THEME

• Mary Anne is drastically changed by war.  What point is O’Brien making?: O'Brien wants to show how the power and brutality of war can affect even the most unwitting person, and how it can change people without them even realizing it.

  • This transformation is a symbol of the loss of innocence in extreme situations; despite not being a soldier in Vietnam and only a bystander, the author demonstrates that the cruelty seen in these situations affects even the non-fighter; it is far-reaching and has devastating consequences.

  • As a result of the hunger, violence, and destruction of war, Mary Anne loses her innocence and ceases to be the sweet little girl who arrived in pink clothes; war changes people even if they are not involved, as depicted by the quote "Other things, too. The way she quickly fell into the habits of the bush. No cosmetics, no fingernail filing. She stopped wearing jewelry, cut her hair short and wrapped it in a dark green bandanna. Hygiene became a matter of small consequence".

  • Finally, the author conveys the message that once innocence is lost, it cannot be recovered; in such calamitous circumstances, the individual loses his essence and transforms into an animal of instinct. This is demonstrated by the following quote: ""You don't believe it?" he'd say. "Fine with me. But you don't know human nature. You don't know Nam."" says Rat, one of the soldiers who lives in the camp. It is the result of a conversation about whether Mary Anne will learn quickly, and while it appears innocent, it foreshadows how the individual adapts to his instincts in order to survive, affecting even the most innocent child.

• Does it matter that Mary Anne is a woman? How would the story change if Mary Anne had been a boy? Would it have the same impact? Why?: In literature, innocence has been portrayed by a woman, specifically a girl. The fact that the author chose a 17-year-old girl to portray this story has a significant impact that a boy would not have had.

  • The female gender has been portrayed throughout history as delicate, sensitive, innocent, and naive; they are more vulnerable to emotional transformations due to the soft character that has been attributed to them. Because the author is a woman, her message has a greater impact on the reader; it demonstrates that war is an insensitive phenomenon that affects everyone, even those who are not involved. This is demonstrated by the quote. "The way she looked, Mary Anne made you think about those girls back home, how clean and innocent they all are, how they'll never understand any of this, not in a billion years."

  • In all of history and audiovisual media, it is always perceived that the war changes the man because he is the one who goes and fights, but seeing this change in Mary Anne is much more devastating for the reader because it not only represents the cycle of transformation of individuals but also the loss of innocence; it is more painful to see a girl lost in this hostile environment because it appeals to pity and insensitivity more deeply.

POINT OF VIEW

• How does Rat Kiley’s narration impact the story? What does it add or take away? He is known to exaggerate, but swears the story is true; how does this affect our interpretation? What does it add or take away?: Rat Kiley's point of view may be regarded as an untrustworthy narrator, but it adds significantly to the narrative and the reader's understanding of the events.

  • The exaggeration creates a much closer connection, making the readers feel the story as if they were in the place of the events, which adds a lot of tension and details, rekindling the sensations that the other characters are feeling as the story progresses.

  • On the one hand, this is beneficial to the reader's experience because it creates a much more vivid experience, allowing the reader to enter the lives of others to better understand the message being conveyed.

  • It evokes much more genuine emotions, allowing one to better empathize with each story or even comprehend the pain they endured during the war. Consider the following example: "And then one morning, all alone, Mary Anne walked off into the mountains and did not come back. No body was ever found. No equipment, no clothing." denotes a dramatism that may not have been necessary but adds tension to the story, as if foreshadowing a grotesque fate for Mary Anne, but this does not occur; its exaggeration makes the reader feel more sensitive to the information and expect the worst.

  • However, because Rat is an untrustworthy narrator, he may omit the truth or a complete picture of what is going on. This also has an impact on the reader's perception because he does not have a complete picture of what is going on; he does not know if what he is reading is true or if it has been manipulated to present a biased view.

• Is this story plausible? Do you or could you believe it? Why/why not? Does it matter if it is true? Can there be truth in fiction? Why/Why not?: In my opinion, if I could believe it to be true, this story is quite reasonable and convincing. Unfortunately, war transforms a place and its people in a radical way, usually bringing a lot of trauma and irreparable consequences; we have seen this with all of the wars that have occurred throughout history, so it is not crazy to believe that these facts can occur in a space so contaminated by violence.

  • There have to be events that haven't even been produced that are this grotesque and serious, so reading this work and knowing what war can do makes the story plausible and true. Of course, there are fictitious elements in this one, but it doesn't matter if they are true at this point because everything the author has written contributes to this somber and tragic atmosphere that perfectly represents the consequences of war.

