Going After Cacciato Analysis

War requires unity behind a cause and a war without a cause leads to chaos. In Going After Cacciato, Paul Berlin, a soldier is faced with the harsh reality of war in Vietnam and imagines his journey to Paris, a place that stands for peace and hope. The author, Tim O’Brien, depicts Paul Berlin’s ambivalent views—whether to stand by his obligation to serve his country, even when it leads to destruction or to follow his own values to gain a sense of his true intention of gaining a sense of tranquility in order to reveal that war divides our morals and no definitive purpose.
O’Brien describes Paul Berlin’s as an ideal soldier in an army, who fights during the war to maintain his loyalty to a cause. In the beginning, when the “awol” Cacciato leaves
the war to make his unrealistic journey to Paris, Berlin is the only one who persuades the squad to chase after Cacciato. Berlin and the squad go on many adventures and during those adventures all the members of the squad lose sight of their loyalty to the war. Berlin holds the group together and constantly reminds them even though the war brings upon destruction and nothing else. Berlin believes that serving in a war binds him to a sense of purpose that seems to be lacking. This represents his belief that he has gained throughout all his training in the war. O’Brien depicts Paul Berlin this way to show how the soldiers are machines that feel no emotion, no matter how the destructive the nature of war. Berlin’s imagination is a very important factor in the novel. The group reaches Paris and is free from the reigns of war but war can change a soldier in ways unimaginable and Berlin is the only one that feels his connection to return to the war. He once again reminds the group of their true loyalty and proves to them that duty comes over everything. Even in times when peace can be achieved, Berlin is deeply connected to the war that has taken over him and O'Brien presents this to prove that war provides those lacking a purpose with something to follow.
On the contrary, Tim O’Brien employs another aspect of Paul Berlin, a Berlin that follows his true intentions and wants to live a in place that represents peace and hope. Berlin and the group chase after Cacciato and while part of him felt a sense of duty, his true beliefs lie in gaining a normal life; A life that is rid from the horrifying effects of the war. While on their adventures chasing behind Cacciato, Berlin realizes that he cannot stand the effects of war anymore and creates a fictional reality where everything that he hoped to be is a reality and learns that protecting oneself and following your own ideals is more important than any purpose a war can provide. He always has an alternate version of seeing Cacciato making it to Paris and reminds and says that maybe he will make to prove to himself that even in the darkest of places, hope can be seen and that peace is better that fighting a war that leads only to destruction. During one of his imaginary adventures, Berlin and the group are put in a jail and all hope seems lost, suddenly Cacciato emerges in front of the moon representing hope and a possibility of achieving anything. O’Brien describes this nature to show that people look to achieve a sense of tranquility. It is human desire to put our wants over our duties to portray that whatever is in our best interest has priority over everything, even if it means giving up your duties.
Through his contrasting views in believing his intention of gaining peace against his loyalty to the people in the war to clearly show the indecisive nature of war to more importantly offer that war is fight between two causes and leads to destruction, chaos and clouds our beliefs that we cannot distinguish between our rights and wrongs. War is meant to destroy what needs to be changed to begin something new but is it acceptable to pay such a huge price for a little change.