Isolation In War

In the two novels, The Things They Carried, Catch 22, and the 1979 film Apocalypse Now, war is illustrated as being a chaotic battlefield, where people have no remorse for one another as men constantly die right in front of them. The idea of war being cruel is seen as a truth of war among these three works. In addition, the concept of isolation exists throughout these works, to show that being out in a war can truly change someone. These two truths of war are demonstrated ultimately to emphasize the conflicts that exist out in the war, and also to prove that a war can seriously take not only a physical toll, but a major mental toll on you. The cruelty of war is the first truth that is portrayed by these works. Besides the fact that the visual
An example of a character who was attempting to become a man of war is Major Major Major Major. He was a rather awkward commander, and he didn’t have much time with the other soldier, which led to him being lonely quite often. Major Major tried solving this problem, by attempting to change himself for the sake of the war and see if people would possibly think of him differently. “His paramount concern throughout the entire assault was to keep his dark glasses and false mustache in place so that he might continue pretending he was somebody else and be spared the dreaded necessity of having to confront them with his authority” (Heller 108). In this part, Major Major is changing himself physically, so perhaps he could gain more respect in the war. He didn’t like who he was before the war, and he was scared that people would think less of him, which is why he tries turning all tough and physically
As stated in the definition, isolation can change a person in a destructive way. O’Brien illustrates this concept in his novel. It is often seen that these people in the war are being turned into monsters because of the experiences they have had. “I’d turned mean inside. Even a little cruel at times. For all my education, all my fine liberal values, I now felt a deep coldness inside me, something dark and beyond reason. It’s a hard thing to admit, even to myself, but I was capable of evil” (O’Brien 191). This quote shows how O’Brien changed as a result of the war, and he is admitting that. The idea of isolation is present in the war whether people choose to notice it or not. Just like an addiction to something like drugs, the war can take over your entire body and mind, and soon enough you will be a part of the war and no longer a part of the outside