Mary Anne Bell Trasformation
“The Transformation to an Abomination”
The assertion, “people never change,” can be disproven as people change differently in various environments. The chapter “Sweet Heart of the Song Tra Bong” in, The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, shows how Mary Anne Bell is affected by the tough conditions of war. Mark Fossie, the boyfriend of Mary Anne, tells her to fly out to Vietnam so that they can be together. Once she arrives, Mary Anne quickly reveals her curiosity by taking an interest in activities to help the squad such as cooking, caring for the injured, night patrolling, etc. Essentially, she starts to become one of the soldiers. O’Brien conveys how the violent and warlike atmosphere transforms Mary Anne physically and psychologically from a civilized and innocent girl to a barbaric and ruthless woman throughout her stay in Vietnam. At the beginning of her stay, O’Brien portrays Mary Anne as a civilized and innocent girl by describing her physical and psychological characteristics. As Mary Anne makes her first appearance, O’Brien describes her as, “an attractive girl… [who has] terrific legs (p. 90)” suggesting that she is innocent has not experienced harsh conditions. O’Brien presents her as a sexual object in order to emphasize her innocence and unfamiliarity to war. Also, the description of her “bubbly personality” implies that she is only sees the positive in everyone which displays her naivety and innocence. O’Brien describes that Mary Anne “love[s] the thatched roofs and naked children, the wonderful simplicity of village life” implying that she is completely unaware of the hostile environment that she is in. Her unawareness and immaturity is shown because she is speaking positively about a place of violence and warfare. Towards the beginning of her stay with Mark Fossie and the rest of the crew members, Mary Anne is described as innocent and naïve. but as she continues to learn more about the war, and she begins to transform into a barbaric and
The assertion, “people never change,” can be disproven as people change differently in various environments. The chapter “Sweet Heart of the Song Tra Bong” in, The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, shows how Mary Anne Bell is affected by the tough conditions of war. Mark Fossie, the boyfriend of Mary Anne, tells her to fly out to Vietnam so that they can be together. Once she arrives, Mary Anne quickly reveals her curiosity by taking an interest in activities to help the squad such as cooking, caring for the injured, night patrolling, etc. Essentially, she starts to become one of the soldiers. O’Brien conveys how the violent and warlike atmosphere transforms Mary Anne physically and psychologically from a civilized and innocent girl to a barbaric and ruthless woman throughout her stay in Vietnam. At the beginning of her stay, O’Brien portrays Mary Anne as a civilized and innocent girl by describing her physical and psychological characteristics. As Mary Anne makes her first appearance, O’Brien describes her as, “an attractive girl… [who has] terrific legs (p. 90)” suggesting that she is innocent has not experienced harsh conditions. O’Brien presents her as a sexual object in order to emphasize her innocence and unfamiliarity to war. Also, the description of her “bubbly personality” implies that she is only sees the positive in everyone which displays her naivety and innocence. O’Brien describes that Mary Anne “love[s] the thatched roofs and naked children, the wonderful simplicity of village life” implying that she is completely unaware of the hostile environment that she is in. Her unawareness and immaturity is shown because she is speaking positively about a place of violence and warfare. Towards the beginning of her stay with Mark Fossie and the rest of the crew members, Mary Anne is described as innocent and naïve. but as she continues to learn more about the war, and she begins to transform into a barbaric and