Women and War

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses and analyzes the books 'Maus: A Survivor's Tale' by Art Spiegelman, 'Slaughterhouse-Five' by Kurt Vonnegut, and 'Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning' by Victor E. Frankl. Specifically it discusses the role women play in times of war.

From the Paper:

"In "Slaughterhouse-Five" Vonnegut also notes the importance of women to the fighting men. Their absence makes the men want them more, and helps them survive the worst experiences of the war. Vonnegut writes of a group of prisoners of war, "Now they were singing to nearly the last. They had note seen a woman of a child for four years or more. They hadn't seen any birds, either. Not even sparrows would come into the camp" (Vonnegut 54). Thus, women are elusive during the war, and that makes them all the more desirable and necessary. It also helps them maintain their role as victims. While they wait at home for their missing men, they have no control over life or death. They can only wait, as a victim does, to hear news. They cannot make a difference and they cannot commit any actions to save their loved ones. In addition, they are the family members that must go on and survive even if they lose their loved ones to the fighting. They have to take care of children and home, and continue on with life even when it is the most difficult. This makes them a victim too, because they have no choice. They are victims of war just as if they had fought on the battlefield, because their lives are forever altered as a result of war."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Frankl, Viktor E. Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning. Revised ed. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing, 1997.
• Spiegelman, Art. Maus: A Survivor's Tale. New York: Pantheon Books, 1986.
• Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five. New York: William Heinemann, Inc. and Octopus Books, 1980.

More papers on Women and War:

• Analytical Essay # 138336 : "Women and War"
• Essay # 33597 : "Canadian Women and the War Effort"
• Analytical Essay # 2672 : "Effects of WWII on Women and African-Americans"

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