Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong Literary Analysis (Essay Example)

In the “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” we meet Mary Anne, a nice naive girl who is only seventeen years old and fresh out of high school.Mary Anne smells like "strawberry ice cream," according to the soldiers, and is described as a breath of fresh air. She arrives a little befuddled and perplexed, but glad to be there; she arrives.I believe what completely transformed her was her curiosity; she was captivated when they demonstrated to her what each item meant and what importance it had in the bunker or around them.Fossie wanted to send her back after the time she spent there, but she appeared dissatisfied with the decision; he notices that she has changed to the point that she isn't the same nice innocent person who first came.From afar, the relationship seemed to be ok, but "And yet at close range their faces showed tension"(O’Brien 99), according to Rat Kiley.This demonstrates the shift in tension as a character from Mary Anne because of her natural desire to be out.

Individuals in combat feel a sense of pressure since they don't know if they'll survive the battle; they could die at any moment.What he means is that it adds the perfume of adrenaline when you don't know what's going to occur ahead, the adrenaline of an open area, and the feeling of having a blank canvas. Its nature can be soothing. It gradually draws you in with its curiosity.Rat Kiley says "Vietnam had the effect of a powerful drug:that mix of unnamed terror and unnamed pleasure thatcomes as the needle slips in ad you know you're riskingsomething (O’Brien 109)."Mary Anne had tricked her into falling into the trap, then drew her in until she had no way out. The guys had a way of saying that the war changes people and that they will learn from their experiences, but their characterMary Anne  and enjoyment are gone.

Women were seen in a certain light in the novel at the time; they were seen to prepare food, keep the home tidy, get married, bear children, and even live a stable family life. Seeing a woman go from being the kindest person to someone who is ambushing guys outside during a trip would most definitely frighten the men around her.Fosse is stumped when it comes to dealing with a missing woman. When He wakes up and discovers Marry Anne  is not lying near him, he is eager to find her because he has no idea where she has disappeared.They eventually find Mary Anne in the bushes, disguised as a Green Beret with messed-up hair and a rifle in her hand.Fossie returns and states "Compromise," Fossie said. "I'll put it this way—we're officially engaged"(O’Brien 118).By completing the Fossie, Mary Anne is reconnected to society's duties, which include such participation that encourages people to act "morally".  He could only mask her behavior by marrying her and keeping any fresh information she could send out hidden.”

To conclude,  Mary Anne's curiosity transformed her and caused her to fall into a bottomless pit of insanity; she progressively falls out of her  innocent girl phase in front of everyone's eyes, and we lose Mary because she is too far gone. Because she was a woman during that time, no one offered her assistance; instead, they simply left and sent her away, but she fled. The nature of the war transformed her within but left her exterior the same. The war remains the same, giving people experiences and changing them until it is too late to go back.