Seal Team Six Themes
Seal Team Six In the novel Seal Team Six by Howard Wasdin, he exemplifies multiple ongoing themes throughout the book, two of these being brotherhood and morality. The theme of brotherhood is carried on by his use of the dynamic between him and his fellow seals. Their metaphorical “brotherhood” is shown throughout the novel in his retelling of experiences where he and the other men heavily relied on each other. As for the theme of morality, Wasdin is caught in a constant battle between right and wrong, attempting not to cross the moral boundary while still following orders. He has to maintain his humanity while being able to take the lives of others. These two themes are brought up time and time again throughout the novel and are influential
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This entirely subjective theme is brought up multiple times throughout the book, and it causes the reader to put themselves in Wasdin’s shoes. After all, it must be difficult to maintain your values while being forced to kill people. One instance where he shows his concern for his humanity is when he makes his very first kill. Previously, Wasdin “had been in the mindset that everyone I went up against was a bad guy” (143). This was his way of morally coping with shooting people. He viewed it as necessary to help a greater cause, but what he didn’t realize was that many of these were innocent people. Realizing this would take a great toll on his moral integrity. It was easier for him to “dehumanize the enemy” (143). He was on a thin line that he was trying not to cross. However, when he would begin to think of what killing someone really meant, he would have a compromised conscience. He began to have second thoughts looking back at what he had done, and possibly for good reason. He thought “The people I killed will never see their families again. Will never eat or use the restroom again. Never breathe again.” (144). By thinking of it from this perspective, he calls his own morals into judgement. This is a constant theme throughout the book as he battles between orders and his
This entirely subjective theme is brought up multiple times throughout the book, and it causes the reader to put themselves in Wasdin’s shoes. After all, it must be difficult to maintain your values while being forced to kill people. One instance where he shows his concern for his humanity is when he makes his very first kill. Previously, Wasdin “had been in the mindset that everyone I went up against was a bad guy” (143). This was his way of morally coping with shooting people. He viewed it as necessary to help a greater cause, but what he didn’t realize was that many of these were innocent people. Realizing this would take a great toll on his moral integrity. It was easier for him to “dehumanize the enemy” (143). He was on a thin line that he was trying not to cross. However, when he would begin to think of what killing someone really meant, he would have a compromised conscience. He began to have second thoughts looking back at what he had done, and possibly for good reason. He thought “The people I killed will never see their families again. Will never eat or use the restroom again. Never breathe again.” (144). By thinking of it from this perspective, he calls his own morals into judgement. This is a constant theme throughout the book as he battles between orders and his