Reading well into the second half of the novel, Swofford finally gets into speaking about his experience in combat. Digging holes, sleepless nights, and old love stories of whoever and wherever, pretty much sums up his "combat experience" at war. Being bored all hours of the night, the men ritually would talk about past experiences before they joined the Marine Corps, primarily of past relationships. During the day, they would prepare for possibilities, spending hours digging protective man holes. Meanwhile we see a slightly different, more sensitive side of Swofford. Each day theres more questioning why he joined the Marines, complaining about his decision. Jumping in and out of time periods more and more, you can sense that he has many meaningful memories flowing through his jar-head. One having to do with his father, and how he didn't want his son to follow in his footsteps. One instance he speaks of, is when his father insisted on driving his to San Diego, moments before their good bye's. His father making a slight detour to where Tony was born, and that maybe he felt that it helped reflect upon his family, and "reacquaint" himself with his own lost youth, asking his son not to go off a get himself killed.
1 comment:
Think about his thoughts about not killing any soldiers--how does that work in his notion about the marines and his role in it?
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