Miriam Rock

Masters Portfolio
Appendix C, Artifacts 20-22

Artifact C20, Nicoles Body Paragraph, OBrien Paper

During the war, men were obsessed with womens external characteristics opposed to
what they were capable of doing. The amount of attention they gave women is astonishing.
Mary Anne Bell was an attractive girl. Too wide in the shoulders,
maybe, but she had terrific legs, a bubbly personality, a happy
smile. The men genuinely liked her. Out on the volleyball court
she wore cut-off blue jeans and a black swimsuit top, which the
guys appreciated. . (pg.90).
The passage shows how men analyze women and describe them in detail, helping to portray
the idea of their obsession over womens external characteristics. Mary Anne Belle was pretty.
They werent too fond of her shoulders but they adored her legs and her personality. She also
had a delightful smile as a plus which made men like her. And they also loved when she wore
blue cut-off jeans and a swim top to the volleyball court. As you can see, these all express the
love men had for her external characteristics. The men speak more about her physical features
rather than whats on the inside. This helps show how men view women in society and how
the insignificant physical features of women can easily distract men. Also, the text portrays
how judgemental men were towards women. For instance, when Rat describes Mary Anne Bell
he states that she is Too wide in the shoulders, maybe, but she had terrific legs, insinuating
that she doesnt fully meet his standards. Men in this novel act as if women are barbie dolls
and are supposed to be perfect.
Artifact C21: Anastasias Body Paragraph, OBrien Paper
In the novel, ridicule, in the form of offensive epithets brought to Vietnam from
America, is used by men to make themselves feel better about fearing for their lives. This is
proven in one instance when Tim recalls how his crew felt about soldiers who purposefully
disabled themselves so that they could get R&R.
They spoke bitterly about guys who had found release by
shooting off their own toes or fingers. Pussies, theyd say.
Candy-asses. It was fierce, mocking talk, with only a trace of envy
or awe, but even so the image played itself out behind their eyes
(p.21).
Tim talks about what the crew says and thinks about soldiers who depended on R&R. Words
like pussy or candy-asses, for example, serve as labels for soldiers who are more
susceptible to fear and with both of these words equating being fearful with being feminine, it
makes being seen as weak or feminine seem even more detrimental while fighting a war in
Vietnam than on American soil. Tim however, wastes no time in mentioning that the soldiers
secretly envy those who are brave enough to be cowardly and looked down upon for disabling
themselves. After seeing their fellow soldiers in their weakest emotional state, the rest of the
platoon has made a habit of making fun of the soldiers in question to hide their own desires to
give up on fighting the war.

Artifact C22: Nems Body Paragraph, OBrien Paper

In war, it is not the romantic relationships back at home that give them the strength to
keep going; the one-sided feelings Lieutenant Cross harbored for Martha exemplifies just how
little romantic bonds hold water in the brutal context of war. Even in the beginning of the
novel, Crosss passionate emotions for her was clearly established. Despite having such a huge
responsibility on his shoulders he often lost himself in frivolities, thinking of her letters as if
without a care in the world. However, the death of one of his men changes this. All of his
previous feelings for her hardens into hate as he pushes the blame on both her and himself;
He hated her. Yes he did. He hated her. Love, too, but it was a hard, hating kind of love. (pg.
23) The etymology of the word hate is traced back to the Greek word kedos, which can
mean both to break and to care for others; by choosing to repeatedly use this particular
word in this quotation, OBrien shows us the true nature of Crosss feelings for Martha: a
simple love easily broken. Cross burned his photos of her, quickly moving on from his
obsession, yet he would never really move on from the death of Lavender. The romantic,
passionate feelings that Cross had harbored for Martha was quickly stamped out by the
stronger bond that he shared with a fellow soldier. All of this goes to show that Crosss
relationship with Martha was nothing more than a passing obsession, less of a bond than that
with Lavender and his other men. It was not relationships forged by romantic passion, but
rather relationships forged in the bloody battlefield, that held together.