  • These facts do not diminish the validity of the lived experiences and the message to be conveyed; on the contrary, they heighten the tension and evoke emotions in the reader, who does not question the theme because many of the facts are not true, so it does not matter. But, if there is truth in fiction, the struggle and devastation narrated are not dissimilar to what we usually see in history books.

  • everything the characters go through is not just fiction but represents the consequences of real war, aspects that the author experienced. The facts may not be entirely accurate, but the message, anguish, and transformation are all inherent aspects of our real wars.

MEANINGFUL QUOTES

1. “She had crossed to the other side. She was part of the land. She was wearing her culottes, her pink sweater, and a necklace of human tongues. She was dangerous. She was ready for the kill.”

2. “For Mary Anne Bell, it seemed, Vietnam had the effect of a powerful drug: that mix of unnamed terror and unnamed pleasure that comes as the needle slips in and you know you're risking something. “

3. “Sometimes I want to eat at this place. Vietnam. I want to swallow the whole country—the dirt, the death—I just want to eat it and have it there inside me. That's how I feel. It's like . . . this appetite. I get scared sometimes—lots of times—but it's not bad. Do you know? I feel close to myself”

DISCUSSION STARTERS

• Many works of literature deal with political or social issues. How does “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” deal with the issue of war/the Vietnam War? Analyze how O’Brien uses literary elements to explore war and explain how the idea of war contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole: “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” addresses a different perspective on the effects of war on individuals, particularly those who are not directly involved in the conflict.

  • While Mary Anne did not undergo a transformation like many of the soldiers in the story, she was caught up in the complexities of armed conflict and lost sight of who she was before coming to Vietnam. In this way, the author exemplifies another side of the Vietnam War conflicts, in which the soldiers are not the only ones affected by the violence, but its captivating and terrifying nature can also transform the least thoughtful.

  • O'Brien uses imagery more than any other element in this story; the vivid descriptions and details provided to the reader create a somber and tense atmosphere, but it is a different kind of tension than what is usually perceived from war; in this piece, you can appreciate the slow transformation of an outsider, rather than the violence that is always discussed.

  • These elements contribute to a story that is equally enthralling and complex, leaving the same bittersweet feelings without the use of explicit violence, contributing to the general concept of war, which kills everyone regardless of where they come from or what role they play in it.

• In “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”, how do cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character? Analyze how surroundings affect Mary Anne and Rat Kiley and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole. The overwhelming and heavy atmosphere of war does not affect all of the characters in the same way, as evidenced by the characters of Mary Anne and Rat Kiley, who are both consumed by the mysterious atmosphere of the conflict.

  • As for Mary Anne, it is clear how her surroundings influence her; at first, she appears to be a sweet little girl dressed in pink with dreams of marrying her lifelong love. However, as she is introduced to the soldier's environment, her perceptions of marriage, as well as her habits, are influenced by her desire to learn and become more involved in Vietnam.

  • From grooming to carrying weapons and mingling with other soldiers, her innocent essence is eroded by her fascination with the war, the land, and the survival skills she must learn. The author exemplifies how Vietnam changed his way of thinking about the love he had for Mark, the experiences of his future, his desire to continue learning about the complexities of the conflict at the end of the story, the fact that he abandoned his love with a necklace of tongues exemplifies the transition of innocence caused by the war.

  • The other Rat is affected more subtly, but his change is significant for the overall theme of the work; he is resigned to spending his time in this environment, and he has little hope of ever leaving. Everything he has seen in Vietnam has prompted that sense of confusion and wisdom that accompanies him throughout the story; he is not surprised by Mary Anne's transformation because the environment has taught him that student nature adapts to conflict and that our surroundings influence our way of thinking, which is what has happened to him.

  • The war removes that sense of negativism and resignation; Rat no longer fantasizes about leaving; he is only concerned with staying alive and being a spectator of the events.

CLOSING QUESTIONS

1. “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” depicts the transformation of a female character in a space previously associated only with men. How have women's roles evolved from the Vietnam War to today's conflicts? What does Mary Anne symbolize in terms of feminism and the role of women in war?

2. Analyzing Mark Fossie and Mary Anne's relationship in "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" reveals many aspects of the feminine role in the face of male dominance, not just in the context of the war. This is demonstrated at the end of the story when Mark promises to marry Mary Anne if she leaves Vietnam, to which she responds by disappearing and separating her ties with him. What message is the author attempting to convey through Mary Anne's reaction? Was this appropriate to the conceptions of relationships held at the time The Things They Carried was written?

3. Do you think Mary Anne's decision to become fully involved in Vietnam and the conflict was wise, or do you think it was the result of some psychological or emotional deterioration that did not correspond to her true desires?