// War Literature

Slavenka Drakulic’s novel S tells the story of a war with many unthinkable acts. What I found interesting about the novel is that the brutal events such as the raping and torturing of civilians sends a message not that those acts are so unreal that it is hard for anyone to think of this happening, but that these acts have happened before in history.  It shows that war turns human beings into monsters. It affects people in such a way that a woman would think a child is a tumor instead of a blessing.

Despite the rhetoric of people when the holocaust ended of, “never again” in different parts of the world ethnic cleaning exists.  The fact that this war became so brutal with inhumane acts, shows that humanity is still capable of unthinkable acts. Additionally, the fact that the novel is written from a woman’s perspective is essential to the novel’s message.  The twisted superiority that the men get from committing terrible acts depict how crazed the men have become.  However, the small bit of power that S gets from seducing the men at least gives her some sense that she can claim a little bit of power and dignity.