Bao Ninh Analysis

Bao Ninh is writing from his fictional character name Kien. Ninh will open his story with “Better to die than surrender, my brothers! Better to die!” (Ninh 5) Kien battalion commander said this right before he point the gun at his head and ended his life. This would not be the last disturbing story Kien talks about. He will tell the reader stories about how the people around him would be burned, exploded, and never seen of again All the deaths was getting to Kien. His mind was changing, he was starting to see and hear things that were not there. He started to believe, like many other of his comrades, the idea of a ghost of unnamed haunting the battle fields. He would see ghost after and during the war. Kien was 27th battalion and by 1969 it
He talks a lot about waiting for death and wishing for it. He said “…dead soldiers were more shadowy yet sometimes more significant than the living. They were lonely, tranquil, and hopeful, like illusions.”(Nieh 90) Kien was jealous of the dead, for they did not need to continue to live with what they saw and were at peace. Kien would go on says that every soldier would hear this ghostly rhythm that the dead was creating from beyond the grave. Kien lost the ability to care for the soldier fighting alongside him. Can for example, pouring his heart out to Kien. Kien giving emotionless advice, but when Can tells him that he is going to leave to go home or die trying. He stated that he hates hearing about people personal problems, but he would try to convince Can to stay, but Can would say “I’ve killed so often it won’t mean a thing if I kill myself(Ninh 22). When ask about shame Can said “In all my time as soldier I’ve yet to see anything honorable”(Ninh 22). Can left, was found dead, and then the squad agreed to never talk about it again. Kien and O’Brien share these experiences of accepting the idea of death and thinking it meant