Protagonist- "In the interests of truth, however, I want to make it clear that Norman Bowker was in no way responsible for what happened to Kiowa. Norman did not experience a failure of nerve that night. He did not freeze up or lose the Silver Star for valor. That part of the story is my own" (page 154).
At the beginning of the novel, it seemed that Lieutenant Jimmy Cross was going to be the protagonist, but as the novel went on, it became clear that it was Tim O'Brien. He tells stories from his vantage point, but also that of other men he fought with. It seems that his flaw is just being human. He makes mistakes like when he couldn't save Kiowa in the stink field, but he blames himself for these accidents.
If you ask me, I don't believe O'Brien was at fault for Kiowa's death. While he may have been with Kiowa at the time, he couldn't have done anything to save him. Naturally, he blamed himself for this and I believe this is a flaw all humans have. We blame ourselves for things that couldn't have been stopped and the guilt often stays with us. This could be any one's downfall.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I got a little confused here. So was the guy showing Kiowa the picture O'Brien? I need to reread this section more closely!
ReplyDeleteThat's how i understood the section but it never actually gave the name of the young man. I just assumed it had to be O'Brien.
ReplyDelete