This particular chapter of the book The Things They Carried stood out to me. I don't know whether it was the necklace of tongues, Mary Anne out on an ambush, or the decaying black leopard. When I first read that Mark Fossie's girlfriend was coming to Vietnam, I was taken aback. Didn't she know about the dangers of the war, even in the camps? I couldn't imagine risking your life to see a loved one, I think I could've waited until they came back from the war.
I give her props for adapting to the regime and way of living at the camp, however. This may have triggered her psycho episode; she had to learn how live without amenities: showers, good food, and nice clothes. Mary Anne might of been playing along though, becoming curious about the guns and everything just so she could learn how to shoot them. She could've been planning all along to go on a mission, and just tricked the men into helping her get that goal.
But then she went psycho. Really psycho. I can't understand how the land of Vietnam changed her THAT much. I really doubt that when she came to visit Mark Fossie she would've worn necklaces of tongues or gone out on ambushes. That is what really amazes me about this chapter. Even though Tim O'Brien claims that this is the one story that is closest to the truth, I can't believe that the war and Vietnam would change this girl so much that she doens't even resemble a human being.
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I gotta agree with you. I'm not sure what's truth and what's fiction anymore. It's hard to believe that the army would just let a random woman come to Vietnam. The necklace of tongues was grotesque and leaves me questioning his validity; then again, some people came back pretty messed up so who knows.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and Joe- this book confuses me because I want to know what's true and what isn't! I can't believe Mary Anne! That girl's crazy! There is no way (not even with great sums of money) that I'd be persuaded into going to a war zone.
ReplyDeleteMe three! This chapter was really surprising. I did not expect her to go all psycho! I too, don't really understand how it happened. How does someone change that fast? What made her do it? I find myself wondering if she was alread starting to "go" before she even came to Vietnam.
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