More on Mrs. Dalloway

Perhaps rather intriguing is the juxtaposition of Mrs. Dalloway and Septimus Warren Smith within part one. They seem to represent the two very prominent groups of people during a post-war period: forward-looking optimists (who only seems to look backward in this novel) and the ones who are too scarred to forget it. 

The passages that introduce the setting mention the end of the Great War in passing, only casually taking the time and effort to simply acknowledge that some have died. The importance was placed on the jovial setting that the end of the war had created for the better. Even when a car, a very new technological introduction to consumers at the time, backfires, people are surprised rather than afraid, even politely apologizing for it, despite the crowd that gathers having nothing to do with the incident. Even more telling is the fact that the sound of the backfiring was likened to that of a gunshot and yet very few people reacted in a negative manner, rather, they even entertained fantasies of having noticed that the prince of Wales, or the Prime Minister was in the car.

Conversely, Septimus Smith is shocked by the noise and falls back onto suffering. He doesn't share the bright optimism by the crowd, but a series if delusions. Unlike Mrs. Dalloway who dwelves into the past of her own will, Septimus Smith is perpetually haunted by his past, seeing his dead comrade among other things. I have not decided what the significance of this duality is, but the contrast that it shows reminds the readers that not all is well even at the war's conclusion. 

Mrs. Dalloway

A peculiarity arises in Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Calloway. Somewhat like The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner, there is a blend between temporal planes, namely past and present, and thoughts within the head. However, unlike Benjy's pseudo-spontaneous transitions, Mrs. Carissa Richard Calloway's thoughts drift based on more concrete occurrences such as the encounter with Hugh early in the novel (as opposed to transitions within Benjy's narration in The Sound and the Fury based on less tenuous things like the smell of grass). By stringing together both the induced flashbacks as well as the musings of Mrs. Calloway, Woolf, like Faulkner, gives the illusion of time. In purposely having less regard to timeline than more conventional authors, more of the readers' focus is diverted into remaining cognizent of the time period in which the scene they are currently reading takes place (at least, upon first reading). This forces closer reading and increases the duration of which any particular scene takes up, but more than that, it reflects a more realistic way of human thought. Rather than from point A to point B, human thought often makes pauses to ponder something else, be it relevant to whatever is happening at the time or not. This lack of linearization is perfectly suitable in a novel where significance is placed in each individual's way of thinking.

More on The Things They Carried

Is the purpose of a story to tell the truth or to convey an idea?

Obviously, the truth is required when giving accounts that have possible real consequences, but a story such as that written by O'Brien has no such need for it. A war story, according to him, has no need to tell the full truth. Details are omitted or overwritten over time, ebbing as memories do. The point of stories is their way of telling an emphatic tale and provoking a thought or further insight into a subject, such as Mary Anne's eventual integration into Vietnam. We, as the readers, hear the story second hand via O'Brien via Rat Kiley, so the story, barring complete fiction, is unreliable in truth. However, the basic substance of the story is of the idea someone can be so immersed into the war in Vietnam. 

 Fiction exists for some authors as war stories exist for their tellers, and they are allowed to be no different in O'Brien's written words. After all, war stories are rather difficult to investigate for truth, with evidence easily destroyed or erased by the ravages and chaos of war. The battlefield is large and full of interfering factors. We have no way of verifying if O'Brien actually killed someone in Vietnam, much less if it was the young soldier trudging along the path. So when he says that he can honestly say he didn't kill a man and he can honestly say he did, does it matter?

Memories from a long time ago are very probable to be inaccurate, having had details invented while written down, but more than that, O'Brien feels as if only his memory is keeping the people close to him alive. Such people would be anyone like Linda and those who are close only at time of death, such as the Viet Cong soldiers he never outright admits to killing. As he writes about the time after Linda's death, he has the impression that Linda was alive in his dreams, leading to his increasingly early bed times. By writing this book about the juxtaposition of life and death, O'Brien, in his own way, keeps the various people who've died in his life alive.

A War's Worthy Weights (The Things They Carried)

Even among the multitude of items a soldier must carry into battle, among the rifling gear and ammunition and voluminous myriad of things intended for survival is certainly enough room for what remains of Willliam's strength to carry just a little more. Almost too sensibly, the things he carried amounted to no more than 2 pounds. 

First is a quarter from his home state of Maryland. More than a symbol of patriotism, the coin serves to kill time when not killing others; there is an art to coin flipping. In a pinch, a coin flip can settle unneeded disputes among comrades. Leaving one more thing to chance in a field of chaotic probabilities is no great loss on the part of anyone. 

Next is a pen, nothing especially remarkable along with a notebook. The tip is sharp enough should the situation call for it and there is always occasion to write. In lieu of paper, an arm could serve perfectly as a canvas. It carries the hope that what has been written will one day return to be read by family and friends who did not experience the horror of war.

Third and final is a watch. A timepiece is no doubt valuable in a place where confusion runs amok. This certain watch is a G-Shock series, known for its durability and was a gift from William's cousin as he entered high school. It heralded new times and all of the times since were recorded upon its clock face. A war should be no different. The times past and awaiting will see to it that they are a part of who he is now.