Pacts paper - Fallen Angels free essay sample

In the novel Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, Lieutenant Carroll, the first leader the soldiers have in the novel, said, â€Å"’My father used to call soldiers angel warriors, because usually they get boys to fight wars. Most of you aren’t old enough to vote yet’† (44). The extremity of the youth of the soldiers was unbelievable. Through all they went through, one would assume that only grown men who have experienced the realities of the world were capable of handling the hardships in the Vietnam War. Lieutenant Carroll, ironically, was seen as the wise, older leader of the squad but he was only twenty-three year old. Today, a twenty-three year old is usually fresh out of college and still immature and ignorant to the true meaning of life. The forbearance of the soldiers, what conditions they were in, the key characters of the novel, the themes, and the settings of Myers’s novel were all beautifully put together. To begin with, the soldiers were on a plane, on their way to Vietnam. Little did they know, from then on out, the experience was going to change their lives forever. They were moderately calm and eager to tackle the training that would make them a soldier. The soldiers all struggled to grasp the harsh realties of war. Family life back home was changing, and for people like Richie Perry, his brother and mother were financially dependent on him. He felt a lot of pressure to survive in the war. Jenkins, the first soldier in their platoon to get killed, stepped in a mine, which ended his time in Vietnam. Richie was not very close to Jenkins, but he still felt sad that the young boy died. Though tough events like death happened, the soldiers did not do much most of the time. They walked around without much to worry about, but were on their toes waiting for an attack or mission. Perry said, â€Å"We spent another day lying around. It seemed to be what the war was about. Hours of boredom, seconds of terror† (132). Even when the guys were on a mission, they usually laid there for a long period of time before something big happened. Usually, they were waiting for the Vietcong to come along so they could attack. Though many battles occurred and their relationships back home were improving, the most symbolic mission was at the Song Nha Ngu River. All the soldiers left in Richie’s platoon were sent to check out the river for any Vietcongs nearby. Johnson naturally led the group because no one else took on the challenge. Peewee’s and Richie’s job was to guard the ridge and cover everyone. A firefight broke out behind them and they retreated after they shot down a few Vietcong soldiers. Peewee and Richie ended up separated from the rest of the group. They fired towards the Vietcong and were clearly outnumbered, so they ran away and hid in a hole. The Vietcong searched for them and could not seem to find Peewee and Richie. The two prayed for God to save them. They held hands which showed their brotherhood and fear during that time and that they trusted each other. Peewee was injured by a Vietcong and Richie could not leave him there to die, so he carried Peewee and they found Monaco being held hostage by the Vietcongs. A chopper was coming to retrieve Monaco, but the Vietcong were hiding in the bushes, waiting to attack the chopper and kill all of the American soldiers. Peewee and Richie figured out their plan and as soon as the chopper began to lower, the two shoot at all of the Vietcongs and the soldiers on the chopper saw what they were aiming at and opened fire as well. Monaco, Richie, and Pewee all escaped. Perry was shot in the leg and Peewee was hit as well. They woke up in the recovery hospital and received the news that they would both be coming back home. Monaco revealed the story of when he was captured by the Vietcong and expressed how thankful he was for Peewee and Richie. Monaco stated, â€Å"No, I was dead, Perry. I was actually sitting there with that Cong gun right on my ass and I was dead†¦ when you and Peewee opened up on the gun, it was like I was brought back to life. I was dead and I was brought back to life again† (300). Perry responds, â€Å"We’re all dead over here, Monaco. We’re all dead and just hoping that we come back to life when we get into the World again† (300). These quotes symbolize the feelings of the soldiers. They felt no need to live any longer and it was like they were already dead. That conversation always shows how much they wanted to go home and get away from the war. Additionally, the atmosphere of the novel continually became more complex. When the soldiers first got there, they were nervous because it was their first time fighting in a war. Everything was new to them. When Jenkins died, they got hit with the harsh reality of war. After the sorrow from his death had passed, they joked around with each other all the time and were carefree. They did not realize that everything they did had a consequence that could lead to them going home or not. A Vietcong questioned Peewee and Peewee told him accurate information about himself and almost got killed. The soldiers were all so young and inexperienced so they panicked when something bad happened and ended up making a mistake. Richie missed a mission, so he went with a different squad to do what they were assigned. The soldiers were so frantic that they accidentally fired on their own platoon and killed more than a dozen American soldiers. As the novel progressed, the soldiers gained more experience a nd learned how to handle situations better when under pressure. Perry’s squad went on a pacification mission and said, â€Å"They were supposed to think we were the good guys†¦ I didn’t like having to convince anybody that I was the good guy†¦ We, the Americans, were the good guys† (112). They could not comprehend that anyone would think that the Americans were not trying to help. When the village burning happened, all of the men were confused as to why anyone would do such disturbing things like cutting off a baby’s head. During that time, Richie faced his first face-to-face encounter with a Vietcong that almost shot Richie. When an icky situation actually happens, one forgets all of his/her training and panics and/or draws a blank. Richie ends up going to the recovery hospital because he was injured and he loved the experience. It was calm and relaxing. Although Perry completely dreaded going back to his squad from the recovery hospital, he was thankful that he got a â€Å"break† from the war. The pu rpose of this novel was to inform the readers about Myers’s experiences of the novel and how a soldier changed throughout the course of war. The audience is anyone who enjoys reading about