There are two stories in this chapter that stick out to me the most so I'm just going to talk about them.
1) Curt Lemon- that had to be the the most traumatizing thing ever to watch. To see one of your friends get lifted up and blown to bits all in like 10 seconds. And then to have to clean it up. That had to have been scarring. For O'Brien we know it was. "But what wakes me up twenty years late is Dave Jensen singing 'Lemon Tree' as we threw down the parts."(pg. 79) That really freaks me out. They watched him step out into the sunlight and the disappear up into the sky forever.
2)The baby buffalo- the imagery that is used to tell this story is insane. You which part of the body is getting blown away in which order. It really got me when Rat switches to the automatic. Completely destroying the thing. He just keeps taking blows to the animal until it is dead. The saddest part is the animal doesn't moan or complain. It just takes it. The buffalo symbolizes their group and the machine gun symbolizes the war. The gun just keeps picking off parts of their group until they collapse and give in. I think this is the attitude they start to get after having one of their friends die right in front of them. They take out all of their frustration and doubt on this baby buffalo. Rat starts crying after he kills the buffalo. I think he knows he is losing it and he just wants to give up.
This chapter shows the reader how deep the emotional side of war gets. The gore is intense but the emotions of each soldier is what needs recognition.
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