// War Literature

This short story centers around a medic named Rat Kiley.  I originally selected this story thinking it wasn’t going to be gruesome, that reasoning was based on the title.  Turns out I was mistaken.  The author explains the “nightlife” aspect of vietnam which is downright terrifying.  Moving in a completely dark forest with a sky with no stars, just complete darkness.  The sky definitely symbolizes the war no elements of light or hope, just complete darkness or death.

The experiences that the medic encounters has taken a toll on his mental state.  First he has a fear of the bugs in the forest which is understandable given the darkness of the forest and the bugs humming can make anyone rattled in that situation.   He begins to have trouble sleeping and begins to have visions of body parts.  He’s losing his grasp of humanity as when he sees another person he is already imagining what they would like dead.  The war has caused this man to lose his mind, this is what happens when you spend your days constantly “plugging holes” as the medic puts it.

Additionally, he is also hurting himself by constantly scratching bug bites until it causes his own body harm.  A really saddening quote was, “this whole war is meat for the bugs”.  This shows that there is no sense of justice or glory, the reality is that the experience is horrifying and pointless.  Ultimately, Rat killed himself and nobody thought the man did anything irrational.  Dealing with war seems unbearable especially in Vietnam.