imagination and the mental escape from the war that these powers can offer.

- Quotations: page 23- After Lavender dies- "And even now, without the photographs, Cross could see Martha playing volleyball..."

Tone:

- Page 32: O'Brien's tone shifts to a more cynical evaluation of war.

- Quotation: "There was something restful about it, something reasonable and reassuring about it. There were red checkers and black checkers..."

- The author argues that the war is unlike Dobbins and Bowker's well-ordered, rational games of checkers. The war has neither rules nor winners, and men witness horrific acts juxtaposed with random acts of kindness.

Simile:

- Quotation: page 44- "I sometimes felt the fear spreading inside me like weeds."

- Although O'Brien has many reasons of not going to war like being opposed to it or being too smart to be sent, his biggest reason is the fear of dying. This fear inside him is growing at a rapid pace.

"Enjoyable" Passages

Chapter 1, page 21: They carried the soldier's greatest fear, which is the fear of blushing..."

I found this passage interesting because this is where the author goes against the idea of men going to war to be heroes. According to O'Brien, they go because they are forced to and refusal will lead to being a coward. This fear of cowardice is something all the soldiers have in common. I think this will foreshadow later ideas of courage and cowardice.

Chapter 3, page 34: My daughter Kathleen tells me it's an obsession..."

I enjoyed this passage because this is when Kathleen changes her father's perceptions on age-appropriate themes in storytelling. I think because of her relation to her father, it could affect the way he tells the events that actually occurred. Unfortunately, Kathleen doesn't understand the importance of her father's experiences or the lifelong psychological impacts the war had on him.

Chapter 4, page 57: And right then I submitted..."

I liked this passage because it's when Tim lets out all the emotion built up inside of him and begins to cry. He also goes from naïve and impressionable to a more mature person who isn't afraid to face his fears anymore. This passage can connect to any reader who's gone through tough times and just wants to let all their emotions go out. I remember when my grandpa died and I cried for days. After that experience, I felt like I was a different person, someone more mature and responsible.

Questions

1. Why doesn't the author share Cross's secret? Is it his resentment towards Lavender's death?

2. Discuss the purpose of the story of Cross and Martha in "Love" (Chapter 2).

3. What made Azar kill Lavender's adopted puppy?

4. How come Elroy doesn't say goodbye to O'Brien and just leaves the next morning?

Analysis

The author lists the objects the soldiers carried to represent the emotional burdens the soldiers bear. One is the necessity for the soldiers to face the tension between fantasy and reality. These emotional burdens are intensified by their young age and experience; they no perspective on how to rationalize killing someone or witnessing their comrade's death. One major effect the war