The Sorrow Of War Analysis

It is present that many people who have partaken in war have experiences some form of trauma within war. This idea is presented by the novelist Bao Ninh in his book The Sorrow of War. Ninh’s novel follows the life of the main character Kien, as he experiences battling for the North Vietnamese army in the Vietnam War. Kien experiences many instances of trauma and brutality found within war. In his novel, The Sorrow of War, Bao Ninh uses Kien’s wartime experiences-like: battling during the Tet Offensive, witnessing the rape of his love, and lastly the brutal attacking of Kiens eventual partner Hoa-to show how Kien experiences the trauma and brutality of war.
Kien witnesses the death of his friend Tac just beside him, exposing Kien to the trauma
This scene describes Kien recalling a traumatizing memory from the war. It brings Kien, back memories of “violent and dreadful years and months” (120) of fighting. Kien recalls a moment when “himself and Elephant Tac” were “both kneeling at a huge captured M60 machine gun and firing it nonstop at a stream of enemy stragglers… they were running for their lives…” (120). This shows the brutality of war because Kien and Elephant Tac are continuously firing an extremely deadly weapon at these men who are running away. This shows that Kien and Elephant Tac are becoming desensitised to death and killing, as they are unleashing
Kien and Hoa are leading a group of wounded during the retreat of the Tet Offensive when “an American patrol had emerged a few paces from them” (189). Hoa heroically slips away from the group and sacrifices herself to provide a distraction for the wounded soldiers. Hoa ran away but “the soldiers were athletes and they caught up to her after only thirty meters and held her, cheering as they did… it appeared they would end their patrol with the rape” (191). Kien witnesses the sacrifice from Hoa to save fifteen wounded and sick. Kien knew she did that so they would escape, but Kien said it was “tragic’ and “heartrending” (183). The rape of Hoa is a great example of the brutality put forth by war time. To the Americans she was easy game, and treated like an animal. As Kien is watching the saddening events unfold he begins to contemplate throwing in his grenade to try and save Hoa or at least kill the Americans raping her, but instead he reasons “She gave herself to save me too. With that thought he eased the grenade lever back to its safe position” (191). Kien wants to save her but he recognizes that he will just be ensuring the doom of him and the wounded he is leading if he attacks. Kien is in contact with another instance of brutality found in wartime, and experiences the tragic incident of Hoa’s death as a result of