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Character Analysis Of Rat Kiley In Sweetheart Of Song Tra Bong

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War is a weird aspect for soldier. It gets them in touch with their feelings, and makes them do crazy things. The Things they carried consists of various soldiers with different perspectives of what the war brings them. Every soldier is different because of the background they have. Bob “Rat” Kiley is one of those soldiers mixed up by everything like any other soldier in the war. At a young age, he’s sent off to Vietnam not knowing of what’s to come. Probably fresh out of high school, a soldier during that time is foolish, and his foolishness takes the best of him. However, he might not be a high ranking soldier, but as a medic he such does have that responsibility of being there for his fellow comrades. Rat Kiley might have not known the …show more content…

That was his way of coping with the war. In “ Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong” Rat tells a story of the soldier who brought his girlfriend to war. It might’ve been the most insanely story ever told by the soldier because what girl will fly to Vietnam to stay with the person she loves, it’s dangerous and foolish. However, the guys are intrigued by this fable. Not just because it’s a tall tale, but they’re all away from their significant other. It’s like a forbidden love that will never workout. Rat Kiley might have not been truthful, but it was okay. For him to talk about a story like that was like letting steam out of the pot. It had been a while since he relaxed throughout the madness, so for everyone to just listen to the story just daydream about a girl who came to war was enough to be at ease. Later on in the story, Rat takes his fail toll from the war, and confesses to Mitchell Sanders that he’s had enough. He came in as a young man thinking he was ready for anything, but the hardships of the war were unlike anything else he’s experienced. He was arrogant, and like most men who are they hold in what they have to say. Rat just brakes not as a coward, but as a person who’s becoming …show more content…

He couldn’t see himself as a hero because he couldn’t save Curt Lemon. Despite of the this he kept on going with serving his country by being there as long as he could with his platoon. We all go through hardships every day, and sometimes when we can’t go on any longer we stop. It isn’t because we we’ve given up, but rather for the time we need a brake. As we go throughout our years in college, we are going to hit a breaking point to where we can’t go on anymore, but it doesn’t mean we’ve given up completely. Just like Rat Kiley we need a brake. We might not have the same problems as he did during the war, but he’s just like any other person going through a rough time. Rat Kiley isn’t a coward for shooting himself in a foot, but a brave soldier to keep on going for his platoon. He couldn’t given up when he saw Curt Lemon get killed, yet he went on until he couldn’t any

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