In the chapter “The Ghost Soldiers”, O’Brien is, in a sense, the protagonist of the story. He is the protagonist because he stands up for himself and isn’t stunned. A protagonist is the person that acts in the story and directs the story to keep going. In this chapter, O’Brien is that person. O’Brien wanted vengeance, and he got it. He made it happen himself. That sounds like an antagonist, but in his case it wasn’t. What he wanted was clearer than any other time in the book and it made him more rounded to do something, rather than just sit back and watch Jorgenson. Before all of this, the reader is kind of taught to think of O’Brien as weak-minded. An example of this was in the chapter “On the Rainy River” when he couldn’t decide if he should go to the war or bail. O’Brien was motivated in this chapter, and he was a protagonist because he did something about it.
But this chapter also shows the other side that comrades are capable of having. Jorgenson failed in doing his duty in the group, so his and O’Brien’s unspoken social contract was broken.
“Night Life” was a very interesting chapter for me. What happened to Rat Kiley was spooky and creepy, yet O’Brien wrote it without any emotion. He left us to determine how he felt about what happened to his friend, Rat Kiley. That struck as odd to me because throughout the whole rest of the book, we always got O’Brien’s side of the story, including his opinions. But the story was told in a flat, matter-of-fact tone and it left me questioning how he felt about his friend and trusted medic going crazy.
The story of what happened to Rat Kiley taught me something about his character. He did what all the men wished they could do, but none dared to try. He did what the other soldiers considered to be cowardly, but yet they were too cowardly to do it themselves. What Rat Kiley did put him in literary limbo. He was neither a hero nor an anti-hero. He failed to stay in the war, but he was enough of a man to even go to war.
I really liked this book and what all it made me think about, and I think Tim O’Brien is a great author! 🙂
CHAPTERS 20-22 VOCAB:
- Gangrene- Necrosis or death of soft tissue due to obstructed circulation, usually followed by decomposition and putrefaction.
- Gyroscope- An apparatus consisting of a rotating wheel so mounted that its axis can turn freely in certain or all directions.
- Sappers- A soldier employed in the construction of fortifications, trenches, or tunnels that approach or undermine enemy positions.
- Protoplasm- The colloidal and liquid substance of which cells are formed; the cytoplasm and nucleus. (Not a term used anymore)
- Juniper- Any evergreen, coniferous shrub having cones that resemble black berries used in flavoring gin and in medicine as a diuretic.
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