The Little Things Count

(O'Brien, 141)

Literary Term: Mood

"Sometimes the bravest thing on earth was to sit through night and feel the cold in your bones. Courage was not always a matter of yes and no. sometimes it came in degrees, like the cold; sometimes you were very brave up to a point and then beyond that point you were not so brave. In certain situations you could do incredible things, you could advance toward enemy fire, but in other situations, which were not nearly so bad, you had trouble keeping your eyes open. sometimes, like the night in the shit field, the difference between courage and cowardice was something small and stupid."

This entire chapter was devoted to the horrible, and well, shitty evening in the field of poop. Still, even though the event was devastating, this was a very moving passage of the book. The aura of humble acceptance is astounding giving the novel a realistic tone. Many war tales don't focus on weakness or indecision, rather these stories revolve around exceptional risks and sacrifice. While tales of greatness and strength are remarkable, this atmosphere of humble truth makes these soldiers who are trained to be "heroic" killing machines more human. The stereotypical Hollywood image of war hides these faults while highlighting the animal-like behaviors of war, free of wrong-doing and hurt. Additionally rather than bluntly stating hardship or complaining, this passage recognizes mistakes and failure. Personally, I find the attitude in this section to be one of the most impacting scenes of the book, and I wish the entire work was written this way.