Song of the Tra Bong

Battling Warfare There always exists a time when war is present in our lives and one must act with honor to do what is needed to survive and live together as a nation. The human instinct to survive and build confidence is instilled in individuals within the daunting atmosphere of combat; where inherently good people are asked to kill other entities. However, the effects that come with the act of war are inevitable and one must struggle with the predicament of keeping one’s sanity intact. Humans are inherently good until thrown to the darkness and dysfunctional effects of war. Similarly, In Tim O’Brien’s “Song of the Tra Bong”, a story about how a young man from the Vietnam War pays to have his significant other sent to his station unfolds as a dramatic turn for the worse. The young man, Mark Fossie, deals with the pain of seeing his significant other, Mary Anne, animate a drastic transformation to the ultimate obscurity and frightening notion of war. At first glance, one may have the impression that O’Brien’s short story might shroud the idea of love and relationships, but underneath the surface, Tim O’Brien paints a grim picture of the effects of war on human nature and how it can distance humans from moral and emotional anchors, both physically and psychologically, and perhaps result in the loss of innocence. As O’Brien’s image comes to life, Mary Anne faces two large alterations associated with the war: the physical and the psychological. Physically, Mary Anne is the symbol of the Vietnam War and everything that it represents. As she came into contact with the war, she could not help but get engaged by it and engulfed with the idea of protecting herself as well as engaging in combat. She shies away from the innocent, bubbly, and outgoing self to a more confident, darker, and vicious character. It is evidenced by Riley’s, the narrator, statement, “In times of actions her face took on a sudden new composure, almost serene, the fuzzy blue eyes