Stockings to Style

 It’s not easy to fully write about these chapters because they were mostly all very short. The chapter Stockings was a sweet little story. It was cute how he wrapped his girlfriend’s stockings around his neck. It was his protection against evil and a good luck charm. Henry Dobbins was never wounded as long as he wore those stockings. He believed in their magic wish is what mad them work. Even after his girlfriend dumped him he still believed in their magic.

Church explores the platoon’s thoughts on religion and churches of course. They had set up at a pagoda that was tended by two peaceful monks. The monks didn’t oppse to them being there at all. They seemed to actually like their company. Kiowa thought it was wrong for them to be there. He may have thought it was disrespectable to God in a way. You know, bring in all those guns, objects meant for killing. I never would have thought that Dobbins had ever considered being a minister. It wasn’t the religion thing that interested him though, just the being nice part.

The way that a soldier kills a person makes a huge impact on them. Soldiers shoot and kill people all the time but it usually isn’t close up. They never really have to see the enemies face. If you don’t have to see their face then it changes the killing into something small. It’s almost like it never happened. In the chapters The Man I Killed and Ambush O’Brien had the unlucky opportunity of killing a man up close and personal. He had killed many before but not like this. I found it interesting how he repeatedly described how the man looked once he died. The star shaped hole, clean fingernails, thin eyebrows, and the freckles made O’Brien realize that this was a human being. He could have been a young man who probably had dreams and was someone who wasn’t fit for war. O’Brien could not stop staring. Maybe it was because he was a young just like O’Brien or because of the amount of gore. I think it was because O’Brien realized that he had just killed a young man who was fighting in a war he wanted no parts of, just like himself.  

Style was strange because of the little girl. He family was clearly dead her house in shambles. Yet, she was dancing with her eyes closed. She seemed to be at peace sort of. I think she was just in a state of shock and this is how she reacted. We all react to death differently. Some of us cry, others ignore it, and some are completely silent. Azar decide to act immaturely and mimic her dancing. Henry Dobbins obviously didn’t like that he was being disrespectful. I think Azar may have some sort of emotional damage, something that keeps him from identifying sad and emotional situations.