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Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong and Mary Anne's Transformation - Papers Online

Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong and Mary Anne's Transformation

Tim O'Brien uses the story "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" to illustrate the horror of war. Through the dynamic character of Mary Anne, O'Brien shows us how war can radically change a person forever. By focusing on a female character, O'Brien successfully demonstrates that no one is immune to the gruesome side effects of war.
Mary Anne's character development is striking, which is what makes the story so powerful. Seemingly, right before the soldiers eyes, Mary Anne transforms. For example, when she arrives in Chu Lai, she looks very much like an all-American girl wearing "culottes and this sexy pink sweater" (102). In a very shocking and quick manner, Mary Anne adapts to ...

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her as she goes on excursions through the "ville" and also learns how to fire an M-16 (109). Mary Anne also falls "into the habits of the bush" (110). When she begins to disappear with the Greenies and takes part in night ambushes, she becomes fused into "a small, soft shadow" (115). We are told through the character of Rat that "when she came in through the wire that night, I was right there, I saw those eyes of hers, I saw how she wasn't even the same person no more" (116-17). Here we see how the grip of war can reach anyone, no matter if they are male or female. The feminine character is the perfect contrast to O'Brien's hideous war.
Mary Anne's transformation seems to be the result of her fascination with "the mountains, the mean little villages, the trails and trees and rivers and deep misted-over valleys" (121). In addition, she says:

Sometimes I want to eat this place. Vietnam. I want to swallow the whole country--the dirt, the death--I just want to eat it and ...

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Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong and Mary Anne's Transformation. (2015, December 10). Retrieved January 22, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Sweetheart-Song-Tra-Bong-Mary-Annes/105263

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"Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong and Mary Anne's Transformation." Essayworld.com. December 10, 2015. Accessed January 22, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Sweetheart-Song-Tra-Bong-Mary-Annes/105263.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 12/10/2015 04:24:07 AM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 754
Pages: 3

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