This Way For The Gas Ladies And Gentlemen Analysis

6 November 2013

The two stories that I am comparing and contrasting are “How to Tell a True War Story” by Tim O’Brien. Also, “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” by Borowski, Both stories contains vivid imagery of happenings during the German and Vietnam War. Also the two stories both share a similar theme which is war, yet there faced with two different obstacles during the war. The United States and Poland both suffered hardships watching their countries being torn apart and innocent lives taken. For a reason that no one has the answer too, but will always remember those moments. I picked these novels because just by reading the title I know that each novel is about a War that had a dramatic impact on the world. So the two
novels have a lot in common, but are also different. “How to Tell a True War Story” and “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” obviously have one thing in common which is War. In “How to Tell a True War Story” a group of men are drafted because of their military knowledge or experience. And teamed up to go off to Vietnam to fight and eliminate the military. In this story “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” are two men that were gathered by the German Gestapo and put into Concentration Camps. Both novels have a lot of imagery such as in Borowski’s novel the narrator states “The bloodiest battle of the war, the greatest victory of the strong united Germany” (473). He was describing the war as he saw it the many transports that arrived to unload millions of people to their death. This is only one of the major points of the novel. In Tim O’Brien’s novel the imagery of describing the war is similar. The narrator describes it for example: “War is Hell” and he uses a young man named Curt Lemon that stepped on a booby trap. While, playing a game that involved smoke grenades an innocent game turned into a tragedy. He uses this phrase to explain his strong notion about his opinions on War experience. The soldiers and the Frenchmen in each novel both have the same agenda, try to survive the war. The difference is that the soldiers were drafted and had no choice, but to fight to protect America. The Frenchmen were captured and force to live in camps and work for the German’s. Although since each character or characters were forcefully made to do task against their will. If not they would have to suffer the consequences as in getting killed or thrown in prison. Each novel is based on directly the main characters and how they feel about the environment their exposed to. Of course War novels are not always going to be pleasant especially the way the novels are detailed and have gore imagery.
For example, in the novel “This way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” the narrator explains what he saw, In the corners amid human excrement and abandoned wrist – watches lie squashed, trampled infants, naked little monsters with enormous heads and bloated bellies”(473).
He constantly examples the horrors of the German War, but it doesn’t stop there. In the novel “How to Tell a True War story” the narrator also explains what he saw during his trip. After the narrators description of the situation “War is Hell” based on what happened to Curt Lemon. After he stepped on a booby trap and it blew him into a tree “The parts were just hanging there, so Dave Jensen and I were ordered to shinny up and peel him off” (527). He also remembers “the white bone of an arm” also “pieces of skin and something wet and yellow that must’ve been the intestines” (O’Brien 527). The novels have a generous amount of gore in the description of what happened around both main characters. While the Frenchman worked for the enemy against captive slaves of the German empire. Not caring what happened to the poor innocent people that were confused and horrified. They were just out to fend for their selves not considering what was the right thing to do. The soldiers were just having a good time and it ended in disaster. It caused one soldier to go over the edge the soldiers name was Rat Kiley. Curt Lemon was this best friend he took his frustration out on a poor helpless baby water buffalo. He inflicted
pain with a handgun just shooting it, but making sure to keep it alive. It tortured he water buffalo until he was satisfied that was a very disturbing part of the novel. The narrator’s describe the scenes of the stories in great detail causing the gore to be extreme.
In the novels there is a common theme it evolves around the narrators of the stories.
The theme is death O’Brien’s novel “How to Tell a True War Story” all of the men witness it and fear it. They started off with a lot of men, but dwindled down to several people including the narrator. Comrades they have shared stories with and watched each other’s back. Even become brothers they could confidant in, but this is War. The novel “This way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” the narrator and the Frenchmen Henri were acquaintances. When they work for the German soldiers they constantly lead people to their deaths. Or carry out people that perished during the struggle. Old women or men and children didn’t have a chance during the separation because they were no use to the soldiers. Basically, if the people weren’t young or fit enough to work until the day that the soldiers eliminated them; you went to the trucks or to the crematorium. The novels are about war so of course death is going to follow; the holocaust was the most devastating time in history. For Poland even though it wasn’t in the United States it still impacted us dramatically. And the Vietnam War that still has people wondering what the whole purpose was. Throughout the course of the story “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” the narrator mention a S.S officer he saw that was taking tally in a notebook. He said, “For each departing truck he enters a mark; sixteen gone means one thousand people, more or less”
(473). He also mentioned that the transports go on for years and when the war comes to an end millions of people would have been murdered. The image of a Red Cross van mentioned in the novel is very ironic, because when people see the Red Cross symbol that means medical help. In this case for the Polish people that symbol means blood or even death because it’s carrying the gas that will kill them eventually one day. The Frenchmen had a couple of jobs to do that was to clean the cattle cars that transport the people to the Concentration Camps, Gas chambers or the crematorium. Also they were to do exactly what the officers said even carry dead infants to the women as a sickening joke. All to get extra items from the recent owners and more food the narrator questioned himself about was he a good person; after the infant exchange. The narrator in “How to Tell a True War Story” explained, how the war is he said “War is hell, but that’s not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love” (525). “War is nasty; war is fun” (525). “War is thrilling; war is drudgery” (525). War makes you a man; war makes you dead” (525). He discusses the war in many different ways war is not always bad and seen in a bad way. It is different from the novel “This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” because there making the war out to be something other than just death and destruction. There are two countries that were involved that have the same intentions the United States was fighting Vietnam and Germany was taking over Poland. Both countries were trying to defend their homes the United States sent soldiers to clean up Vietnam. And Poland just one day got invaded by Germany without warning so, it was easy to take over the massive country by surprise.
O’Brien and Borowski’s novels are about similar and different war experiences. Although there different narrators with different views of the war they both captured a lot of vivid images in there novels. Also the themes were about death to innocent people just getting caught in the middle of a bigger situation. The Holocaust and the Vietnam wars will always be remembered throughout history.

Analogy work cited

O’Brien, Tim. “How to Tell a True War Story.” The Ideas That Matter: The Norton Mix for English 111. Ed. Katie Hannah. New York: William and Mark Norton, 2012. Print.

Borowski, Tadeusz. “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen.” The ideas That Matter: The Norton Mix for English 111. Ed. Katie Hannah. New York: William and Mark Norton, 2012. Print.