Ch. 18: Good Form

[Saffron]

Ch. 18: Good Form

Please use this thread for discussing this chapter.

[WildCityWoman]

I really like that touch - him going back there with his daughter.

[Saffron]

I really like that touch - him going back there with his daughter.

Ya, me too. I have a feeling that O'Brien really did take a trip back with a family member.

[giselle]

Just speculating here. I wondered at the way in which O'Brien's preoccupation with his war experiences may have affected his ability to be present in his daughter's life. I recall some hints about this but its been a while since I read the book so I cannot recall a specific reference. Was the return visit with his daughter a way to deal with his and her emotions with respect to this?

[golfmaster925]

This chapter has completely changed my opinion and train of thought about this book. I am almost in shock that the author made up most of this book and lies about things that he said were true stories, in order to evoke a certain mentality in the reader. By lulling the audience into a false sense of credibility, he has lost that audience for the rest of the book and effaces all of the morals and philosophies that he instilled throughout the novel. O'Brien has completely lost my attention and respect. My biggest question is, "Do soldiers actually suffer as much hardship in combat as they say they do, or do they fabricate it in order to personify a hero?"