War as a Last Resort

In many ways, Dr. O’Brien was a lot like Paul Berlin during the Vietnam War. They were both young American men who were drafted and sent to Vietnam to fight for a cause that was quite unclear to them. All they know is that they are there because they love their country, family, and friends, and are fighting in this war to protect all that is dear to them. These soldiers had put their lives in the hands of those who were giving them orders from thousands of miles away. Both Dr. O’Brien and Paul Berlin fought in a war that seemed endless because they trusted those whom they thought were more experienced. I agree with Dr. O’Brien when he said that war should be the last resort. In order for political leaders to grasp this concept, they should be the first to be sent into the war zone. Only then will they understand what it is like to really be in a war, and not just bark orders from a safe distance away. If they valued the lives of others as much as they valued theirs, other alternatives would be taken before war.

Going After Cacciato part I

A theme found throughout the novel is that of always being positive and looking for the good in things. Paul Berlin’s father gave this advice to him before he left for the Vietnam War. Even though Paul Berlin faced many atrocious scenes during his time in Vietnam, his father’s words kept him sane. Even when villagers were being searched disrespectfully, when his fellow soldiers lost their lives one after another, and when all that surrounded him were deserted places and dead bodies, he continued to think of the possibilities that could still take place after the war. Personally, I cannot imagine the things that these soldiers went through or how they felt because I have never had to witness such horrific things. I do believe that in times when you are surrounded by evil and feel that there is no hope, the only thing that can save you from being consumed by it is to think of better things to come. During his journey, Paul Berlin would always let the readers know how important it was for him to keep thinking of the possibilities and the good in the evil things that surrounded him. It was a survival mechanism that helped him to cope in a healthy way.

The Violent Bear It Away as a Bildungsroman

At first glance, one would not label O’Connor’s, The Violent Bear It Away, as a bildungsroman. However, after further consideration, I have come to the realization that in his own distorted and disturbing way, Francis did come into the person that he became in the end of the novel. Throughout the novel, we see how Francis rejected everything that was taught to him by Old Tarwater by setting the cabin on fire. While he was with Rayber, he distanced himself from Rayber and his attempt to civilize him. Being pulled in two opposite extremes, Francis faced the ultimate decision as to which road he will take. He can either be like Old Tarwater and live his life as a self proclaimed prophet or he can follow Rayber and learn how to live a meaningless life by shutting himself from the world. In the end, this never ceasing pressure to choose a side destroyed any real chance that Francis had to lead a normal life. In murdering Bishop, Francis is proclaiming his rejection of both extremes. By committing this act however, he has created and entered into his own extreme. From that point on, Francis’ actions revealed the emotionless, careless, detached, and subhuman person he had become.

Going To The Extremes

A major theme in O'Connor's The Violent Bear It Away is the consequences of taking things to the extreme. Even though the great uncle and the schoolteacher differ in their beliefs, they both illustrate what happens when things are taken to their extremes. Throughout his life, the great uncle proclaimed himself as a prophet of God. He took it upon himself to baptize all the members of his family. In response to their rejection, he goes so far as to kidnap the schoolteacher, baptizes him, and teaches him about what it means to follow in the ways of Jesus. After this confusing experience, the schoolteacher was damaged forever. In his rejection of God and the things that his uncle had taught him, he went to the extreme by shutting himself from anything and everything. He denied himself any feelings in order to prevent the memories of the past from resurfacing. In the end, both lived a miserable life. While the uncle was willing to suffer and be rejected in this lifetime for his reward in the afterlife; the schoolteacher believed that this life was the only life that he had, but was too afraid to live it.

The Bear as a Bildungsroman

The Bear is definitely a bildungsroman. In the beginning of the novel, Ike knew nothing about the wilderness or about life. Only when he started going on the hunting trips did he enter the wilderness and started to slowly learn about nature. In his journey to find Old Ben, he found nature as well as himself. Aside from his patience and perseverance, it was also the realization that to truly be one with nature, Ike had to leave anything that would connect him with the outside world behind. The love and appreciation that he had developed for the wilderness shaped him into a new person. Ike used the knowledge and perspectives that he had gained in the wilderness to dictate the major decisions in his life. In his reasoning that no one truly owns or has a right to the land that he had inherited, he rejects it and the sins that are associated with it. Ike attempts to assuage the sins of his grandfather by giving the inheritance to members of the other half of his family. Even though Ike had a comfortable life planned out for him, he renounces it and becomes a carpenter in the end.