wars or just looking for a good book to grab. The subject of this novel was the life of a soldier in the Vietnam War. The author’s bias was the fact that Myers’s brother was in the Vietnam War and Myers’s is also an African American, like Richie. Perry was a very courageous and smart man. He supported his friends through their struggles and also financially provided for his mother and little brother. He sent them money whenever they needed it and felt like the foundation for his family. Richie changed due to the war and stated, â€Å"I knew Mama loved me, but I also knew when I got back, she would expect me to be the same person, but it could never happen. She hadn’t been in Nam. She hadn’t given her poncho to anybody to wrap a body in, or stepped over a dying kid† (267). The experiences that he faced changed his opinion on the Vietnam War and also his outlook on life. Another key character, Peewee, was fairly different from Perry. Peewee picked fights in the beginning to show everyone that he was not afraid of them and deserved their respect. He was a very straightforward, comical guy. He is very much a boy and not yet a man. Towards the end of the novel, he slowly became closer to being a man. Kenny, who is very much a little boy, is very innocent and dependent on Perry. He sends Richie letters asking for money for basketball league. He’s very smart and realizes his family was not exactly the best off, so he gets a job at the local drug store to help support he and his mom. Moreover, novel themes are what the author hopes the reader learns. One topic was family. Perry’s family back home was less fortunate than others and the three of them struggled to get by. Perry’s single mother and little brother needed support, and Perry was glad that he could help them out. Perry sent money to his family right away whenever they asked. He felt important. He felt needed. Kenny was always kept in Perry’s thoughts as he was impatiently waiting during a mission or even lying in bed, not being able to fall asleep. Family was one of the motivations that the soldiers had to survive. Gearhart wrote his wife, expressing how much he loves her and their children. He also mentioned changing the storm door, which symbolizes that they were normal people with normal lives. Until they began to fight in the war, that is. Another relevant topic was that people around the world struggle with the concept that everyone is different. Diverse religions, races, sexualities, and backgrounds are all themes that affect the characters in Fallen Angels. Johnson, a Black American, had frequent altercations with Walowick, a White American, about where they both lived and how they were raised. Throughout the book, they learn to like each other because they were all in it together. Lobel admits that the only reason why he was in the war was because he wanted to prove to his father that he was not homosexual. Lobel is also Jewish, so with those two characteristics about him, he was almost as much of a target as the black soldiers. Sergeant Dongan also purposely put the black soldiers in more dangerous positions during their patrols. Even though there were many prejudices present throughout the novel, the soldiers ended up being a big family. They knew that no one was going to look out for them except for each other. They were in the same country, fighting in the same war, battling the same emotions, and sharing the same goal – to go home. Contrasting the heartfelt, loving stories of some of the men, there were also sad moments. Peewee received a letter from his girlfriend back home and she told him that she had married another man while Peewee was at war. The distance was too much for her to handle. She later sent a letter to Richie and he said, â€Å"†¦ she went on to say how she was sorry she couldn’t wait for Peewee anymore† (229). Although she was married, she still loved Peewee. Another key theme was perseverance. All the wounded soldiers fought to hold onto their lives as they were helplessly grasping for breaths of air. If a soldier was not dying, they were fighting. Johnson takes lead in most missions, even though he is not the named leader. No one else initiates the first move, so he ta kes charge and fights to help his boys out and keep them and himself alive. The fight for survival is very intense. They were trained early on to focus and get through it, and if they did not, they would most likely not survive, which is what every soldier fears. Lastly, the time and place is crucial no matter what the situation is. In this novel, the soldiers were first in Chu Lai. At this location, all the soldiers really got a big whiff on the truth of war. They witnessed their friends die. Plenty of moments were spent doing nothing and being somewhat relaxed, but when something came up, it was tense and brutal. Praying increased as the soldiers realized they needed God to help them through this war. After their experiences there, the squad moved to Tam Ky. All the soldiers were apprehensive to go to this new base because they got word that it was attacked very often, which scared them. When the soldiers arrived at Tam Ky, they faced many bloody battles that changed their lives forever. From the death of Brew to the news that Perry and Peewee were going home, so many events happened in between. Due to the fatal injuries Perry faced while fighting in Tam Ky, he was sent to the recovery hospital. There, Perry found peace and felt grateful that he was not in combat. He looked into the future and daydreamed about what it would be like to be out of Vietnam and finally back home. The soldier was lucky and very fortunate to not have been battling in war, relaxing on his two-week â€Å"break.† Through the various locations the soldiers traveled to, it showed the day-to-day routines of the soldiers as well as the general feel of the experience. From sickness and bickering in the dorm rooms to the tense, war-filled, smoky atmosphere of Vietnam, it provided hope and relief in the end. The recovery hospitals gave a sense of â€Å"the light at the end of the tunnel,† giving optimism to the soldiers that they possibly could finally go back to the states. Given these points, the plot, atmosphere, characters, themes, and settings are all key topics identified in a novel. They all affect how the novel is written and what kinds of literary devices would be used to give the message that the author desires. Looking into the future, all readers should analyze the books they read and really understand the meaning of why that novel was written and how that refers to life. This novel, especially, demonstrates all of those important factors. It showed the war through an can soldier’s eyes and opened up mine.