In comparison to Kovic, Reynolds joined the war precisely because she was acquainted with its unjustness and with the suffering that it provoked. She too had initially been inclined to support the war, particularly considering that her brother was already on the front and her father performed efforts with the purpose of having more Americans involved in the conflict. However, as time passed, she realized that the war was immoral and that the government was practically encouraging young people to risk their lives for an absurd cause. Moreover, when she actually came to witness the war directly, she discovered that the U.S. showed no interest whatsoever in the fate of people in Vietnam. Its only purpose was apparently that of eradicating communism, regardless of the consequences of such an act. The war no longer seemed to be glorious when considering that U.S. soldiers were reported to have committed war crimes.
The effects of the Vietnam War became obvious at the time when President Nguyen came to lead the country. Americans understood that all of their efforts were in vain and that South Vietnam came to be nothing as people expected it to be. The U.S. virtually struggled to keep communism out of South Vietnam only to have the territory controlled by a corrupted individual. Moreover, the North-Vietnamese forces rapidly took over the south of the country consequent to the Americans leaving the land. It is basically unbelievable for someone today to understand why the U.S. got involved in a conflict that did not have anything to do with it and why it got innocent individuals to lose their lives for an unjust cause. Reynolds quickly understood that the war was much more complex than she initially believed. Even though she expected to see a lot of suffering, it was impossible for here to prepare for what she was about to experience.
The Vietnam War changed Bao Ninh's life forever, considering that he lost his loved one, his innocence, and his ability to appreciate society...
The great complexity of the war is partly reflected in the nonlinear character of the novel. The protagonist keeps going back and forth and presents readers with his memories and with how his thinking changes on account of the things that he sees. As Kien describes it, nothing is real concerning the war, with people losing their identities and their ability to experience feelings as a result of experiencing war in its entirety. In spite of the fact that he fights for the communist regime, Kien does not support the values it promotes and feels as if the reasons for which he fights are illogical. Kien eventually admits that one feels that warfare is pointless consequent to the respective person's participation in a conflict. "But war was a world with no home, no roof, no comforts. A miserable journey, of endless drifting" (Ninh, 31). In spite of the fact that Ninh's experiences influences people in considering that he should be thankful, he actually wants to emphasize his suffering. The final victory means nothing to Ninh, as he is unable to express love toward the people whom he believes he should love. In addition to that, the conflict left irreparable damage in the hearts of Vietnamese people and in their thinking, making them less receptive to what happened around them and less willing to put across sentiments that some might consider normal.
All things considered, Bao Ninh, Ron Kovic, and Mary Reynolds all lived through events that changed mostly everything about them. They learnt that it was pointless for them to want to express even the simplest of emotions. Seeing their friends murdered and observing how a nation is capable to perform great mistakes made them less determined to want to appreciate life.
Kovic, Ron, Born on the Fourth of July, (Akashic Books, 2005).
Ninh, Bao, The sorrow of war: a novel of North Vietnam, (Riverhead Books, 1996).
Reynolds Powell, Mary, A world of hurt, (Greenleaf Book, 2000)
