"Going After Cacciato"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses and analyzes the novel, "Going After Cacciato," by Tim O'Brien. Specifically, it discusses the meaning of war in the book and how war affects the soldiers. O'Brien sees the Vietnam War experience as one that lasted far longer than the actual fighting, and he shows just how devastating war can be to the men and women who experience it. The paper looks at how the book is more than a testament against war. It is also an engrossing look into the minds and experiences of soldiers and how they manage to block out the horrors of war by dreaming, fantasizing, and looking inward to ignore the realities of war that surround them.

From the Paper:

"Reality is blurred in this novel, and the author purposely constructed the novel around themes of dreams and fantasy so the reader would find it difficult to discern what is real and what is illusion. This seems to mirror the experiences of the soldiers, who often must fantasize about home and family so they do not remember the horror and reality of war that constantly surrounds them. For example, Berlin often thinks of his family back home in Iowa, particularly his father, who is a builder. He thinks of the neat and orderly houses his father builds, with their definite angles and walls, and contrasts them with his experience in Vietnam, which is anything but neat and orderly."

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