Going After Cacciato essays

Going After Cacciato essays Going After Cacciato captures the peculiar mixture of horror and hallucination that marked this strangest of wars. In a blend of reality and fantasy, this novel tells the story of a young soldier who one day lays down his rifle and sets off on a quixotic journey from the jungles of Indochina to the streets of Paris. In its memorable evocation of men both fleeing from and meeting the demands of battle, Going After Cacciato stands as much more than just a great war novel. Ultimately it's about the forces of fear and heroism that do battle in the hearts of us all. Youll see some terrible stuff, sure but try to look for the good in things. Try to learn. In the novel, Going After Cacciato, Paul Berlin, the protagonist, is placed in many precarious situations, however, by using his imagination and by trying to see the good in things he is able to overcome even the most treacherous odds. For example, when he is on duty at the observation post he passes his time by thinking of happy memories from his past and by daydreaming. Daydreams, fantasies, and getting lost in their own imaginations were a few of the ways the soldiers in the novel managed to temporarily forget their troubles and fears. They were fighting, what seemed to them as a purposeless war where no victories were won and no tangible goals could be set. However, they always kept their eyes peeled for the good things. What would happen when the war ended? What would they do? How would they celebrate? These were just a few of the questions that constantly plagued the minds of each soldier during the course of the novel. Besides the use of imagination to reach ones goals and conquer ones fear, this book brings up a moral question: how to do the right thing in a bad situation. During a war soldiers are faced with numerous atrocities. The desire to flee may have begun as a reaction to fear, but what keeps a lot of soldiers from runni ...