The+Sorrow+of+War+-+Can's+desertion+-P16f

=Pp 16 - 26= 1. The extract begins with a memory of Kien's involvement in a battle. How is it presented; what representation of war is being offered? 2. Kien shows 'no fear, no anger' when he kills the other soldier. What does this suggest about his character? What does it imply about the effects of battle? It might help to compare Can's comments on page 20. 3. What is the purpose of including the story of Can's unsuccessful desertion and his mother's subsequent letter? 4. The conversation with Can, starting on page 18, arguably marks the point where Bao Ninh starts to create a more defined character for Kien. What impression do we get of him? Perhaps most noticeable is his reaction to Can's unspoken plea for sympathy on page 22 (though also look at hiis actions on page 23 - why does he 'burst into tears'?) 5. Is it important that Kien is remembering this exchange, in detail, many years later? (Look at page 24.)

[|Sorrow Part 3.doc]

=Possible World Lit topics:=
 * =All three novels contain descriptions of killings. How are they described and to what end?=
 * =How are the main protagonists in the novels first introduced?=
 * =Both Kien in //The Sorrow of War// and The Chief in //The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea// appear at times to be incapable of normal responses to violence. How does this aspect of characterisation link to the themes of the novel?=

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