Themes and message

The main themes of the extract from A Rumor of War are the loss of humanity and the morality of war. Philip Caputo’s intention is to make the readership aware of the way warfare changes people, especially soldiers. What is more, the American readership has the chance to analyze the way in which the US have been involved in the Vietnam War, but also the way in which the soldiers were affected by it in psychological terms.

Loss of humanity

This theme is illustrated by the sudden change in the lieutenant and his platoon in the Vietnamese village of Ha Na. From the beginning of the text, it is clear that the US Marine Corps soldiers begin their mission with frustration and anger because they are prevented from quickly achieving their goal:

It proved a hellish task because the village was crisscrossed by thorny hedges as cruel and unyielding as barbed wire fences. We had to hack through them with machetes or blow holes in them with grenades, and when we couldn’t cut or blast our way thorough, we would circle around them only to run into more. The result was the division of the company into small groups of frustrated men… (p. 220, ll. 3-8)

The soldiers’ psyches deteriorate even more when they are forced to burn down the enemy supply instead of collecting it. Then, the following extract hints at the soldiers’ need to kill so as to feel better: “ ‘I’ll bet you do. Tie him up and bring him to the skipper,” I said to the corporal. I did not like the look in the marine’s eyes and added:...

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The morality of war

After they overcome the frenzy that made them savagely destroy an entire village – although it was not necessary – the soldiers have a difficult time understanding their guilt. The “months of fear, frustration and tension” (p. 224, l. 20) made them snap and inflict violence on others without feeling shame or remorse.

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