Characterization

The characters in the novel are really interesting. Most of them are flat and static characters, but on some occasions, like Rat Kiley, some are dynamic characters. Mostly, the author describes the characters by indirect characterization. For example, O'Brien does not come out and directly tell the audience that Azar is someone who is sneaky and loves the war. Azar says the words himself, "The Vietnam experience. I mean, wow, I love this shit" (202). The readers are able to form their own opinions about characters by what they truly are.

The most complicated character in this novel is, obviously, Tim O'Brien. Since this book is about his experiences in the war, it is critical that he has more dimensions to his personality. In my opinion, the book would be very boring if was not a round character.

Tone

Although the tone is a major part of every story, I want to focus specifically on the tone of the chapter titled Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong. While reading this chapter, I was intriguing and very interested. I found the transformation of Mary Anne from a girl right out of high school to a woman of the forest fascinating. She was defiantly a dynamic character because when she first arrived at the base, she was a girl of innocence and sweet; but after a few weeks at the camp, she started to change dramatically. Mary Anne had almost no fear of anything. She wanted to learn about the war and how to survive in Vietnam. She learned to load, shoot, and clean a gun and was almost like one of the army guys. Mary Anne was not an innocent school girl anymore.

To portray this transformation, the tone of the chapter had to be happy and bubbly (like her personality pg 91) at the beginning when Mary Anne first arrived but with a slight dark feeling, a feeling like something is going to go wrong. Towards the middle, the tone shifts to one that signals independence and change. Mary Anne was becoming more self-reliant and less like the girl who first arrived at the base. Then finally, the tone shifts again to something more ominous and dark. Mary Anne leaves for a long time with the Greenies, and when she comes back, she is a completely different person. She became one with the land and the jungle. Her feelings changed from love of Fossie to love of the environment. I think I can say that Mary Anne went wild.